Jewish State or Israeli Nation?

Jewish State or Israeli Nation? PDF Author: Boas Evron
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253319630
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
". . . an excellent book . . . provides valuable insights into a broad range of cutting-edge topics in the social sciences such as ethnic and identity politics, nation building, transnationalism and diasporas." —Choice "This book will take its place as a classic in the field . . ." —Journal of Church and State " . . . a lucid formulation of post-Zionist ideology for the generation of the 1980s and 1990s." —International Journal of Middle East Studies "It is . . . a remarkable experience to read Evron's thoughtful book. He finds much to criticize in the conventional reading of Jewish history and argues that Israel should be thought of not as a state for the Jewish people but as a territorial state much like others, with full rights for all its inhabitants." —Foreign Affairs " . . . an extremely erudite, brilliant and powerful book with a novel approach: a sober secular conception of Judaism." —Maariv "A provocative post-Zionist critique of the fundamental concepts of Jewish peoplehood, Zionism, and Israeli nationalism." —Choice "This compelling book conveys the reader straight to the frontline of the battle raging in Israel over the proper boundaries of the national identity. Evron's radical post-Zionist critique of Israel's conceptual foundations calls in question the core link between Israel and Judaism and between Israel and the Jewish diaspora. His penetrating analysis challenges the muddled ideological bearings of Israel's public self-images and points the way toward what may be a more realistic adaptation to its Middle Eastern environment." —Noah Lucas, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies "Boas Evron is one of the most important and innovative contemporary Jewish-Israeli thinkers and writers. . . . For the English-speaking reader, Evron's book is a unique opportunity to understand the new secular Israeli nationalism, written by one of its most critical yet optimistic representatives." —Baruch Kimmerling, The Hebrew University Boas Evron concludes that Israel should become a territorial state that would accommodate its sizeable non-Jewish minority in a truly democratic way.

Jewish State or Israeli Nation?

Jewish State or Israeli Nation? PDF Author: Boas Evron
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253319630
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 294

Get Book Here

Book Description
". . . an excellent book . . . provides valuable insights into a broad range of cutting-edge topics in the social sciences such as ethnic and identity politics, nation building, transnationalism and diasporas." —Choice "This book will take its place as a classic in the field . . ." —Journal of Church and State " . . . a lucid formulation of post-Zionist ideology for the generation of the 1980s and 1990s." —International Journal of Middle East Studies "It is . . . a remarkable experience to read Evron's thoughtful book. He finds much to criticize in the conventional reading of Jewish history and argues that Israel should be thought of not as a state for the Jewish people but as a territorial state much like others, with full rights for all its inhabitants." —Foreign Affairs " . . . an extremely erudite, brilliant and powerful book with a novel approach: a sober secular conception of Judaism." —Maariv "A provocative post-Zionist critique of the fundamental concepts of Jewish peoplehood, Zionism, and Israeli nationalism." —Choice "This compelling book conveys the reader straight to the frontline of the battle raging in Israel over the proper boundaries of the national identity. Evron's radical post-Zionist critique of Israel's conceptual foundations calls in question the core link between Israel and Judaism and between Israel and the Jewish diaspora. His penetrating analysis challenges the muddled ideological bearings of Israel's public self-images and points the way toward what may be a more realistic adaptation to its Middle Eastern environment." —Noah Lucas, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies "Boas Evron is one of the most important and innovative contemporary Jewish-Israeli thinkers and writers. . . . For the English-speaking reader, Evron's book is a unique opportunity to understand the new secular Israeli nationalism, written by one of its most critical yet optimistic representatives." —Baruch Kimmerling, The Hebrew University Boas Evron concludes that Israel should become a territorial state that would accommodate its sizeable non-Jewish minority in a truly democratic way.

The Arab Jews

The Arab Jews PDF Author: Yehouda A. Shenhav
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804752961
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
This book is about the social history of the Arab Jews—Jews living in Arab countries—against the backdrop of Zionist nationalism. By using the term "Arab Jews" (rather than "Mizrahim," which literally means "Orientals") the book challenges the binary opposition between Arabs and Jews in Zionist discourse, a dichotomy that renders the linking of Arabs and Jews in this way inconceivable. It also situates the study of the relationships between Mizrahi Jews and Ashkenazi Jews in the context of early colonial encounters between the Arab Jews and the European Zionist emissaries—prior to the establishment of the state of Israel and outside Palestine. It argues that these relationships were reproduced upon the arrival of the Arab Jews to Israel. The book also provides a new prism for understanding the intricate relationships between the Arab Jews and the Palestinian refugees of 1948, a link that is usually obscured or omitted by studies that are informed by Zionist historiography. Finally, the book uses the history of the Arab Jews to transcend the assumptions necessitated by the Zionist perspective, and to open the door for a perspective that sheds new light on the basic assumptions upon which Zionism was founded.

Evolving Nationalism

Evolving Nationalism PDF Author: Nadav Gershon Shelef
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 9780801476754
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Evolving Nationalism examines how the idea of Israel as a nation-state has developed within Zionist and Israeli discourse over the past eight decades. Nadav G. Shelef focuses on the changing ways in which the main nationalist movements answered three distinct questions in their private and public ideological articulations between 1925 and 2005: Where is the "Land of Israel"? Who ought to be Israeli? What should the Zionist national mission be? Framed within broader debates about how and why changes in foundational definitions of the nation occur, Shelef's analysis centers on the mechanisms of ideological change and then subjects them to empirical scrutiny. He thus moves beyond the common but problematic assumptions that such transformations must be either a rare, rational adaptation to traumatic shock or a relatively constant product of manipulation by power-hungry elites. He finds that nationalist movements, including radical and religious fundamentalist ones, can and do change cardinal components of their ideological beliefs in both moderating and radicalizing directions. These changes have more to do with the unguided consequences of engagement in day-to-day politics than with strategic reaction to new realities, the use of force, or the changing incentives of leaders. Engaging with some of the most contentious debates about the nature of Israeli nationalism and the geographic, religious, and ethnic definition of the state of Israel, Shelef has made signal contributions to our understanding of Middle East politics and of the ideological underpinnings of nationalism itself.

Liberal Nationalism for Israel

Liberal Nationalism for Israel PDF Author: Joseph Agassi
Publisher: Gefen Publishing House Ltd
ISBN: 9789652291905
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
This book suggests a Western-style, Liberal, Democratic-Nationalism for the State of Israel.

Judaism, Nationalism, And The Land Of Israel

Judaism, Nationalism, And The Land Of Israel PDF Author: Martin Sicker
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 042972263X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
This book provides unique insights into the profound religious and cultural issues underlying the increasingly ideological divisions within Israeli society over the questions of territorial concessions and the future character of the state. It explores the significant distinctions between modern Zionism, a primarily secular nationalist movement modeled after the European movements of the nineteenth century, and the much older traditional Jewish nationalism, which is deeply rooted in ancient religion and culture. Dr. Sicker offers a concise overview of the 3,000-year intellectual history of Jewish nationalism, within which modern secular Zionism represents a relatively brief—although immensely important—interlude that may be entering its final stage as other more traditional religious nationalist concepts seek to take its place as the national ideology of the State of Israel. An analysis of how Jewish religious nationalism has shaped the history of the Jews, this book examines the national and territorial dimensions of classical Judaism, explains the survival of the nationalist idea despite the repeated loss of independence and the exile of the majority of the people from their homeland, and demonstrates how the nineteenth-century religious reform movement sought to counter both the growth of Zionism and the resurgence of traditional Jewish nationalism. The book concludes with a discussion of the new ideological synthesis of Judaism, nationalism, and the Land of Israel and its implications for the future of the Jewish state.

The Founding Myths of Israel

The Founding Myths of Israel PDF Author: Zeev Sternhell
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140082236X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
The well-known historian and political scientist Zeev Sternhell here advances a radically new interpretation of the founding of modern Israel. The founders claimed that they intended to create both a landed state for the Jewish people and a socialist society. However, according to Sternhell, socialism served the leaders of the influential labor movement more as a rhetorical resource for the legitimation of the national project of establishing a Jewish state than as a blueprint for a just society. In this thought-provoking book, Sternhell demonstrates how socialist principles were consistently subverted in practice by the nationalist goals to which socialist Zionism was committed. Sternhell explains how the avowedly socialist leaders of the dominant labor party, Mapai, especially David Ben Gurion and Berl Katznelson, never really believed in the prospects of realizing the "dream" of a new society, even though many of their working-class supporters were self-identified socialists. The founders of the state understood, from the very beginning, that not only socialism but also other universalistic ideologies like liberalism, were incompatible with cultural, historical, and territorial nationalism. Because nationalism took precedence over universal values, argues Sternhell, Israel has not evolved a constitution or a Bill of Rights, has not moved to separate state and religion, has failed to develop a liberal concept of citizenship, and, until the Oslo accords of 1993, did not recognize the rights of the Palestinians to independence. This is a controversial and timely book, which not only provides useful historical background to Israel's ongoing struggle to mobilize its citizenry to support a shared vision of nationhood, but also raises a question of general significance: is a national movement whose aim is a political and cultural revolution capable of coexisting with the universal values of secularism, individualism, and social justice? This bold critical reevaluation will unsettle long-standing myths as it contributes to a fresh new historiography of Zionism and Israel. At the same time, while it examines the past, The Founding Myths of Israel reflects profoundly on the future of the Jewish State.

Defining Israel

Defining Israel PDF Author: Simon Rabinovitch
Publisher: Hebrew Union College Press
ISBN: 0878201637
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 428

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Book Description
Defining Israel: The Jewish State, Democracy, and the Law is the first book in any language devoted to the controversial passage of Israel's nation-state law. Israel has no constitution, and though it calls itself the Jewish state there is no agreement among Israelis on how that fact should be reflected in the government's laws or by its courts. Since the 1990s a number of civil society groups and legislators have drafted constitutions and proposed Basic Laws with constitutional standing that would clarify what it means for Israel to be a "Jewish and democratic state." Are these bills liberal or chauvinist? Are they a defense of the Knesset or an attack on the independence of the courts? Is their intention democratic or anti-democratic? The fight over the nation-state law-whether to have one and what should be in it-toppled the 19th Knesset's governing coalition and, even after its passage on July 29, 2018, remains a point of contention among Israel's lawmakers and increasingly the Israeli public. Defining Israel brings together influential scholars, journalists, and politicians, observers and participants, opponents and proponents, Jews and Arabs, all debating the merits and meaning of Israel's nation-state law. Together with translations of each draft law, the final law, and other key documents, the essays and sources in Defining Israel are essential to understand the ongoing debate over what it means for Israel to be a Jewish and democratic state.

Arab Minority Nationalism in Israel

Arab Minority Nationalism in Israel PDF Author: Amal Jamal
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 113682412X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
National minorities and their behaviour have become a central topic in comparative politics in the last few decades. Using the relationship between the state of Israel and the Arab national minority as a case study, this book provides a thorough examination of minority nationalism and state-minority relations in Israel. Placing the case of the Arab national minority in Israel within a comparative framework, the author analyses major debates taking place in the field of collective action, social movements, civil society and indigenous rights. He demonstrates the impact of the state regime on the political behaviours of the minorities, and sheds light on the similarities and differences between various types of minority nationalisms and the nature of the relationship such minorities could have with their states. Drawing empirical and theoretical conclusions that contribute to studies of Israeli politics, political minorities, indigenous populations and conflict issues, this book will be a valuable reference for students and those in policy working on issues around Israeli politics, Palestinian politics and the broader Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel

Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel PDF Author: Oded Haklai
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812204395
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
Arabs make up approximately 20 percent of the population within Israel's borders. Until the 1970s, Arab citizens of Israel were a mostly acquiescent group, but in recent decades political activism has increased dramatically among members of this minority. Certain activists within this population claim that they are a national and indigenous minority dispossessed by more recent settlers from Europe. Ethnically based political organizations inside Israel are making nationalist demands and challenging the Jewish foundations of the state. Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel investigates the rise of this new movement, which has important implications for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a whole. Political scientist Oded Haklai has written the first book to examine this manifestation of Palestinian nationalism in Israel. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews with key figures, Haklai investigates how the debate over Arab minority rights within the Jewish state has given way to questioning the foundational principles of that state. This ground-breaking book not only explains the transitions in Palestinian Arab political activism in Israel but also presents new theoretical arguments about the relationship between states and societies. Haklai traces the source of Arab ethnonationalist mobilization to broader changes in the Israeli state, such as the decentralization of authority, an increase in political competition, intra-Jewish fragmentation, and a more liberalized economy. Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel avoids oversimplified explanations of ethnic conflict. Haklai's carefully researched and insightful analysis covers a neglected aspect of Israeli politics and Arab life outside the West Bank and Gaza. Scholars and policy makers interested in the future of Israel and peace in the Middle East will find it especially valuable.

The Tragedy of a Generation

The Tragedy of a Generation PDF Author: Joshua M. Karlip
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674074947
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 399

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Book Description
The Tragedy of a Generation is the story of a failed ideal: an autonomous Jewish nation in Europe. It traces the origins of two influential strains of Jewish thought—Yiddishism and Diaspora Nationalism—and documents the waning hopes and painful reassessments of their leading representatives against the rising tide of Nazism and the Holocaust.