Description
Book SynopsisThe 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.
Trade Review"In this comprehensive collection of primary sources and articles--the first of its kind--one will find valuable documents and diverse academic and intellectual perspectives for understanding the nation-state law in the context of the fundamental disagreements in Zionism and Israel. The book will be of much interest for scholars of nationalism, as well as for state and religion scholars."
Menachem Mautner, Danielle Rubinstein Chair of Comparative Civil Law and Jurisprudence, Faculty of Law, Tel Aviv University
"The timeliness and exceptional comprehensiveness of this work cannot be overstated. With passage of Israel's nation-state law, this volume brings together the evolution of that law and a superbly definitive selection of the entire spectrum of views on the deeper underlying issues. It is required reading for anyone with an abiding interest in the issues of Jewish statehood and the direction of Israeli society and politics."
Alan Dowty, Past President, Association for Israel Studies
"This important collection of essays, by leading Israeli and Jewish scholars and politicians, traces the process of enacting a nation-state law, which calls into question the delicate balance between Israel being a Jewish state and a democratic state. It is a must read for anyone interested in the Israeli attempt to reconcile democratic values with a commitment to religious and ethnic identity but also to anyone concerned about the growing conflict between human rights and populist nationalism around the globe."
Adv. Orly Erez-Likhovski, Legal Director, The Israel Religious Action Center
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Jewish and Democratic According to the Law Simon Rabinovitch Part I. Sources Report: Constitutional Anchoring of Israel's Vision: Recommendations Submitted to the Minister of Justice (November 19, 2014) Ruth Gavison Draft Bills: A. Basic Law Proposal: Israel--The Nation-State of the Jewish People The 18th Knesset, August 3, 2011 (resubmitted May 26, 2014) B. Basic Law Proposal: Israel--The Nation-State of the Jewish People The 19th Knesset, July 22, 2013 (resubmitted June 9, 2014) C. Basic Law Proposal: The Declaration of Independence and the Jewish and Democratic State The 19th Knesset, July 22, 2013 D. Announcement of the Cabinet Secretary at the End of the Cabinet Meeting [regarding the drafts for the Basic Law: Israel--The Nation-State of the Jewish People] November 23, 2014 E. Basic Law Proposal: The State of Israel The 19th Knesset, November 24, 2014 F. Basic Law Proposal: The State of Israel The 20th Knesset, June 29, 2015 G. Basic Law Proposal: Israel--The Nation-State of the Jewish People The 20th Knesset, July 29, 2015 Part II. Reflections 1. Lightness in Times of Darkness Michael Marmur 2. The Current Crisis in Israel's Constitution Yoram Hazony 3. The Hegemony of Neo-Zionism and the Nationalizing State in Israel Amal Jamal 4. The Triumph of the Majority, and the Decline of Democracy David N. Myers 5. Was it Right to Try to Pass a Nation-State Law? Gideon Sapir 6. A Manual on How Not to Write a Constitution Alexander Yakobson 7. Who Needs the Nation-State Law? The State of the Jews, Fears, and Fear Mongering Israel Bartal 8. On the Essence of the State of Israel Ze'ev B. Begin 9. On the Dangers of Enshrining National Character in the Law Nir Kedar 10. Medina Yehudit and the Jewish Nation-State Law Amnon Lord 11. Enshrining Exclusion: The Nation-State Law and the Arab-Palestinian Minority in Israel Yousef T. Jabareen 12. Religion, Religious Ideologies and the Nation Law Kalman Neuman 13. Mind the Gap: The Cost of Overlooking Gender in the Jewish Nation-State Question Tanya Zion-Waldoks 14. Double Decolonization and the Loss of Hegemony Nahum Karlinsky 15. Too Jewish? Moshe Koppel 16. What is a Nation-State For? Yehudah Mirsky Epilogue Reflections on the Nation-State Debate Ruth Gavison Suggestions for Further Reading Contributor Biographies
