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Is There a Place for God in the Israeli Army?

Published in: The Jewish Week    The Defense Minister and Chief of Staff recently expressed cautious reservations about the religion-infused letter that the commander of the Givati Brigade wrote to the officers under his command at the outset of Operation Protective Edge. The commander letter defined the mission of his troops in religious terms: defeating a blasphemous enemy who defames…
09/11/2014

Adviser or Prosecutor? Israel’s Attorney General Can’t be Both

Published in: Haaretz  The closer we get to the end of Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein’s term in office, the more discussion there is of who should replace him. The attorney general wears two hats: He is chief prosecutor, enforcing criminal law in the country, and he is the executive branch’s legal adviser. When I was a candidate for this office,…
31/10/2014
How DNA testing can reveal Jewish ancestry and bolster the Zionist narrative
Identity and Education

How DNA testing can reveal Jewish ancestry and bolster the Zionist narrative

By Michele Alperin, Jewish News Service This summer, the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) presented a set of recommendations on genetic testing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and the Israeli cabinet (pictured here at its weekly meeting on June 29, 2014). JPPI recommended that the Israeli government, Jewish communities, and Jewish organizations provide information and points of connection for individuals…
19/09/2014
Identity and Education

A Social Iron Dome for Jewish-Arab Relations

Published in: Yedioth Ahronoth  Hamas has failed in its physical attacks on Israel. We prevailed, resoundingly, thanks to the courage of soldiers and commanders, the steadfast resilience of the home front, and the wisdom and foresight of technological innovators. The plan to wear down and break the Israeli spirit failed in the face of a veritable tsunami of solidarity and…
11/08/2014
2013-2014 Annual Assessment

2013-2014 Annual Assessment

2013-2014 Annual Assessment No. 10 PROJECT HEAD Dr. Shlomo Fischer CONTRIBUTORS Avinoam Bar-Yosef, Nadia Ellis, Sylvia Barack Fishman, Avi Gil, Inbal Hakman, Michael Herzog, Antony Korenstein, Dov Maimon, Asaf Nissenbaum, Steven Popper, Shmuel Rosner, David Saks, Noah Slepkov, Shalom Salomon Wald, Einat Wilf EDITORS Barry Geltman Rami Tal We would like to thank Prof. Gideon Shimoni, Prof. Uzi Rebhun, and…
06/08/2014
Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State
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Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State

This JPPI special report brings Diaspora input on the character of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state into an important initiative of Israel’s Ministry of Justice. The goal is to consider legislation on Israel’s Jewish and democratic nature at a time when different ideological groups within Israel hold conflicting views of how these components should be prioritized.
03/06/2014
By: Shmuel Rosner, Avi Gil

The Holyland Sentencing: A Faithful City?

I found myself on an emotional roller coaster this week following the Court's sentencing of Ehud Olmert, former mayor of Israel's capital and former prime minister of Israel, being tossed from side to side by sadness, pride, and apprehension. My sadness was on a personal level. I know Ehud Olmert. We are not friends, but we embrace when we meet.…
18/05/2014

A Jewish State Warrants Our Sacrifice

Israel is celebrating 66 years of independence, an independence acquired with the blood of thousands of young men and women who gave their lives for the nation while serving in its armed forces and other security agencies. This is why we observe Israel's Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Israel's Independence Day on two—consecutive and very emotional—days. Every year on…
16/05/2014

The Lessons of Passover: We are the Other

This year, as in other years, the highest rated event in Israel will not be a contemporary event, whether a political event, a sports event, or a cultural event. Rather, it will be a traditional event that commemorates the past: the Seder. Like dozens of previous generations, on the eve of Passover, some 85% of Jews in Israel will gather…
13/04/2014
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