Societies in Israel

Lecture and questions to Prof. Natan Sznaider

When: 15 April, starting at 5.00 p.m. 

Documentation of the event on Youtube

Language: German

Moderator: Jörg Rensmann, Programme Director MFFB

Please register for Zoom: anmeldung(at)mideastfreedomforum(dot)org

April 15 is the anniversary of Israeli Independence Day, and the State of Israel will be 73 years old. Jews in Israel are politically sovereign but the founding of the state of Israel has not yet been fully completed, is the initial thesis of Natan Sznaider in his book “Societies in Israel”. There are still no final borders, the country is still fighting for its security. Beyond that, too, Israel is confusing for many. So it is politically and culturally both inside and outside Europe, Asia and Africa. The population has roots in Europe, Asia and Africa, in Arab countries, is religious or secular, including survivors of the Shoah and refugees from Africa. Israel is democratic and an occupying power. The non-Jewish Arab population belongs to Israel, at the same time most Jewish Israelis agree that Israel is a Jewish state. But there are political and cultural struggles over the meaning of “Jewish”, and the tension between Zionism as a secular national movement and Judaism as a religion determines the reality of everyday life. What are these different societies in Israel? How do you manage negotiation processes? Natan Sznaider will speak about these and other questions on Israel's Independence Day.