Between State and Synagogue
Between State and Synagogue
April 24, 2013
Israel Studies, Culture & Jewish Thought
Heritage Florida Jewish News — A new book called Between State and Synagogue: The Secularization of Contemporary Israel (Cambridge University Press) by Prof. Guy Ben-Porat, a senior lecturer in BGU’s Department of Public Policy and Administration, explores the paradoxical secularization of Israeli society.
“Rather than adopt a coherent religious or secular identity, the majority of Jewish Israelis continue to maintain at least some beliefs, identities and practices that can be described as religious,” says Prof. Ben-Porat.
However, secularization has occurred in recent years in significant parts of public and private life in Israel largely because of demographic changes and the influence of an increasingly consumer-oriented society.
Prof. Ben-Porat’s book explores topics such as marriage, burial, the sale of pork and business operation on the Sabbath.
Entrepreneurial activity and individual choice making up this secularization process are often unrelated to a secular worldview and are not considered to be a political statement by those undertaking them.
For example, shop owners may keep their store open on Shabbat but may consider themselves to be traditional Jews rather than secular in terms of their self-identity.
Listen to a podcast about the book >>
Read more on Orlando’s Heritage Florida Jewish News website >>
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