Yedidia Z. Stern - ידידיה צ. שטרן's Blog, page 4

Guilt vs. Responsibility

Yom Kippur offers a unique legal paradigm in which individuals, communities and the State make an internal promise to be good

Hmm, tell me again: which is the country of the Jewish people?

Israel is now the only democratic nation-state in the world that does not guarantee the equality of all its citizens

The attack on legal oversight threatens us all

Government-sponsored legislation proposing to change how ministry legal advisors are appointed has stirred up quite a storm. Prof. Yitzhak Zamir, who served both as Attorney General and as a Supreme Court justice, has stated that he cannot recall “a harsher and more dangerous bill.” The incumbent Attorney General, too, in a rare appearance in the […]

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A new bill would hurt the Haredi higher education it aims to help

The entrance of the Haredim to higher education at academic institutions is a sort of social miracle. Within a group that has leaders who believe that higher education is “worse than Auschwitz” because “spiritual destruction is worse than physical destruction,” a silent revolution is taking place, led by, currently, over 11,000 Haredim, men and women, […]

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Are the ultra-Orthodox turning Israel into Chelm or Sodom?

This past Sunday, two extremely important groups of Jewish leaders convened in Jerusalem: the Government of Israel and the Jewish Agency Board of Governors. On the surface, the two groups – one of Israelis, and the other of Diaspora Jews – have similar goals and are natural partners. The Israelis perceive Diaspora Jewry as sisters […]

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Voyage to identity: A multi-generational relay race from Sinai to the present

On Shavuot night, hundreds of thousands of people will leave their homes and celebrate a “white night.” For a few hours, they will detach themselves from the powerful forces that move all Israelis — money, politics, celebrities, disputes, and sports. Large numbers of women and men will assemble to study Jewish texts and ideas. This […]

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The festival of freedom and responsibility

Tonight, nine out of every 10 Jews in Israel will sit around the Seder table and retell the story of the exodus from Egypt. This event, which occurred approximately 3,500 years ago, continues to ignite many people’s imagination. You do not need to be Orthodox or traditional to perceive a seminal ethos in the story. […]

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Hijab, kippah, crucifix

After law school, I took a job as a junior lawyer in a famous Manhattan law firm. My status was clear: lowest of low on what was a prestigious food chain of 500 lawyers, each of them charging clients hundreds of dollars an hour. I was excited, as many beginners are. On my second day […]

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What these conservative Supreme Court justices won’t do

The four new Judicial Appointments Committee selections to the Supreme Court last month have led to the usual partisan responses, breaking down along the lines of “winners” and “losers.” Despondent claims of an “anti-constitutional revolution” are being made simultaneously with celebratory assertions of “making history.” The facts, however, are quite different. All four new justices […]

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Is Israeli society falling apart? Highlights of the 2016 Israeli Democracy Index

Some Israelis tend to take a dim view of Israeli society. However, the 2016 Israeli Democracy Index, which was published last week by the Israel Democracy Institute, reveals that our Israeli society is generally strong, optimistic, united and confident. The positive attitudes that Israelis have are not only connected to personal happiness, but also to […]

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