|
|
|
|
|
Each month the journal Sh'ma posts three or four essays from the print publication. To read all of the essays—which create a “conversation-in-print”—click on “New Subscription” above. This issue of Sh’ma steps outside of convention in celebrating Israel’s 60th year. We have asked several well respected and creative thinkers to write as though they held ministerial posts in Israel’s cabinet. Each of our renowned “ministers” has been given a “portfolio” and each offers a thoughtful and far-reaching vision for Israel’s future from the perch of their ministries. We do not, for sure, include all ministerial positions and we have — just to spice up the cabinet — invited two individuals, Ruth Gavison and Gidi Grinstein, to share their thoughts as the prime minister; they do so in a conversation. This “cabinet” is not made up of political parties, and it has not, of course, been charged with maintaining the real security of the state. The “ministers” do not offer insights into how to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict, how to respond to shelling from Gaza, or how to address the hatefulness spewing from Iran. What these imaginative essays offer, rather, is a rendering of Israel not transfixed by war or a hostile Middle East landscape. Visions from the Israeli “cabinet”Prime Minister(s), Ruth Gavison and Gidi Grinstein: Today’s prime minister needs to combine clarity of vision with practical goals for the government. Israel’s strategic challenges are huge. Minister of Justice, Yedidia Z. Stern: The State of Israel exists out of cultural duality: On one side is western-liberal culture and on the other is Jewish-tradition. Its laws and, perhaps more importantly, its citizens’ collective consciousness, define it as a “Jewish and democratic state.” Minister of Religious Affairs, Donniel Hartman: Zionism and the rebuilding of the State of Israel entail the decision of the Jewish people to build our collective lives together. By collective lives I do not mean a loose confederation of denominations that join together in a number of common enterprises, in particular, at times of crisis. Rather, the Zionist dream is to build a common public domain where all join in together, a domain that belongs to us all equally and is shared accordingly Minister of Education, Ruth Calderon: Israel’s chief resource is its human potential. We have no oil, no water, we have no forests. Cultivating learning and the pursuit of knowledge of Torah, as well as of arts and sciences, have always been central Jewish values. The intellectual achievements of Jews have always stood out. In fact, the establishment of the state fostered the dream that Israel would become an epicenter of Jewish “genius.” |
Take our survey and get two months free! Quote of the Month
Our Mission |
home | about us | contact us | classifieds | links Copyright (c) Jewish Family & Life! 1998-2008 Produced by the creative minds at Jewish Family & Life! |
