"A House of Prayer for All Nations": Unorthodox Prayer Houses for Nonreligious Israeli Jews

התחדשות יהודית זהות יהודית-ישראלית תפילה חילונית תרבות יהודית-ישראלית

This research explores the emergence of unorthodox houses of prayer created by the Jewish Renewal movement for nonreligious Israeli Jews, focusing on the shift from text-based study to the creation of prayer and ritual practices in secular settings. Based on qualitative research, it argues that these initiatives deliberately disconnect religious identity from belief and traditional ritual obligation, thereby redefining the boundaries of Jewish religious expression. The research shows how these prayer spaces function as laboratories for the formation of a hybrid secular Jewish–Israeli identity and highlights their broader implications for ongoing struggles over Jewish cultural and religious identity in Israel.