Once the Law of the entire Jewish people, Jewish law has reemerged to play a formative role in the Israeli
legal system. Since its inception, Israeli law has created numerous legal
precedents originating from the Jewish legal tradition. In 1980, this
connection between Jewish law and the law of the modern State of Israel was
mandated with the passage of the Foundations of Law Act. The enactment
of this statute was a major change in the Israeli legal system, which ended the
formal dependence of Israeli law upon English law. It stipulated that wherever
prior Israeli law offers no solution to a particular legal question at
issue, the court is directed to render the decision on the basis of the
"principles of freedom, justice, equity, and peace in the Jewish tradition." The
Jewish Legal Heritage Society has contributed to putting this Act into practice
with its various educational activities.