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Israel, Gateway of Hope

Israel, Gateway of Hope

A day will come when the story of Israel in modern times will speak not just to Jews but to all who believe in the power of the human spirit as it reaches out to God, as an ever-lasting symbol of the victory of life over death, hope over despair.
03/05/2024
By: Jonathan Sacks
“Just a Word of Hebrew Pierces My Veins and My Soul” A Jewish State as Culture

“Just a Word of Hebrew Pierces My Veins and My Soul” A Jewish State as Culture

How can one encompass an entire world – “What is a Jewish state?” – within a single short article? One cannot, nor is it necessary. If, nevertheless, we are obliged to compress all the abundance, richness and joy embodied in the existence of a Jewish state into one word, I think that word should be: “culture.”
03/05/2024
By: Dina Zilber
“Will Two Walk Together Unless They Are Agreed?”

“Will Two Walk Together Unless They Are Agreed?”

A life-affirming leadership should strive to expand the common ground between Israeli society’s different subgroups by employing the two central values of the state: Judaism and democracy. One the one hand, civics instruction should be provided to Haredi pupils, in the spirit of what Chazal had to say about the necessity of the fear of government. On the other hand, pupils in the state education system should be familiarized with Jewish tradition and culture.
03/05/2024
By: Haim Zicherman
The Jewish State We Should Be Hoping For

The Jewish State We Should Be Hoping For

What is a Jewish state? It is a state with a Jewish majority, which treats its minorities the way Diaspora Jews throughout the world demand to be treated. It is a state that is faithful to the historical experience of exilic Jewry – ending the exile but also remembering and learning from it. And finally, it is a state that provides a protected space within which every version of Jewishness and every kind of Jew can flourish.
03/05/2024
By: Michael Walzer
Jews and Arabs in Israel: Dancing Toward a Better Future

Jews and Arabs in Israel: Dancing Toward a Better Future

As a Jewish state, Israel is the homeland of the Jewish nation, thus entitling all its members to a unique key to enter the house. However, every legal citizen, whether a Jew or not, must be treated fairly, equally, and equitably within that house. 
03/05/2024
By: Mohammed S. Wattad
Israel as a Measure of Jewish Moral Fiber

Israel as a Measure of Jewish Moral Fiber

Rising antisemitism around the world makes the State of Israel essential and the need for justice and peace with Palestinian Arabs also essential. Ultimately, Israel is a measure of Jewish moral fiber, a demand that “justice prevails over power, that awareness of God penetrates human understanding.”
03/05/2024
By: Susannah Heschel
Jewish and/or Democratic in Numbers

Jewish and/or Democratic in Numbers

What it means for the State of Israel to be defined legally and cognitively as “Jewish and democratic” (in that order) has for years been at the center of public and political debate and will likely remain so in the future. How do Israeli citizens understand this dual definition?
03/05/2024
By: Tamar Hermann
What’s Jewish About a Jewish State

What’s Jewish About a Jewish State

The fear of Israel being the state of all its citizens is that it will lose its Jewish majority and will consequently cease to exist as the homeland of the Jewish people. This fear was coherent in the state’s early decades. Today as we celebrate our 75th anniversary, there are close to 7.5 million Jewish citizens in Israel, and 2 million non-Jewish citizens. Our challenge for the future is to admit victory and develop new policies that reflect our current reality, and not that of 75 years ago.
03/05/2024
By: Donniel Hartman
Israel Between Nationalism, Religion, and Liberalism

Israel Between Nationalism, Religion, and Liberalism

The most important and central issue with which the State of Israel has to contend is that of determining its character as a democratic Jewish state. Resolution of this issue will determine the state’s identity and, for good or ill, its future and its very legitimacy. At the heart of the tension lie two questions: What constitutional and legal elements may be derived from Israel’s “Jewish” component, and how do these elements accord, if at all, with the state’s liberal-democratic obligations?
03/05/2024
By: Moshe Halbertal
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