According to the speaker, this is where “we may perhaps find the origin of some of the conflicts between the traditional Jewish world and Zionist ideological currents, and later, between religion and the state in Israel. Tracing a process spanning more than 2,000 years allows us, in turn, to pause at some key moments in the history of the Jewish people, from antiquity to the issue of Jewish nationalism in the modern era.” Ambassador Goren will also address the essential difference on this topic between the Jewish religion and the Christian and Muslim religions.
Third lecture: “The Crisis of Jewish Nationalism in the Modern Era.”
The speaker analyzed the consequences of the emancipation and integration of Jews into Gentile society following the French Revolution and their various responses to a new reality: conversion, assimilation, emigration, participation in new ideological movements, and Zionism.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013. 7:30 p.m. - Fourth lecture: "Israel: Jewish State or State of the Jews?"
The speaker analyzed the ideological origins of Zionism, its birth, and its development leading to the creation of the State of Israel. He will address the complex relationship between Zionism and religion as the source of some contemporary conflicts in the State of Israel.
Goren holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Latin American Political History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and Security Studies from the University of Haifa and the Israel National Defense College. He entered the diplomatic service in 1985, having held various positions at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in diplomatic missions in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and France. He has served as Israel’s Ambassador to Uruguay since 2009.
Admission is free.