Israel has always felt like a nation to me, not a religious state. Living in Tel Aviv, I barely noticed the Jewish influence, as the bustling city life and lazy beach days gave little impression of religious activities. Per day, I would see on average zero to one Haredi, or even Orthodox people on the street. It was my secular home, and I loved it.

It is only now, learning about current events and living next to Jerusalem, that the full force of the ultra-Orthodox campaign has reached my ears and become obvious. Even more recently however, is talk of the fall of this "rabbinical hegemony". More or less, this term describes the religious parties' influence in modern Israel, from mikvah building restrictions to Knesset laws. But with the rise of secular Israelis and people living their daily lives without the help of the ultra-Orthodox, this independence has led to far less reliance on religion, and is turning Israel away from the rabbinate's dominion.