18 Questions, 40 Mystics23 Syys 2024

David Stav: 'Israel as a state should not be a religious state'

Israel should not be a religious state, Rabbi David Stav says, and then its citizens could more freely welcome religion into their lives.
The Chief Rabbi of Shoham, an Israeli town with a large secular populace, Rabbi Stav has long dedicated his life to bridging the social divides between religious and secular life. After the Rabin assassination, he and other rabbis founded Tzohar—an organization that "makes Jewish life accessible to secular Israelis—which received the 2009 Presidential Award for Volunteers.
Rabbi Stav was previously a candidate for Israel's Chief Rabbinate and sought to revolutionize the relationship between religion and state.
Now, he joins Sruli Fruchter to answer 18 questions on Israel, including democracy, IDF drafts, and Messianism.
This interview was held on Sept. 11.
Here are our 18 questions:

As an Israeli, and as a Jew, how are you feeling at this moment in Israeli history?
What has been Israel’s greatest success and greatest mistake in its war against Hamas?
How have your religious views changed since Oct. 7?
What do you look for in deciding which Knesset party to vote for?
Which is more important for Israel: Judaism or democracy?
Should Israel treat its Jewish and non-Jewish citizens the same?
Now that Israel already exists, what is the purpose of Zionism?
Is opposing Zionism inherently antisemitic?
Should Israel be a religious state?
If you were making the case for Israel, where would you begin?
Should all Israelis serve in the army?
Can questioning the actions of Israel’s government and army — even in the context of this war — be a valid form of love and patriotism?
What do you think is the most legitimate criticism leveled against Israel today?
Do you think the State of Israel is part of the final redemption?
Is Messianism helpful or harmful to Israel?
Do you think peace between Israelis and Palestinians will happen within your lifetime?
Where do you identify on Israel’s political and religious spectrum, and do you have friends on the “other side”?
Do you have more hope or fear for Israel and the Jewish People?

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Hanan Schlesinger: 'From the river to the sea is all Israel and all Palestine'

Zionism asked the Jewish People if they could wield power properly, Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger says. The answer, according to him, is now clear: They cannot.Before co-founding the Palestinian-Israeli dia...

16 Kesä 20251h 5min

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum: 'I am scared that in 20 years, Israel will be isolated completely'

Hamas has isolated Israel diplomatically. Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is scared that, in 20 years, it might be completely isolated.Fleur is a British-born Israeli politician who served as Deputy Mayor of Jeru...

9 Kesä 202543min

Malka Simkovich: When Did The Jewish Diaspora Begin? (18Forty Podcast Re-Release)

While we await next week's new episode, we invite you to revisit our (third) 18Forty Podcast conversation with Malka Simkovich, originally aired on November 19, 2024. 18Forty is celebrating its fifth ...

26 Touko 20251h 15min

Elli Fischer: 'The Torah ideal is for Israel to be a religious state'

The Torah wants Israel to be a religious state, Rabbi Elli Fischer says. Just, maybe, not right now. A historian, writer, translator, and educator, Elli Fischer extensively explores the relationship b...

19 Touko 20251h 5min

Yoav Heller: 'Israel will be in existential peril if society continues to fragment'

Twice in its history, Jewish sovereignty collapsed in the last quarter of its first century. Yoav Heller believes Israel must heed this warning.Chairman of the Wingate Institute and a Holocaust histor...

12 Touko 20251h 3min

Mikhael Manekin: 'This is a land of two peoples, and I don't view that as a problem'

Wishing Arabs would disappear from Israel, Mikhael Manekin says, is a dangerous fantasy.One of the leaders of Israel's Hasmol Haemuni (Faithful Left) movement, Mikhael is a vocal religious activist fo...

5 Touko 20251h 11min

Einat Wilf: 'Jews are never allowed to win, and Arabs are never allowed to lose' (Re-Release)

We return next week with a new episode of 18 Questions, 40 Israeli Thinkers. In the meantime, enjoy this earlier interview with Einat Wilf, recorded Nov. 25, 2024. The true enemy in Israel's current w...

28 Huhti 20251h 22min

Anshel Pfeffer: 'The idea that you'll obliterate Hamas is as realistic as wanting to obliterate Chabad'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not surprise Anshel Pfeffer over the last 17 months of war—and that's the most disappointing part.A British-born Israeli journalist, Anshel Pfeffer is the Israel ...

7 Huhti 20251h 10min