Ronit Heyd: 'If Israel becomes less democratic, it will become less Jewish'

Ronit Heyd: 'If Israel becomes less democratic, it will become less Jewish'

You cannot separate Israel’s democratic and Jewish identity, Ronit says. The two are interdependent in the Jewish state.
Ronit Heyd is an Israeli social leader and activist who spent over 20 years leading initiatives dealing with Israel’s intimate and domestic issues—those outsiders often overlook because of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict’s large shadow.
Previously leading the New Israel Fund’s social justice initiative, religious freedom project, and capacity-building arm Shatil, Ronit is now the vice president and director of Shalom Hartman Institute’s Center for Israeli and Jewish Identity. She holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School as a Wexner Fellow and an MA in social psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Now, she joins Sruli Fruchter to answer 18 questions on Israel, including democracy, religion, and the country’s future.
This interview was held on June 18.
Here are our 18 questions:
  1. As an Israeli, and as a Jew, how are you feeling at this moment in Israeli history?
  2. What has been Israel’s greatest success and greatest mistake in its war against Hamas?
  3. What do you look for in deciding which Knesset party to vote for?
  4. Which is more important for Israel: Judaism or democracy?
  5. Should Israel treat its Jewish and non-Jewish citizens the same?
  6. Now that Israel already exists, what is the purpose of Zionism?
  7. Should Zionism define Jewish identity in and outside of Israel?
  8. If you were making the case for Israel, where would you begin?
  9. 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?
  10. What do you think is the most legitimate criticism leveled against Israel today?
  11. What does the world misunderstand about Israelis?
  12. Is opposing Zionism inherently antisemitic?
  13. What role should the Israeli government have in religious matters?
  14. Do you think peace between Israelis and Palestinians will happen within your lifetime?
  15. Where do you identify on Israel’s political and religious spectrum, and do you have friends on the “other side”?
  16. What is a book you think everyone needs to read about Israel?
  17. Where’s a spot in Israel you find comfort and peace?
  18. Do you have more hope or fear for Israel and the Jewish People?

Episoder(76)

Yossi Klein Halevi: 'Anti-Zionism is an existential threat to the Jewish People'

Yossi Klein Halevi: 'Anti-Zionism is an existential threat to the Jewish People'

What began on Oct. 7, Yossi Klein Halevi says, is not the Israel-Hamas War but the Israel-Iran War.A senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, the journalist and author has been intimately invest...

2 Sep 20241h 19min

Rachelle Fraenkel: 'I had expectations from humanity'

Rachelle Fraenkel: 'I had expectations from humanity'

Rabbanit Rachelle Fraenkel has expectations from humanity. It made October 7's horror all the more terrifying.The religious figure and educator has been a voice of faith, hope, and strength for Israel...

26 Aug 20241h 1min

Gadi Taub: 'We should annex the north third of the Gaza Strip'

Gadi Taub: 'We should annex the north third of the Gaza Strip'

In Gadi Taub's eyes, Israel is hardly a democracy — "it's a juristocracy."The historian, activist, and public intellectual believes that there are many forces at play that threaten the Jewish state: p...

19 Aug 20241h 7min

Efraim Inbar: 'Israel doesn't use enough force'

Efraim Inbar: 'Israel doesn't use enough force'

Bullying isn't always a bad thing, Efraim Inbar says. In a tough neighborhood like the Middle East, sometimes it's necessary.President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and head of ...

12 Aug 202444min

Yehoshua Pfeffer: 'The army is not ready for real Haredi participation'

Yehoshua Pfeffer: 'The army is not ready for real Haredi participation'

The Israeli government’s draft of Haredi men is no simple matter—but Yehoshua Pfeffer has some ideas for moving forward.Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer is a Haredi social thinker and activist intimately involv...

29 Jul 202455min

Anita Shapira: 'You cannot wipe out Hamas'

Anita Shapira: 'You cannot wipe out Hamas'

After Auschwitz, Anita Shapira says, Jews understood the necessity of power—and the necessity of statehood.A leading Israeli historian and author, she is professor emerita of Jewish History at Tel Avi...

22 Jul 202445min

David Horovitz: 'We need this state to survive'

David Horovitz: 'We need this state to survive'

No news outlet is utterly reliable these days, David Horovitz says. You always need one eyebrow raised.The founding editor of Time of Israel — with tens of millions of monthly readers, and ranked as t...

15 Jul 202448min

Populært innen Religion og åndelighet

rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-lilli-isabelle
sektledere
sektpodden-2
rss-det-uforklarlige-med-victoria-skau
rss-paradigmepodden
dokka
andelig-pafyll-hver-tirsdag
rss-espen-er-kristen
rss-andelige-tanker-med-camillo
rss-normalt-paranormalt
rss-losrevet
rss-uhoytidelig-spirituell-healer-susanne-og-erik-ertsland-askvik
rss-hoyt-lavt-med-ida-tonseth
ole-martin-og-einar-leser-bibelen
rss-pust-for-livet
gry-hammer-podcast
rss-den-andre-siden
rss-kulturkrigen