Wars of the Jews

Beit Avi Chai presents “Wars of the Jews”: Ideological debates, political disputes, and cultural rifts have been major parts of Jewish life over the generations, sometimes leading the parties to the brink of civil war.

Five conversations with top historians about the roots of the major disputes that have split the nation in the modern era and still resound in the public discourse.

Moderator: Liad Mudrik, IDF Radio

Part 1: The Full Cart and the Empty Cart: the Charedi-Zionist Debate

Sunday, January 9, 8 PM

What are the roots of the Charedi-Zionist debate? How does it affect our lives today? And what part did David Ben-Gurion play in shaping the present situation in this regard? Prof. Gideon Shimoni (emeritus), Institute of Contemporary Jewry, the Hebrew UniversityProf. Menachem Friedman (emeritus), Bar-Ilan University

Part 2: An Enemy Within: The Conflict among the Underground Movements

Sunday, January 16, 8 PM

The underground movements that fought the British occupiers in the years preceding Israeli independence also fought desperately against each other. What motivated these groups and how is their conflict manifested in the contemporary Israeli discourse?

Prof. Anita Shapira, professor (emerita) of Jewish history, Tel Aviv University, and senior fellow at the Israel Democracy InstituteProf. Arye Naor, Ben-Gurion University and Jabotinsky Institute

Part 3: Reversal: The 1977 Elections

Sunday, January 23, 8 PM

The dramatic elections of 1977 not only redrew the political map, but illuminated Israeli society before and after from a different angle. To what extent was the electoral upset the result of profound social change, and how has it affected Israeli society?

Prof. Yehouda Shenhav, Tel Aviv University and Van Leer Institute Prof. Michael Shalev, Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Department of Political Science, the Hebrew University

Part 4: ReparationsSunday, January 30, 8 PM

The decision to accept reparations from Germany tore young Israeli society into two camps: for and against. A discussion of national self-respect and pragmatism, the authority of government and moral principles.

Prof. Yechiam Weitz, Department of Land of Israel Studies, University of Haifa Prof. Shlomo Aronson, professor (emeritus) of political science, the Hebrew University

Part 5: Whose Land Is It? The Rise of Gush Emunim and Peace Now

Sunday, February 6, 8 PM

Two movements, Gush Emunim and Peace Now, arose from the frustration and shock of the Yom Kippur War. For 30 years, one has been pushing for territorial expansion and the other for a withdrawal to the Green Line. Who is behind these movements, and what are their underlying principles?

Prof. Daniel Gutwein, Department of Jewish History, University of Haifa Dr. Udi Lebel, expert in political psychology, Sapir College and Ariel University Center of Samaria

This is a Hebrew-language only event.