Background Readings
Unit 1: The Current Discourse – The Spectrum of Views
1. Yonatan Amir, " It’s Time for a One State Solution ," 972mag.com
2. Naftali Bennet, " For Israel, Two-State is No Solution ," The New York Times
3. " Criticism and Civil Conversation: Learning from the Other, Living with Ambivalence – A Symposium ," Havruta Journal of Jewish Conversation
4. Yossi Klein Halevi, " Empathy and Dignity: What Israel and the Diaspora Owe Each Other ," Havruta Journal of Jewish Conversation
5. Gilead Sher, "Two States as a Policy Imperative: The Partition Plan," Jerusalem Report The Partition Plan
6. Jonathan S. Tobin, “ Two States: In Principle? Yes. Now? No ,” Commentary
7. A.B. Yehoshua, " Dividing the Land of Israel into Two States Is a Moral Imperative ," Haaretz
Unit 2: Living with Difference
1. Donniel Hartman, The Boundaries of Judaism – Introduction and Ch. 1
2. Donniel Hartman, The Toxic Discourse around Israel
Unit 3: The Israel We Imagine
1. David Hartman, The Third Jewish Commonwealth
2. Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Judaism, Human Values, and the Jewish State , pp.115–117
Unit 6: Attitudes towards the Land – Perspectives from Outside the Land
1. Exchange between AJC President Jacob Blaustein and PM David Ben-Gurion
Unit 8: Justice – X Happened
1. Ari Shavit, My Promised Land (complete chapter on Lydda)
2. Martin Kramer, " What Happened at Lydda "
3. Benny Morris, Righteous Victims , pp. 207-209
4. Abba Eban, 11 Statements
Unit 9: Self-Preservation
1. IDF Spirit: Purity of Arms and the Code of Morality in War
2. Emil Fackenheim, The 614th Commandment
Unit 10: Compromise
1. Avishai Margalit, "Indecent Compromise," in On Compromise and Rotten Compromise pp. 195-196
2. Abraham R. Besdin, Reflections of the Rav: The Torah Way of Justice , Vol. 1, pp. 55-57
3. Peel Commission, Chapter XXIII (1937)
Unit 11: A Light Unto The Nations: The Idea Of Exceptionalism
1. II Samuel, Chapter 21: 1–14
2. Tal Becker, “ What the ‘Goyim’ Say ”
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