Yom Ha’atzmaut

יום העצמאות

Joshua’s Conquest: A Cultural and Pedagogical Dilemma in Modern Israel

Ben-Gurion saw the IDF as a modern instantiation of Joshua’s military might. The Israeli writer and politician S. Yizhar, in contrast, asserted that we should discard Joshua because of the violence and wholesale slaughter recounted in the book. Contemporary Israeli teachers grapple with the question of how to teach students such a core story of Jewish history that is fraught with moral problems.

Dr.

Gili Kugler

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The Torah Begins with Creation to Defend Israel’s Right to the Land?

The theme of a divine creator’s right to assign territory to his people is pervasive in the Bible and ancient Near Eastern literature. Perhaps the rabbinic midrash which suggests that the Torah begins with creation to defend Israel against the accusation they stole the land of Canaan were onto something.

Prof.

Jason Radine

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Israel’s Army: What Is the Basis for the Draft in Jewish Law?

When the State of Israel was established, the leading figures in religious Zionism had to justify Israel’s right to conscript soldiers using Jewish legal sources.

Prof.

Robert Eisen

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Tikvatenu: The Poem that Inspired Israel’s National Anthem, Hatikva

With a Close Look at Its Biblical Sources

Prof. Rabbi

Dalia Marx

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Israel’s Declaration of Independence and the Biblical Right to the Land

Israel’s Declaration of Independence defends the Jews’ right to establish a state by invoking their connection to the land going back to biblical times. Does this declaration conform to biblical thought?

Prof.

Nili Wazana

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Jewish Attitudes Towards the Land of Israel during the Time of the Second Temple

Dr.

Malka Z. Simkovich

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