Judaism and Democracy: The Private Domain and Public Responsibility

Rachel Elior*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The interplay between Judaism and democracy is one of the most frequently discussed topics on the public agenda in the State of Israel-defined in its Declaration of Independence, and a number of its basic laws, as a Jewish and democratic state. Upon listening to the public debate on this subject, however, there often appears to be a basic ambiguity regarding the essential distinction between these two systems and the ways in which they interact. We often hear conciliatory voices that attempt to present the two systems as being convergent and complementary. Others accentuate the tension in the concept of a “Jewish and democratic state” by embracing one of its component parts and rejecting the other. I will attempt to clarify some of the fundamental diff erences between Judaism and democracy, and to examine the diff erent attitudes that result from the distinctions between them.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCommitment, Character, and Citizenship
Subtitle of host publicationReligious Education in Liberal Democracy
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages103-115
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9781136343483
ISBN (Print)9780415879743
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2012

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2012 Taylor & Francis.

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