Author: Martin Kramer

When state met religion in Israel

On By Martin Kramer

Is Israel’s declaration of statehood a secular document? Or does it strike a perfect balance between secular and religious justifications for the creation of the state? And just what does this phrase mean? “Placing our trust in the Rock of Israel, we affix our signatures to this proclamation.”

In this latest (fourth) installment of my series on Israel’s declaration of independence, I go through the drafts and debates on whether to acknowledge or exclude God. In the end, David Ben-Gurion got both atheists and believers to put their signatures to the declaration. But did he really split the difference between them? I think not. Read why at this link.

What about Menachem Begin?

On By Martin Kramer

This coming Tuesday night, at 6pm Eastern time, Mosaic will offer an online screening of the documentary film Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin, directed by Jonathan Gruber. Not only is this insightful film well worth watching (view the trailer here). If you watch it at Mosaic, you can witness a three-way debate on the exact place of Begin in the pantheon of Israel’s founders. Participants: Meir Soloveichik, a great admirer of Begin; Avi Shilon, a great biographer of Begin; and Martin Kramer, a humble historian who will play the skunk at the party. 

Free to Mosaic subscribers; to non-subscribers, $30, which includes a year’s subscription. Since that’s where I publish my best writing, you might as well ante up now, if you haven’t already. Register for the screening at this link.

Update: You can view and read the exchange at this link.

Why academics boycott Israel

On By Martin Kramer

What if I told you that the academic boycott of Israel isn’t about Israel at all? What if I told you that its purpose is to isolate and stigmatize Jewish academics in America? That it serves to push Jewish academics out of shrinking disciplines, where Jews are believed to be “over-represented”? And that it isn’t meant to keep Jews out of the faraway West Bank, but to keep Jews out of the downstairs faculty lounge? 

That’s exactly what I argue in this new article, “The Unspoken Purpose of the Academic Boycott.”

(The article appeared in an issue of Israel Affairs devoted to antisemitism, BDS and delegitimization. Consult the full issue here.)