Secularism and Religion in Zionism and Israel

Catalog description

From its inception, the Zionist movement has been divided between competing secularist and religious visions of Jewish national renaissance. This division only intensified with the creation of the State of Israel. In this course, we will explore this tension from an historical perspective. The first half of the semester will discuss rabbinic attitudes toward Ḥibat Zion and Theodor Herzl; the conflict between cultural and religious Zionism; the theological arguments of both anti-Zionist and Zionist rabbis; the religious Zionist drashah as synthesis of traditional Judaism and Zionism; and the rise of Mizraḥi as a political movement. During the second half, we will explore the tensions between secularism and religion in the State of Israel. Topics will include: The attitudes of the founders of the State of Israel toward Judaism and the question of the halakhic or secular nature of Israeli law; the compromise achieved at the founding of the State; differing attitudes within the ḥaredi world toward the state; and the transformation of religious Zionism following the Six Day War. The course will end with a look at the contemporary tensions between ḥilonim and ḥaredim in Israel today.