(Source: OUP)
Oxford University Press is publishing a new book on the
tension between secular politics and religious fundamentalism in Israeli legal
history.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The tension between secular politics and religious
fundamentalism is a problem shared by many modern states. This is certainly
true of the State of Israel, where the religious-secular schism provokes
conflict at every level of politics and society. Driving this schism is the
idea of the halakhic state, the demand by many religious Jews that Israel
should be governed by the law of the Torah as interpreted by Orthodox rabbis.
Understanding this idea is a priority for scholars of Israel and for anyone
with an interest in its future. The Invention of Jewish Theocracy is the first
book in any language to trace the origins of the idea, to track its
development, and to explain its crucial importance in Israel's past and
present. The book also shows how the history of this idea engages with burning
contemporary debates on questions of global human rights, the role of religion
in Middle East conflict, and the long-term consequences of European
imperialism.
The Invention of Jewish Theocracy is an intellectual history, based on newly discovered material from numerous Israeli archives, private correspondence, court records, and lesser-known published works. It explains why the idea of the halakhic state emerged when it did, what happened after it initially failed to take hold, and how it has regained popularity in recent decades, provoking cultural conflict that has severely shaken Israeli society. The book's historical analysis gives rise to two wide-reaching insights. First, it argues that religious politics in Israel can be understood only within the context of the largely secular history of European nationalism and not, as is commonly argued, as an anomalous exception to it. It shows how even religious Jews most opposed to modern political thought nevertheless absorbed the fundamental assumptions of modern European political thought and reread their own religious traditions onto that model. Second, it demonstrates that religious-secular tensions are built into the intellectual foundations of Israel rather than being the outcome of major events like the 1967 War. These insights have significant ramifications for the understanding of the modern state. In particular, the account of the blurring of the categories of "secular" and "religious" illustrated in the book are relevant to all studies of modern history and to scholars of the intersection of religion and human rights.
The Invention of Jewish Theocracy is an intellectual history, based on newly discovered material from numerous Israeli archives, private correspondence, court records, and lesser-known published works. It explains why the idea of the halakhic state emerged when it did, what happened after it initially failed to take hold, and how it has regained popularity in recent decades, provoking cultural conflict that has severely shaken Israeli society. The book's historical analysis gives rise to two wide-reaching insights. First, it argues that religious politics in Israel can be understood only within the context of the largely secular history of European nationalism and not, as is commonly argued, as an anomalous exception to it. It shows how even religious Jews most opposed to modern political thought nevertheless absorbed the fundamental assumptions of modern European political thought and reread their own religious traditions onto that model. Second, it demonstrates that religious-secular tensions are built into the intellectual foundations of Israel rather than being the outcome of major events like the 1967 War. These insights have significant ramifications for the understanding of the modern state. In particular, the account of the blurring of the categories of "secular" and "religious" illustrated in the book are relevant to all studies of modern history and to scholars of the intersection of religion and human rights.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Assistant Professor, Department of Near East and Judaic
Studies; Karl, Harry, and Helen Stoll Assistant Chair of Israel Studies,
Brandeis University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction. The Halakhic State
Chapter 1. The Pluralistic Roots of Religious Zionism
Chapter 2. Isaac Herzog before Palestine
Chapter 3. A Constitution for Israel According to the Torah
Chapter 4. Modernizing the Chief Rabbinate
Chapter 5. Failure and Resistance
Chapter 6. "Gentile Courts" in a Jewish State
Chapter 7. The Persistence of Jewish Theocracy
Bibliography
Chapter 1. The Pluralistic Roots of Religious Zionism
Chapter 2. Isaac Herzog before Palestine
Chapter 3. A Constitution for Israel According to the Torah
Chapter 4. Modernizing the Chief Rabbinate
Chapter 5. Failure and Resistance
Chapter 6. "Gentile Courts" in a Jewish State
Chapter 7. The Persistence of Jewish Theocracy
Bibliography
More info here
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