Sex abuse stats in religious schools; railroad electioneering

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Religions reporter Judah Ari Gross and Knesset correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast. Gross discusses statistics regarding the higher incidence of sexual abuse in Israel's religious school system. Keller-Lynn looks at efforts by Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli to institute Shabbat service on the Israeli railroad system ahead of upcoming elections. Gross talks about the unlikely marriage of a Utah law allowing wedding ceremonies via Zoom that has eased the path toward civil weddings in Israel. Keller-Lynn speaks about Arab nationalist party Balad and its defection from the upcoming elections. Discussed articles include: Religious students report sexual abuse at twice rate of secular school peers – study Michaeli promises to run Tel Aviv light rail on Shabbat starting next year In step toward civil marriage, Jerusalem court accepts ‘Zoom weddings’ from Utah Balad to meet to consider boycotting elections after being disqualified Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. Illustrative: Israeli students seen on the first day of school at a school in Jerusalem, on September 1, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.