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Justice vs. Law: King Solomon and Ivan the Terrible

John Demjanjuk is dead. The man who was sentenced to death by an Israeli district court, but was later acquitted by the Supreme Court, died of natural causes at a ripe old age. Thirty years of legal proceedings in three countries have ended, more or less, with a whimper. Most of the Israeli public suspects that Demjanjuk was indeed "Ivan…
18/03/2012

The Tal Law: Judicial Activism at its Height

At first, the Court's adamant refusal to get involved stemmed from its belief that the matter lacked justiciability and was beyond its authority. Later, when the nature of the Court shifted, its refusal became more hesitant and its rhetoric hinted at the possibility of intervention. Next, the Knesset enacted the Tal Law, which exempted full-time yeshiva students from military service.…
28/02/2012

In the Aftermath of the Tal Law

Haredim avoid the army for good reason. They fear that exposing young men who have been cloistered behind the "walls of holiness" to military service, with its high levels of adrenaline, will change their identity. Replacing the thrill of mastering a Talmudic question with the thrill of storming a building, firearm in hand, at an impressionable age when external influences…
22/02/2012
The Jews of France in 2030
Europe's Jewry

The Jews of France in 2030

Dr. Dov Maimon's speech on the Jews in France in 2030 at the CRIF National Convention, November 20, 2011. To read the full text: The Jews of France in 2030
03/01/2012
Europe's Jewry
Learning Jewishness, Jewish Education and Jewish Identity
Jewish Communities Worldwide

Learning Jewishness, Jewish Education and Jewish Identity

JPPI took the initiative to create a baser of interaction and cooperation between the most significant leaders of programs advancing Jewish identity and education, focusing on the best points of intervention along the Jewish life cycle. The first meeting took place on December 14 in New York, and it will be followed by a series of interviews and brainstormings with…
01/01/2012
Jewish Communities Worldwide

A Jewish and Undemocratic State?

Prof. Yedidia Z. Stern is Vice President of the Israel Democracy Institute and a member of the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University. This article was originally published in Hebrew in Yedioth Ahronoth on November 10, 2011.
09/11/2011

The Responsibility of a Sovereign State

The imposition of mandatory military service on the citizens of Israel reflects a broad social consensus to an ethos in which individuals must risk their bodies, their freedom, and even their lives for their country. This consensus is clear to all Israelis because it is necessary for realizing our collective national interest. When our parents enlisted, when our children enlisted,…
24/10/2011

The Democratic Year in Review: The Knesset’s Missed Opportunity

At the center of the parliamentarians' attention were private bills ostensibly aimed at Judaizing the Jewish state. The buzz words of the Knesset during the past year included "loyalty," "boycott," "Nakba," "the New Israel Fund," and the like. I will not use this forum to discuss the Knesset's wisdom in engaging in such matters; it is very dubious. I will…
03/10/2011
Remarks to the JPPI by US Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro
US-Israel Relations

Remarks to the JPPI by US Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro

September 6, 2011 - Remarks to the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) By Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro I am delighted to be here to speak before the Jewish People Policy Institute so early in my tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Israel.  Avinoam, thank you very much for putting this dinner together and providing me the opportunity to address such a…
06/09/2011
US-Israel Relations
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