The state of Israel was established in 1948 as a Jewish democracy, without a legal separation between religion and the state. Ever since, the tension between the two has been a central political, social, and moral issue in Israel, resulting in a cultural conflict between secular Jews and the fundamentalist, ultra-orthodox Haredi community. What is the nature of this cultural conflict and how is it managed?
In Theocratic Democracy, Nachman Ben-Yehuda examines more than fifty years of media-reported unconventional and deviant behavior by members of the Haredi community. Ben-Yehuda finds not only that this behavior has happened increasingly often over the years, but also that its most salient feature is violence--a violence not random or precipitated by situational emotional rage, but planned and aimed to achieve political goals. Using verbal and non-verbal violence in the forms of curses, intimidation, threats, arson, stone-throwing, beatings, mass violations, and more, Haredi activists try to push Israel toward a more theocratic society. Driven by a theological notion that all Jews are mutually responsible and accountable to the Almighty, these activists believe that the sins of the few are paid for by the many. Making Israel a theocracy will, they believe, reduce the risk of transcendental penalties. Ben-Yehuda shows how the political structure that accommodates the strong theocratic and secular pressures Israel faces is effectively a theocratic democracy. Characterized by chronic negotiations, tensions, and accommodations, it is by nature an unstable structure. However, in his fascinating and lively account, Nachman Ben-Yehuda demonstrates how it allows citizens with different worldviews to live under one umbrella of a nation-state without tearing the social fabric apart.
Industry Reviews
"Theocratic Democracy is an excellent and deeply researched study of dissident religious subcultures, focusing on Israel's growing communities of ultra-Orthodox Jews. The book is hugely significant for understanding the future of the state of Israel, and of Judaism more generally. It also tells us much about the politics of religion and the nature of religious violence. This is a really impressive achievement."--Philip Jenkins, Edwin Erle Sparks
Professor of Humanities, Pennsylvania State University
"No one who reads this book will come away with an unchanged impression of Israel and its future. Theocratic Democracy provokes as it dissects Israel's ultraorthodox communities--their authoritarianism, deviant lifestyles, riotous violence, and, above all, political influence. The tension of religious-secular coexistence is now managed by a combination of police control and negotiation, but the orthodox population and its sway grow rapidly.
Ben-Yehuda's analysis confronts the reader with a momentous question: will Israel's religious zealots dominate, fall, accommodate, or settle into perpetual conflict with secular society? For anyone concerned with the
clash of tradition and modernity, whether inside or outside Israel, this brilliant book is a must-read."--Barry Schwartz, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Georgia
"With consummate skill, Ben-Yehuda excavates the secular and Haredi press to expose what the self-righteous do in the name of the Almighty. Contemptuous of Israel's laws, the ultra-orthodox follow their own code; secretive, they cover up their crimes and protect their own. Ben-Yehuda offers a fascinating, wide-ranging tour through a bewildering array of Haredi wrongdoing. I recommend this book to anyone intrigued by how a tiny democracy in the Middle East
juggles the demands of its many factions, cults, sects, and interest groups. The answer is, not well--but effectively enough. Reading Theocratic Democracy is an eye-opening experience."--Erich Goode,
Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Stony Brook University, SUNY
"Theocratic Democracy charts significant and enduring patterns of ultra-orthodox religious violence in Israel. Ben-Yehuda thereby opens the door to a broad cultural and organizational analysis of religious in supposedly secular societies, even as he shows that the mainstream press constructs a religious minority as the "Other" that secular society must control and suppress." --John R. Hall, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Davis
"Ben-Yehuda examines 50 years of verbal and nonverbal violence, from intimidation to arson, as the Haredi push for a more theocratic state." --University of Chicago Magazine
