Democracy and Jewish Law Conference

	Event Date(s): 6/5/2010
	Date Published: 5/30/2010	Last Updated: 7/15/2010

On Sunday June 6, 2010, IDI and the Tzohar Organization hosted a full-day conference dedicated to Democracy and Jewish Law. The conference, which was conducted in Hebrew, brought together leading academicians and religious scholars to explore Jewish perspectives on the principles and institutions of democracy. The event was held in honor of IDI's publication of Reflections on Jewish Democracy, an anthology edited by Dr. Benny Porat in cooperation with Prof. Aviezer Ravitzsky.

The event was broadcast live on the IDI website. Full video coverage can be found in the video clips at the bottom of this page (Hebrew).

Conference Topics

Majority Rule: The Limits of Majority Power and the Need for Minority Representation
The Right of Non-Jews to Vote and be Elected
Jewish Law and Democracy at a Crossroads
The Authority of the Supreme Court and its Power to Overrule Knesset Legislation
Direct Elections: Presidential and Parliamentary Democracies
Party Platforms: Binding Documents or Suggestions?
Parliamentary Immunity

Conference Participants

Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan | Rabbi Dr. Michael Baris, Academic Director, Mishpetei Eretz Institute, Ofra; Sha'arei Mishpat Law College | Dr. Iris Braun, Jewish Studies Department, Lander Institute | Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Brandes, Researcher, Israel Democracy Institute; Head of Beit Midrash, Beit Morasha of Jerusalem | Rabbi Dr. Chaim Burgansky, Rabbi of Hoshaya; Department of Talmud, Bar-Ilan University | Dr. Arye Carmon, President, Israel Democracy Institute | Prof. Asher Cohen, Department of Political Science, Bar-Ilan University | Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa | Dr. Shlomo Fisher, Yesodot Center for the Study of Torah and Democracy; School of Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem | Rabbi Prof. Neriya Gotel, President, Orot College, Israel | Dr. Aviad Hacohen, Dean, Faculty of Law, Sha'arei Mishpat College | Dr. Eliezer Hadad, Researcher, Israel Democracy Institute; Bible Department, Lifshitz College and Herzog College | Dr. Moshe Hellinger, Researcher, Israel Democracy Institute; Dept. of Political Science, Bar-Ilan University | Rabbi Ya'acov Medan, Rosh Yeshiva, Har Etzion Yeshiva, Alon Shvut | Rabbanit Malka Pietrokowsky, Midreshet Lindenbaum | Dr. Benny Porat, Researcher, Israel Democracy Institute; Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem | Dr. Gideon Rahat, Senior Researcher, Israel Democracy Institute; Department of Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem | Rabbanit Esti Rosenberg, Head of the Beit Midrash for Women, Migdal Oz | Yair Sheleg, Senior Researcher, Israel Democracy Institute | Justice (Emeritus) Zvi Tal, Israel Supreme Court Justice | Rabbi David Stav, Chair, Tzohar; Rabbi of Shoham | Prof. Yedidia Stern, Vice President, Israel Democracy Institute; Faculty of Law, Bar-Ilan University | Rabbi Yehuda Zoldin, Jerusalem Institute of Technology.