The Israel Democracy Institute Newsletter - May 2010

Number 2, 2010

Video Exclusive: IDI's Prof. Yedidia Stern Explores Israel's Dual Identity

For the last six months, IDI has piloted a unique symposium series entitled 'Israel as a Democracy' in Atlanta, GA. This forum, which features some of Israel's leading scholars, focuses on critical domestic challenges facing Israel today, enabling participants in North America to explore issues related to Israeli governance, religion and state, minority-majority relations, and the fight against terrorism. As part of this series, Prof. Yedidia Stern, IDI Vice President for Research, recently delivered a lecture entitled "Both Jewish and Democratic: Toward a Resolution of Israel's Identity Crisis." A video of the lecture, which was followed by a discussion, is presented here for those who could not attend.

Video of the lecture

New Area of Research: Army, Nation, and Democracy
What is the relationship between the Israel Defense Forces, civil society, and Israeli democracy? On March 21-22, 2010, IDI explored these questions in a two-day conference that brought together leading researchers, public figures, and army personnel. Read the summary of the event and get to know IDI Senior Researcher Dr. Joseph David, who organized the conference.

Video Interview and Event Summary

Events at IDI

IDI Hosts Debate on Landmine Policy in Israel
The injury of 11-year old Daniel Amit by a landmine placed landmine safety on the Israeli public agenda. Find out what the panel convened by IDI's George Shultz Roundtable Forum had to say about this issue. Summary and Video

IDI and Bar-Ilan Host Conference on Military Insubordination
What is the impact of disobeying orders on the Israeli armed forces and civilian society? Conscientious objection and the limits of civil disobedience were among the topics explored at this recent conference. Read more

Additional News from IDI

IDI Welcomes Prof. Shahar Lifshitz

Professor Shahar Lifshitz recently joined IDI to co-direct the Human Rights in Judaism Project, an initiative designed to give new meaning to the concept of the "Jewish and democratic state" by uncovering the roots of the doctrine of human rights in Jewish tradition. A former judge, Prof. Lifshitz specializes in contract law, family law, and Jewish law, and has been instrumental in the establishment of Israel's Spousal Registry.

Responses to Goldstone

As part of its ongoing coverage of the issues raised by "Operation Cast Lead," IDI's Terrorism and Democracy Newsletter presents a summary of Israel's latest internal investigation regarding the IDF's wartime conduct during the Gaza operation.

In the Press IDI researchers have published a number of articles in English in the Israeli press during the last month. Read Prof. Yedidia Stern on The Need for Unity (Yediot Achronot), and Yair Sheleg on Materialism and Israeli Values (Haaretz), which were written during the period before Israel Independence Day.		Now Available: Israel the Next Sixty Years As IDI readies itself for the second annual retreat of its International Advisory Council, the proceedings of The First International Advisory Council Retreat, which was hosted by Council Chairman George Shultz at Wye River, Maryland, last year, are now available. Click here to read the proceedings

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