Democracy
New Publications in the Field
Opinion Articles
Opinion Articles
Splitting the Attorney General role would be a win-win all around
It's not easy being the government's legal counsel while also being chief prosecutor tasked with standing up to the government.
Opinion Articles
Opinion Articles
Turning the Shin Bet into a political battleground would be a detriment to all of Israel
When an agency with extraordinary powers becomes a partisan battleground, democracy itself is at risk.
Opinion Articles
Opinion Articles
Even against beasts, the IDF must uphold its character
The IDF must fight terrorism with unwavering determination, but it must also preserve its character and its values.
Opinion Articles
Opinion Articles
How Israeli leaders ignore accountability, hold contempt for citizens
Bereaved Israeli families are demanding answers, but their political leaders look the other way.
Opinion Articles
Opinion Articles
Netanyahu may be resisting it, but a state commission of inquiry into October 7 is now essential
It’s not just about accountability but ensuring the mistakes of the past are not repeated – it is about protecting the future security of the State of Israel.
Opinion Articles
Opinion Articles
We should all compromise to protect Israel’s judiciary from political strife
The incoming president of the Supreme Court could raise the flag of compromise in the form of the victor’s outstretched hand and allow Levin’s candidate to be appointed to the court.
Opinion Articles
Opinion Articles
Halevi’s resignation was overdue, now’s the time for a state inquiry
The government must follow Halevi's suit and commit to a rigorous independent investigation of the events that led to October 7. Only this can help Israel learn from its mistakes and emerge stronger.
Researchers Team
Dr. Haim Zicherman
Bio
Dr. Haim Zicherman, a senior lecturer at the Ono Academic College (OAC), is an expert in constitutional and property law and also researches the ultra-Orthodox society.
His book Black Blue-White (Yedioth Books, 2014) takes a broad-minded approach to understanding the ultra-Orthodox society in Israel. Until last year, Zicherman managed the ultra-Orthodox campuses of the OAC, where thousands of Haredi students – male and female – study. In recent years, Zicherman has coordinated the development and management of the "Israeli Identity" course available to all undergraduate students in Israel.
Focus Areas and Research
Articles by Dr. Haim Zicherman
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Dr. Shuki Friedman
Director General
Bio
Dr. Shuki Friedman is the Director General of the Jewish People Policy Institute. He is a member of the Faculty of Law at the Peres Academic Center and formerly served as secretary of the Locker Committee for Examining the Defense Budget. He was also chairman of the government committee on the sanctions against Iran, and headed the international and foreign law department for the legal division of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
Areas of expertise
The relationship of religion and state; processes of religionization; secular-religious-ultra-Orthodox relations; ultra-Orthodox employment; the defense budget; Islamic law; international law; the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement.
Focus Areas and Research
Antisemitism, Geopolitics, Democracy, Religion and State, Identity and Education, Haredim, Israel-Diaspora Relations
Articles by Dr. Shuki Friedman
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Prof. Yedidia Stern
President
Bio
Professor Stern is President of the Jewish People Policy Institute and a full professor in the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University. He is an alumnus of the Kerem B'Yavneh hesder yeshiva (1973-1978); holds a law degree (summa cum laude) from Bar-Ilan University (1982), and a doctorate in corporate law from Harvard University (1986).
Stern has served as dean of Bar-Ilan University's Faculty of Law (1994-1998), and was a Senior Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute (1989-2000). For a decade he served as the IDI's Vice President for Research.
His areas of expertise are corporate law (merger and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate governance), and public law (constitutional law, religion and state, human rights, law and halacha or Jewish law). He has lectured and been a visiting scholar at universities abroad (including Harvard, Columbia, Brandeis, and Princeton), and was Distinguished University Professor at Monash University in Australia (2009-2011).
Stern has served as advisor to the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee; has participated in numerous committees and public entities, among them the Commission of Inquiry on the Treatment of Residents of Gush Katif (2009); the National Committee for Civic Studies (2009-2011, committee chair); the Takana Forum for the prevention of sexual harassment in the religious community (founding member); the Government Committee for Equality in the Burden of Service (2012); the Committee for Regulating Governance in Higher Education (2014). He has served on the boards of multiple companies, including (currently) that of Bank Leumi.
Stern has been awarded the Zeltner Prize for Excellence in Legal Research (2009), and the Gorny Prize for Outstanding Activity in Public Law (2012).
Professor Stern has written and edited over twenty books; has published over fifty research articles in five languages; is the coeditor (with Professor Sagi) of the journal Democratic Culture (19 volumes to date); regularly publishes essays and articles in the Israeli and international press, and is interviewed by the Israeli and international media on issues of law and society, religion and state, Judaism and democracy, Jewish identity and Israeli culture.
Born in England (1955), married to Dr. Karen Friedman-Stern, father of eight.
Focus Areas and Research
Antisemitism, Democracy, Religion and State, Identity and Education, Haredim, Israel-Diaspora Relations
Articles by Prof. Yedidia Stern
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