Jewish and/or Democratic? The Past, Present and Future of Jewish Democracy in Israel
with Elliot Vaisrub Glassenberg
4-Week Online Course
Thursdays: May 8, 15, 22, 29 (2025)
11:30AM PT | 2:30PM ET | 7:30PM UK | 9:30PM Israel
BINA is very pleased to be collaborating, for the first time, with Lehrhaus, the adult Jewish learning programme at Leo Baeck College, for a series of online learning opportunities.
Course Description:
Israel’s recent planned “judicial overhaul” has brought renewed attention to questions of Judaism and democracy in Israel. Although these questions are no longer making international headlines, they are still bubbling behind the scenes. This course will investigate what it means to be a Jewish and a democratic state, and whether it is possible to be both. It will delve into these questions and more, whilst focusing on Israel’s Declaration of Independence and other key documents in the development of Jewish democracy in Israel. Elliot will share different approaches to these questions, which have come to prominence recently, and will explain how they have shaped Israeli Jewish democracy, as we know it. Finally, the question of what the future holds will be contemplated.
The price of the 4 week course is £40
Click here to register:
https://lbc.ac.uk/lehrhaus-jewish-studies/#course-19409
About the Teacher:
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 Jewish Movement for Social Change. 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.
