Oslo Faces Belied Handshake
Michael Jacobs September 15, 2023 “Hopes for Peace Hang on Handshake.” That was the headline I wrote for the Sept. 14, 1993, front page of The Washington Times about what happened when Israel and the…
Amichai Magen, ‘Israel’s Summer of Discontent,’ Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs
The summer of 2023 left Israeli society more divided than ever, with the direction of the Jewish state an unknown.
CIE Israel@75 videos and analyses (2022-2023)
During Israel’s 75th year, (2022-2023), CIE produced three dozen webinars, content analyses, and programs about Zionism and Israel’s past and future. Materials are listed by topic, with contributors and length.
Yedidia Stern, The Radicalization of Israel’s Center
Dr. Yedidia Stern, President, Jewish People’s Policy Institute July 28, 2023 (By posting a guest’s views, CIE does not take a position on the contents, nor verify facts nor the assumptions presented.) Israel’s political center…
August 2023 – Paul Rivlin, “The Ukraine War, Rising Prices and Food Insecurity in the Middle East”
Paul Rivlin, “The Ukraine War, Rising Prices and Food Insecurity in the Middle East,” Moshe Dayan Center, Tel Aviv University The war in Ukraine is causing severe food price inflation in the Middle East and…
Dayenu — From Exodus to Contemporary Israel
Sung or recited on Passover, the original Dayenu is reflective appreciation of 14 significant events specifically wrapped around the exodus from Egypt. The Dayenu presented here chronicles Jewish history from Exodus to the present day. This history can be read individually or responsively. Different moments and personalities in Jewish history could have been included. Hebrew and Spanish versions of Dayenu are available.
Era I: Jewish Peoplehood to 1897
From the biblical covenants, Jews bound themselves to the belief in one G-d, an unbreakable tie to the Land of Israel. From its inception, Jewish identity was wrapped around the mutual commitments between G-d and the people. Judaism became the foundation for Christianity and Islam.
Era II: Zionism to Israel, 1898 to 1948
From 1898 to 1948, Zionism evolved from an idea to a concrete reality: the actual establishment of the Jewish state, Israel. Slowly, a few immigrating Jews created facts by linking people to the land. For half a century, fortuity and fortitude made the Zionist undertaking a reality. They exhibited pragmatism and gradually constructed a nucleus for a state. Through perseverance Zionists empowered themselves.
Israel’s Economy: From Start-Up to Shut-Down Nation? (opinion), Paul Rivlin, Moshe Dayan Center
In January 2023 Israel’s minister of justice announced proposals for radical changes in the legal system that would have virtually ended the separation of power between the courts and the Knesset or parliament. This resulted…
Can equality be enshrined in an Israeli constitution? – Yedidia Stern, President Jewish People’s Policy Institute (Opinion)
(By posting a guest’s views, CIE does not take a position on the contents, nor verify the facts nor the assumptions presented.) It is hard to believe, truly inconceivable, that equality is not an entrenched…
Shukri Friedman – “Speak Out Against the Haredim? Go to Jail,” Jewish People’s Policy Institute
Jewish People’s Policy Institute Shuki Friedman, Jewish People’s Policy Institute (Opinion) By gladly posting a guest’s views, CIE does not take a position on the contents, nor verify the facts nor the assumptions presented. A…
Selected Works in Hebrew/Israeli Literature
Compiled by the Center for Israel Education – June 2023 Tens of thousands of Hebrew literary works have been published since the late 18th century. This list of Hebrew literature in English is suggestive and…
Origins of Israeli Democracy: Jewish Political Culture and Pre-State Practice
Neither Israel’s political culture nor Israel’s democracy based on Jewish self determination simply materialized on May 15, 1948. A connection exists from Jewish self-rule in the Diaspora to Zionist political autonomy during the Yishuv and to contemporary Israeli political culture. Likewise, the origins of Israeli democracy are found in the hundreds of years of Jewish Diasporas transitioning into the Zionist movement to the state; from aliyot before the Palestine Mandate to 1948 and since. Components of Israeli political culture…
Ken Stein, Zionism’s Overarching Concept: Seek and Preserve Jewish Self-Determination
להיות עם חופשי בארצנו Zionism’s two part history, Early History to 1897 and Zionism 1898 to 1948 Where has Zionism succeeded? What remains incomplete or unfinished? Finished or well-shaped results of Zionism Unfinished results…
Reaction and Review of the Four Elements of the Planned Overhaul of Israel’s Judiciary
Ken Stein, May 1, April 4, March 22, March 5, February 11, 2023 Four months after Benjamin Netanyahu, was sworn in as Prime Minister to lead Israel’s 37th government in late December 2022, his cabinet focused…
The Lists of 75
To commemorate the State of Israel’s forthcoming 75th birthday, the Center for Israel Education is sharing lists of 75 people and things that form a mosaic of Israel’s past, present and future.
The Declaration of Independence
Explore the foundational text of the State of Israel.
April: A Land of Education, Sports and Culture
While the Zionist-Arab/Israeli-Palestinian conflict is never absent from the calendar, April is a month that has brought advances toward Israel being a normal part of the global community through educational institutions, cultural achievements, sports victories, diplomatic gains and technological contributions.
March: Painful Path to Arab-Israeli Peace
March has seen some of the worst moments in Zionist history. The first Arab-Jewish battle at Tel Hai in 1920 killed Joseph Trumpeldor. The War of Attrition forced Israel to pay a continual toll for its success in the 1967 war. Terrorist attacks on Tel Aviv’s Savoy Hotel in 1975 and along the Coastal Road in 1978 traumatized the nation. Six Arab citizens were killed in 1976 when land protests turned violent.
Shmuel Rosner, Camil Fuchs, and Noah Slepkov, “Pluralism Index: 2023: Israelis Want a Democratic and Jewish State.”
(with permission) Read Article The vast majority of all Israelis want Israel to be a democratic state; strong support for Israel as a Jewish state and adherence to articles in Israel’s Declaration of Independence, (Espanol) (עִברִית) (Português)…
