Israel is the only new state among the twenty-one countries in the world today that have maintained democracy without interruption since the end of the Second World War. Israel's case is all the more notable because its democracy was established under extremely adverse conditions: massive immigration; severe social dislocation; the introduction of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, and national differences; rapid economic growth; a permanent security threat that led to five major wars in thirty-five years; and a population that, in the main, had little or no experience of a democratic...

This volume critically examines the State of Israel forty years after its establishment. Topics include the integration of Middle Eastern Jews in Israeli society, the Arab minority in Israel, the dilemma of Haredi Jewry, Israeli democracy in transition, and the changing legitimations of the State of Israel. Other essays in the volume include debates on the significance of mixed marriages in North America, and the distinctive character of American Zionism. This series is published yearly by the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It is edited by Jonathan...

The eighth volume of the acclaimed annual publication of the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, this volume focuses on the history and development of American Jewish life since World War II. Contributions include "A 'Golden Decade' for American Jews, 1945-1955" by Arthur A. Goren, "American Judaism: Changing Patterns in Denominational Self-Definition" by Arnold Eisen, "Value Added: Jews in Postwar American Culture" by Stephen J. Whitfield, "The Postwar Economy of American Jews" by Barry R. Chiswick, "Jewish Migration in Postwar America: The Case of Miami...

This collection of original articles addresses the often conflicting roles of values, interests, and identity in contemporary Jewish politics. Published annually by the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the acclaimed Studies in Contemporary Jewry series includes symposia, articles, and book reviews by distinguished scholars of Jewish studies from around the world, and a list of recent dissertations. With its focus on Jews and contemporary politics--particularly the interplay of politics and Jewish history--Values,...

How has the Jewish family changed over the course of the twentieth century? How has it remained the same? How do Jewish families see themselves--historically, socially, politically, and economically--and how would they like to be seen by others?

This book, the fourteenth volume of Oxford's internationally acclaimed Studies in Contemporary Jewry series, presents a variety of perspectives on Jewish families coping with life and death in the twentieth century. The book is comprised of symposium papers, essays, and review articles of works published on such fundamental subjects as...

This is the newest volume of the annual Studies In Contemporary Jewry series. It contains original essays on Jews and crime in fact, fantasy, and fiction; verbal and physical violence in Israeli politics; Jews as revolutionaires; armed resistance by Jews in Nazi Germany; ethical dilemmas within the Israeli Defense Forces; violence in Israeli society and social stress; and other topics. As with other volumes, it also contains review essays and book reviews.

Volume XXII of the distinguished annual Studies in Contemporary Jewry explores the major and rapid changes experienced by a population known variously as "Sephardim," "Oriental" Jews and "Mizrahim" over the last fifty years. Although Sephardim are popularly believed to have originated in Spain or Portugal, the majority of Mizrahi Jews today are actually the descendants of Jews from Muslim and Arab countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. They constitute a growing proportion of Israeli Jewry and continue to revitalize Jewish culture in places as varied as France, Latin...

This 1972 work explains how Mapai governed Israel from 1948 to 1969 when it gave up its independent identity to become a major partner to the newly formed Israeli Labour Party. It analyses how Mapai's dominant role in Israeli society was built up before 1948 and how it successfully adapted itself to the changes which resulted from it becoming an independent state. Society, party and state are seen as the three main foci for this study of Mapai and the party is seen to perform the central political role of connecting the social forces within the population to the state institutions. This book...