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Is There a Contradiction between Judaism and Democracy?

(Jewish Political Studies Review) Dr. Joel Fishman - In his speech on Dec. 28, 2016, Secretary of State John Kerry argued that "Israel can either be Jewish or democratic. It cannot be both." As I wrote in "Is There a Contradiction between Judaism and Democracy?": The politically correct view which has become part of the present discourse makes the unfounded claim that Judaism and democracy are inherently antithetical, but this is not necessarily true. Several great political thinkers have argued that under decentralized conditions both religion and democracy can work together quite well. From the writings of Alexis de Tocqueville and George Orwell, who were outstanding political thinkers in their own right, and of David Ben-Gurion, the state-builder, the real issue is whether freedom of thought and civil society can withstand the unconstrained force of the centralized state. Thus, religion serves as a positive moral force which can inhibit the abuse of power, and for this reason there is no contradiction between Judaism and democracy.
2017-01-06 00:00:00
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