Israel as both a Jewish and Democratic state presents enormous challenges.
Indictments against elected officials, the disengagement from Gaza, and the second Lebanon war, have led to increased questioning among both the religious and secular populations as to the legitimacy of governmental decisions and, according to recent surveys, an increase in the number of youth refusing to serve in the Israeli Army.
The religious Zionist community’s relationship to democracy is further complicated by the belief that Torah values are often in conflict with democratic values and that religious authority is to be followed, even at the expense of democratic principles.
For the past twelve years, Yesodot-Center for Torah and Democracy, founded by members of the Orthodox community, has created and implemented educational programs for the Israeli religious school system to confront this erroneous belief. Yesodot exposes religious teachers and students to classical Jewish sources as well as Western ethical texts that show that democratic values are well-rooted within the Jewish tradition and that a committed Orthodox Jewish life is not only compatible with democratic values, but religious life is enhanced by these values.
This year alone, Yesodot is working in 76 religious schools throughout Israel, training
600 teachers who are using Yesodot’s innovative curricula with 5,000 students.
Yesodot is the only democracy education program working intensively within the
Orthodox educational system helping to develop a future generation who feels
committed to democracy and who views democratic values as part of their
religious Zionist identity.
Through our efforts we are making Israel a tolerant, open and democratic society where religious and secular, Jew and non-Jew, can live together in mutual respect and where religion and democracy can exist in harmony.
