In the period leading up to the formal proclamation of Israel as an independent state, religious and political leaders had to reach a compromise that would guarantee the freedoms of all future inhabitants of the state. In the Status Quo Agreement, written by David Ben-Gurion for the Jewish Agency, Ben-Gurion reluctantly appeals to the Ultra-Orthodox/Haredi leadership in Israel through drafting specific compromises in which religion and politics would operate cooperatively. These negotiations included the Sabbath, kashrut, marital affairs, and educational mandates. However, this cooperation entailed the separation of church and state insofar as Israel would not become a theocratic state upon its establishment. It is within the separation of church and state that has led to increasing conflicts between secular Zionists and the Ultra-Orthodox.
Although the Status Quo Agreement intended on placating the religious demands of the Ultra-Orthodox leadership in the future Jewish state, it did not limit its guarantees of freedom to solely religious Jews. With the supposition that members of creeds other than Judaism would also inhabit the impending state of Israel, Ben-Gurion provided for the “full equal rights for all citizens and the absence of coercion or discrimination in religious affairs or other matters.” Since the establishment of Israel was also viewed as the creation of a Jewish national home, Ben-Gurion felt this clause was necessary in that it did not preclude any other religions from free practice thus welcoming settlers from all around the world. In addition, this furthered the notion of separate church and state institutions to prohibit the imposition of Jewish culture and identity on these variant settlers and served to l...
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...odox Jews in the establishment of Israel, provides the background of the modern struggles for Jewish identity and the secular condemnation towards the Ultra-Orthodox imposition of theocratic ideals.
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Efron, Noah J. Real Jews: Secular vs. Ultra-Orthodox and the Struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel. New York: Basic Books, 2003.
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Yates, Joshua. “Haredim vs. Secular: Israel’s Internal Culture War and the Fight for Israeli Identity.” In Levitt Fellowship Research, edited by Shoshana Keller, 2-71. Clinton: Hamilton College, 2012.
The Middle East has historically rebuked Western influence during their process of establishing independence. When Britain and France left the Middle East after World War II, the region saw an unprecedented opportunity to establish independent and self-sufficient states free from the Western influence they had felt for hundreds of years. In an attempt to promote nationalistic independence, the states of the region immediately formed the League of Arab States in 1945. The League recognized and promoted the autonomy of its members and collaborated in regional opposition against the West until 1948 when Israel declared independence. Israel represented then and now an intrusive Western presence in the Arab world. The ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict typifies this cultural antagonism. The Cold War refocused attention to the Middle East as a site of economic and strategic importance for both sides, yet the two hegemons of the Cold War now needed to recognize the sovereignty of the Middle Eastern states. With their statehood and power cemented, the Middle Easte...
Oxtoby, Willard Gurdon. "Jewish Traditions." World religions: western traditions. 1996. Reprint. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2011. 127-157. Print.
“Many Jews were fleeing Europe from Hitler so that they can reclaim the land they believed was their Biblical birthright, (Document 4 Excepts from the Israeli Declaration of Independence). Leaders were petitioning Great Britain to allow Jewish people to begin migrating into Palestine, then in 194 8the formal state of Israel was formed. “The Balfour Declaration Britain promised a national home for the Jewish people as seen in” (document 2). However, people were already living there so the natives felt like they were getting there home taken away from
I chose to write about Jewish-Americans after my mother, who was raised Christian, chose to identify herself as Jewish. In my reading I examined Jewish culture and how it is in American society. I looked at how Jewish-American culture has become a prominent component of American society. I looked at the historical forces that have shaped Jewish-American experience in the United States. I looked at demographics of where most Jewish-Americans live. I examined how Jewish-Americans have contributed to our culturally pluralistic society in the United States.
Arons, Ron. The Jews of Sing Sing. New Jersey: Barricade Books Inc. June 1st, 2008
This marked the beginning of the Palestine armed conflict, one of its kinds to be witnessed in centuries since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War 1. Characterized by a chronology of endless confrontations, this conflict has since affected not only the Middle East relations, but also the gl...
In the face of increasing anti-Semitism during the interwar periods Jewish identity often came into conflict with societal pressures to assimilate. Irving Howe’s, A Memoir of the Thirties, written in 1961, depicts his experiences as a Jew in New York City. In his memoir Howe describes the living and social conditions during this decade that pushed many New York Jews to become involved in some type of socialist movement. Although the memoir is primarily about political activities, his description of the social conditions and the Jewish community provides ...
New York: William Morrow. Lipsett, S. M. & Co., P.A. and Ladd, E. C. (1971) The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secon "Jewish Academics in the United States: Their Achievements, Culture and Politics." American Jewish Yearbook -. Cited for Zuckerman, Harriet (1977).
Bourke, Dale Hanson. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Tough Questions, Direct Answers. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity, 2013. N. pag. Print.
Most people are born with more than one identity. Some identities go hand in hand, and have merged together over the years. For example, American and Christian are often associated with one another. Some identities, although not associated with one another, do not contradict each other, and can therefore coexist peacefully. For instance, if someone has a French mother and Italian father, chances are there will not be any problems. There are some identities, however, that are completely contradictory, and cannot coexist. For example, if someone has one parent that identifies as Christian, and another that identifies as Muslim, he or she will have to choose which identity to associate with. For centuries, there has been much debate over whether the American identity can coexist with a religious identity. (referring to religions other than Christianity) America has always been a tolerant country, yet tolerance is one thing, and fitting in is another. In America’s earlier years, maintaining a religious identity and fitting in with the American culture was impossible. This held true especially for the Jews, because religious Jews always put their Jewish identities before their American identities. Nowadays, however, since America has become a melting pot, as a religious Jew that lives with a dual identity, I conclude that sharing the American culture, while living as an observant Jew is more than possible. In this essay I will argue that the barriers of allegiances, limitations, and culture clashes do not exist between the American and Jewish culture.
Flohr, Paul R., and Jehuda Reinharz. "2." The Jew in the modern world: a documentary history. 3 ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. Print.
Zionism declares that “the Jews are more than a purely religious body, they are not only a race but also a nation” (Berkowitz 376). Theodor Herzl, the father of political Zionism, states, “We are a people- one people.” Both Herzl and Berkowitz have interesting key points about a Jewish State, the Jewish religion in general, and how to solve current issues in the religion. A State is formed by a social contract and is still being created today. Rousseau states, “The conditions of this contract are so precisely defined by the nature of the agreement that the slightest alterations would make them null and void. The consequence is that, even where they are not expressly stated, they are everywhere identical, and everywhere tacitly accepted and recognized.” States are mainly created by a nation struggling with social and political disputes. They are difficult to form because of opportunities for land. For example, most territories form because of breaking off from their mother countries. “We depend for sustenance on the nations who are our hosts, and if we had no hosts to support us we should die of starvation.” Herzl states that Jews have been faithfully repeating Anti-Semite’s words because of unjust accusations and the need to realize that the world is always changing and adding new properties.
Since the inception of an Israeli nation-state in 1948, violence and conflict has played a major role in Israel’s brief history. In the Sixty-One year’s Israel has been a recognized nation-state, they have fought in 6 interstate wars, 2 civil wars, and over 144 dyadic militarized interstate disputes (MIDs) with some display of military force against other states (Maoz 5). Israel has been involved in constant conflict throughout the past half century. Israel’s tension against other states within the Middle East has spurred vast economic, social, and political unity that has fostered a sense of nationalism and unity in Israel not seen in most other states. Over the next several pages I will try and dissect the reasons for why the nation state of Israel has been emerged in constant conflict and how this conflict has helped foster national unity and identity among the people of Israel.
Andersen, Roy, Robert F. Seibert, and Jon G. Wagner. Politics and change in the Middle East: sources of conflict and accommodation. 9th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Print.
Gerner, Deborah J., and Philip A. Schrodt. "Middle Eastern Politics." Understanding the contemporary Middle East. 3rd ed. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 85 -136. Print.