Israel's Jewish Identity Crisis
State and Politics in the Middle East

An innovative and provocative study tackling the main assumptions surrounding Israel's claim to Jewish identity.

Yaacov Yadgar (Author)

9781108488945, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 January 2020

226 pages
23.4 x 15.8 x 1.5 cm, 0.49 kg

'… a robust analysis of the politics of identity in Israel, one that connects seemingly abstract and technical theological arguments with contemporary political and social issues within the frame-work of post-secularism.' Glen Rangwala, Journal of Modern Jewish Studies

An important and topical contribution to the field of Middle East studies, this innovative, provocative, and timely study tackles head-on the main assumptions of the foundation of Israel as a Jewish state. Theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich, Yaacov Yadgar provides a novel analysis of the interplay between Israeli nationalism and Jewish tradition, arriving at a fresh understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through its focus on internal questions about Israeli identity. By critiquing and transcending the current discourse on religion and politics in Israel, this study brings to an international audience debates within Israel that have been previously inaccessible to non-Hebrew speaking academics. Featuring discussions on Israeli jurisprudence, nation-state law, and rabbinic courts, Israel's Jewish Identity Crisis will have far-reaching implications, not only within the state of Israel but on politics, society and culture beyond its borders.

Preface
Introduction. Israel's Jewish identity crisis
1. The politics of religious conversion and the limits of Zionist nationhood
2. Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people?
3. Two contemporary debates on Zionism and secularism
4. Non-Jewish Israeli nationalism and the limits of Israeliness.

Subject Areas: Geopolitics [JPSL], Religious & theocratic ideologies [JPFR], Political ideologies [JPF], Political science & theory [JPA], Migration, immigration & emigration [JFFN], Refugees & political asylum [JFFD]