The Left is not alone. The Right also imposes its own forms of cherem. The Im Tirtzu organization has threatened to pressure donors to boycott Israel's universities if the universities don't act according to the organization's wishes. Another form of cherem may be seen in the decision of some members of the Right to advocate refusal to serve in the…

The question of who should perform conversions in Israel is critical, both symbolically and practically. Symbolically, conversion is the only way to join the Jewish people; accordingly, whoever is authorized to convert people serves as a gatekeeper, with a monopoly on determining membership in an exclusive club. Practically, the gatekeeper's decisions have a profound impact on the identity of potential…

Recently, however, MK David Rotem of the Yisrael Beiteinu party took up the mantle of this issue and is to be congratulated for this. As the political party supported by the vast majority of Israeli immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Yisrael Beiteinu is largely promoting this bill due to its relevance to a large percentage of its constituents. However,…

Quick Navigation Introduction Conversion, the process by which non-Jews become Jews, has always occupied an important place on the Jewish agenda. From a theoretical standpoint, conversion is a fascinating phenomenon in many respects: religious and national, historical and social, philosophical and psychological. From a practical standpoint, conversion is an important social institution that is vital for Jewish continuity. Jewish attitudes…

Responsibility for combating crime is placed, first and foremost, on the various law enforcement authorities: the police, the prosecution, and the courts, which do much, but can still do more. However, in parallel, the onus to act against crime is on each and every citizen and community. How? A sample of four headlines that have besmirched our image recently include…

The Triangular Relationship of Jerusalem, Washington, and the American Jewish community is a primary focus of JPPI. The Institute convened, in October 2009 in Glen Cove, New York, a brainstorming conference on the subject.  The three papers in this publication were prepared and distributed to participants in advance of that conference, they include 2009 -- Change of Government in the USA…

On the surface, the Israeli marketplace of ideas crosses a very deep divide that splits us into two camps—"democrats" and "Jews." In practice, only a tiny fringe element objects to the state defining itself as "Jewish" and seeks "a state of all its citizens." Similarly, only a small, marginal group opposes a democratic state and favors an alternative vision, like…

The 2008 Annual assessment — the fifth annual assessment — follows in the footsteps of its predecessors. Its overview of the preceding year in terms of geo-political, economic, social, and political developments internationally and in the Diaspora and in Israel is well done and insightful. Not surprisingly, it addresses the growth of Iranian leverage in the Middle East, the divisions…

The ongoing financial crisis, however, has confronted us with a very different reality: the people most engaged in calculation – whom we entrusted with the responsibility of managing every aspect of our lives, from retirement to natural disasters – acted systematically and persistently in a dangerous manner that eventually led to the collective suicide of some of the most established…