Abstract
This seminar investigates the multiple social forces that shaped and continue to shape culture and society in contemporary Israel. It presents Israel from multiple perspectives - political, social, economic, and cultural - in an attempt to expose learners to contemporary issues in Israeli society that will be relevant to the North American rabbinate.
We begin by investigating competing ideas in the 19th century about what a Jewish state should be. We then proceed to examine the process of creating a state, a national culture, and a society in what would become the state of Israel. We conclude by probing the current tensions and fissures within Israeli society. The emphasis of the course is on the multiple narratives that have shaped and continue to shape Israel (i.e. Jewish and Arab, secular and religious, Western and Eastern, individualist and collectivist, ideological and pragmatist).
Students will graduate from this course with a better understanding of the foundational aspects of Israeli society, a better knowledge of Israeli history, politics and economy, and a deeper acquaintance with the varying groups of which Israeli society is comprised.