Sundays,
This course, surrounding Israel’s upcoming elections, will explore the relationship between Judaism and democracy in the modern State of Israel, from its founding to the present day. We will engage in in-depth study of key documents that have defined Israel’s Jewish and democratic elements, such as Israel’s Declaration of Independence and Basic Laws. We will consider contemporary questions and issues as well as current efforts to change the nature of Judaism and democracy in Israel, and what this all means for liberal Jewish denominations and Diaspora Jews. We will also discuss how issues of Judaism and democracy are playing out in Israel’s current elections and beyond.
Elliot Vaisrub Glassenberg is an American-Canadian-Israeli Queer Jewish educator-activist whose work focuses on the intersection of Judaism and human rights. Originally from Chicago, Elliot holds a B.A. from McGill University, an M.A. in Jewish Education and an M.A. in Jewish Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Since moving to Israel in 2011, Elliot has taught hundreds of groups from Israel and abroad and has volunteered and advocated for refugee rights, LGBTQ inclusion and other causes. Elliot currently serves as a senior educator at BINA: The Home of Israeli Judaism; as part of his work, he oversees the RRC-BINA Israel Summer Term on the ground. Elliot is also a student in the The Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis (by Hamidrasha at Oranim and Hartman Institute), a blogger at The Times of Israel and lives in Jaffa. Elliot is an affiliate faculty member at RRC.
