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JEWISH and DEMOCRATIC: PERSPECTIVES from WORLD JEWRY a Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) Report A Special Report by ƚŚĞ:ĞǁŝƐŚWĞŽƉůĞWŽůŝĐLJ/ŶƐƟƚƵƚĞ͗ :ĞǁŝƐŚĂŶĚĞŵŽĐƌĂƟĐ͗ WĞƌƐƉĞĐƟǀĞƐĨƌŽŵtŽƌůĚ:ĞǁƌLJ THE JEWISH PEOPLE POLICY INSTITUTE (Established by the Jewish Agency for Israel) Ltd. (CC) www.jppi.org.il (JWBU3BN$BNQVTrJOGP!KQQJPSHJM ESTABLISHED BY JAFI 5FMr'BY THE JEWISH PEOPLE POLICY INSTITUTE (Established by the Jewish Agency for Israel) Ltd. (CC) Partners and Members Board of Directors and Professional About JPPI of the General Meeting: Guiding Council: !e Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) is an independent professional policy planning Lester Crown and Charles Goodman Co-Chairs think tank incorporated as a private non-profit company in Israel. !e mission of the on behalf of Crown Family Philanthropies Stuart Eizenstat Institute is to ensure the thriving of the Jewish people and the Jewish civilization by Dennis Ross engaging in professional strategic thinking and planning on issues of primary concern to Natie Kirsh & Wendy Fisher Associate Chair world Jewry. Located in Jerusalem, the concept of JPPI regarding the Jewish people is global, on behalf of the Kirsh Family Foundation Leonid Nevzlin and includes aspects of major Jewish communities with Israel as one of them, at the core. Irina Nevzlin Kogan Members of the Board JPPI’s activities are action-oriented, placing special emphasis on identifying critical options on behalf of Nadav Foundation Elliott Abrams and analyzing their potential impact on the future. To this end, the Institute works toward Irwin Cotler developing professional strategic and long-term policy perspectives exploring key factors that Alisa Robbins Doctoro! & Linda Mirels Sami Friedrich may endanger or enhance the future of the Jewish People. JPPI provides professionals, decision on behalf of UJA Federation of New York Dan Halperin Steve Ho!man makers, and global leaders with: Ratner Family Alan Ho!mann t 4VSWFZTBOEBOBMZTFTPGLFZTJUVBUJPOTBOEEZOBNJDT Charles Ratner David Kolitz Vernon Kurtz t i"MFSUTwUPFNFSHJOHPQQPSUVOJUJFTBOEUISFBUT as Chairman of the JAFI Budget Morlie Levin t "TTFTTNFOUPGJNQPSUBOUDVSSFOUFWFOUTBOEBOUJDJQBUFEEFWFMPQNFOUT and Finance Committee Bernard-Henri Lévy t 4USBUFHJDBDUJPOPQUJPOTBOEJOOPWBUJWFBMUFSOBUJWFT Natan Sharansky Glen Lewy Judit Bokser Liwerant t 1PMJDZPQUJPOBOBMZTJT as Chairman of the JAFI Executive Isaac Molho t "HFOEBTFUUJOH QPMJDZSFDPNNFOEBUJPOT BOEXPSLQMBOEFTJHO Paul E. Singer Steven Nasatir Avi Pazner JPPI is unique in dealing with the future of the Jewish people as a whole within a on behalf of the Paul E. Singer Foundation Jehuda Reinharz methodological framework of study and policy development. Its independence is assured "e Judy & Michael Steinhardt Foundation John Ruskay by its company articles, with a board of directors co-chaired by Ambassadors Stuart Eizenstat Doron Shorer and Dennis Ross " both have served in the highest echelons of the U.S. government, and James Tisch Jerry Silverman Leonid Nevzlin in Israel " and composed of individuals with significant policy experience. as Chairman of the JAFI Board of Governors Ted Sokolsky Alan Solow The board of directors also serves as the Institute’s Professional Guiding Council. Michael Steinhardt Our thanks to UJA Federation of New York, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, Aharon Yadlin the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, President and Founding Director Alex Grass z"l and Jack Kay z"l Avinoam Bar-Yosef for their support of this project. Projects Coordinator Ita Alcalay JEWISH AND DEMOCRATIC: PERSPECTIVES FROM WORLD JEWRY A Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) Report JPPI Copyright © 2014 by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without express written permission from the publisher. An original project of the Jewish People Policy Institute (Established by the Jewish Agency for Israel, Ltd.) (CC) JPPI, Givat Ram Campus, P.O.B 39156, Jerusalem 91391, Israel Telephone: 972-2-5633356 | Fax: 972-2-5635040 | www.jppi.org.il Cover and Graphic Design: Lotte Design Printed and distributed by JPPI Table of Contents Foreword . 9 Introduction . .11 Purpose of the Project, and the Main Questions Raised and Discussed . .15 Do Diaspora Jews Want Israel to be Jewish and Democratic? . .21 Do Diaspora Jews !ink Israel is Currently Jewish and Democratic? . .33 Israel and the Jewish Sphere: Discussions Related to Intra-Jewish Tensions . .37 !e Majority-Minority Sphere: Discussions related to Jewish-Arab Tensions . .45 Israel’s Jewishness and the Larger Regional Context . .53 Israelis’ Interest in the Views and Perspectives of World Jewry . .57 !e Impact of Israel’s Decisions on World Jewry . .67 !e Israel-Diaspora Sphere: What World Jewry Expects . .75 Appendix A: Background on the Seminars: Strengths and Limitations . .81 Appendix B:Technical Details about the Project, Including Participant Lists . .85 Appendix C: “Jewish and Democratic” in Current Israeli Law and Proposed legislative Initiatives for change in “Jewish and Democratic” Formulation . 127 Main Publications of the Jewish People Policy Institute . 153 Jewish and Democratic: Perspectives from World Jewry A Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) Report1 Executive Summary Overview t !e Jewish People Policy Institute's project exploring the views of Diaspora Jews on the issue of Israel's identity as a "Jewish and democratic state," found that these views have characteristics similar to those of the Israeli public. At the same time, the fact that Diaspora Jews live outside Israel adds a distinctive layer to how they approach this issue. t !e idea that Israel should be a "Jewish and democratic state" creates a conceptual framework that encompasses the views of the majority of Diaspora Jews (even though they give a wide variety of answers to the question of what precisely a "Jewish and democratic state" is). Assertions that Israel should be "only Jewish" or "only democratic" are outside the consensus view of Diaspora Jews. t !e debate on Israel's character as a "Jewish and democratic state" was found to be extremely significant to many of those who participated in JPPI discussions. Basic Positions Concerning the Dilemma: "A Jewish and democratic state" t !e project was able to identify views at both ends of the spectrum: those who express an unequivocal preference for the democratic element over the 1 JPPI’s senior fellows Shmuel Rosner and Ambassador Avi Gil headed JPPI’s project “Israel as a Jewish and democratic state: a world-Jewry’s perspective”. JPPI senior fellow Dr. Shlomo Fischer assisted with moderation and reporting on several JPPI seminars. Fellow Inbal Hackman managed the process and participated in writing the report. JPPI assistant Asaf Nissenboim assisted with background research. !e report was edited by Rami Tal and Barry Geltman. THE JEWISH PEOPLE POLICY INSTITUTE 5 Jewish, and those who express the converse. However, the dominant view was unmistakable: the desire to see an Israel that is both Jewish and democratic, and the assumption that such a combination is certainly possible, despite the tensions involved. t !e ambiguity inherent in the precise definition of "Jewish and democratic" is perceived by many as an advantage as it makes it possible to maintain partnership and avoid factionalism and division. t For many Diaspora Jews, democratic values are considered "Jewish values." !us, actions that erode Israel's democratic values are seen as detrimental to Judaism and to the definition of Israel as a Jewish state. If Israel is not a liberal democracy, its attractiveness to many Diaspora Jews will erode. t A sharpening of the concrete tensions between "democracy" and "Judaism" shows that there are two camps among the majority who generally see these values as congruous: those who see Israel's democratic identity arising from the state's Jewish foundations, and those who emphasize the opposite arrangement. !is finding is expressed in the way in which the two camps examine and develop their opinions with regard to the practical dilemmas that characterize life in a "Jewish and democratic state." Expectations of Israel t It is clear that many Diaspora Jews recognize the di"culties and constraints Israel faces given the regional hostility and security threats. At the same time, the majority does not consider this reality, and the fact that Israel's neighbors do not adhere to principles of democracy and human rights, as justification for lowering the high values bar Israel is expected to maintain. !e regional reality also does not grant Israel immunity from criticism. t Criticism heard in the Diaspora on aspects of Israel's conduct in Jewish matters is often based on arguments rooted in democratic values, just as criticism of aspects of Israel's conduct in the democratic field are often based on arguments rooted in Jewish values. !is shows the high correlation between the two concepts as perceived by the majority of Diaspora Jews (for example, the criticism of the Orthodox monopoly in Israel and the deprivation of other streams is largely rooted in arguments based on democratic values). 6 THE JEWISH PEOPLE POLICY INSTITUTE t !e debate over Israel's identity as a Jewish and democratic state showed that Diaspora Jews have a variety of expectations of Israel: – !at Israel be pluralistic; – !at Israel strive for a reality in which it does not rule over the Palestinians; – !at Israel put an end to the Orthodox
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