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First International Conference on Bible as Philosophy
November 2009 | Kislev 5770
Greetings from Jerusalem. In this issue of E-News, you’ll find details on Shalem’s first-ever philosophy of Bible conference, and of the continued success of Shalem Press’s Hebrew translation of Leviathan. This issue also discusses the new academic year at Shalem, which includes course offerings for undergraduates in the fields of philosophy, political theory, and religion, and intensive seminars for select high-school students. There are also items on keynote addresses given in North America by Shalem Center President Daniel Polisar and Vice-President Daniel Gordis. All of these are part of Shalem's overarching efforts to establish Israel's first liberal arts college, and to prepare generations of students for a lifetime of learning, service, and leadership.
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First-Ever Philosophy of Bible Conference Hosted by Shalem
On October 25-28, Shalem’s Institute of Philosophy, Political Theory, and Religion convened the Center’s first international conference at Jerusalem’s Mishkenot Sha’ananim to examine the question of whether the ideas of the Hebrew Bible can be studied “as philosophy.” The conference, entitled “The Bible and Philosophy: Rethinking the Fundamentals,” sought to explore whether biblical teachings can be accessed using the same methods used in universities to study the ideas in the classic works of Plato, Hume, and other great thinkers. Sixty scholars and graduate students from around the world participated, speaking on subjects such as biblical metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy. For the conference program, click here. To watch Prof. JeeLoo Liu (CSU Fullerton) discuss the philosophy and Bible conference in English on Israel’s Channel One television, click here and go to the one-minute mark, where the interview with her begins.
Leviathan Sparks Debate in New York Times
Shalem Press’s Hebrew translation of the complete Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes’s master work on political philosophy, continues to go strong two months after its release. In November, it was the subject of a New York Times “Room for Debate” discussion featuring Shalem Provost Yoram Hazony, Leviathan editor Menachem Lorberbaum, Yale philosophy professor Stephen Darwall, intellectual historian Fania Oz-Salzberger, and author Rebecca Goldstein. The debate was subsequently highlighted in both Tablet Magazine and on popular Atlantic correspondent Jeffrey Goldberg’s blog. Back in Israel, the book earned an appreciative review in Ha'aretz from Hebrew University political scientist Shlomo Avineri, who noted the “devoted and careful work” that went into the book’s editing, and praised Shalem Press for “yet another important introduction for the Israeli reader to the classic works of universal political thought.” To read the “Room for Debate” discussion on Leviathan, click here.
Daniel Polisar Delivers Keynote Address at Weizmann Institute Gala
The New Jersey region’s American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science celebrated its first-ever dinner gala on November 19, which featured a keynote address from Shalem Center President Daniel Polisar on the vision and courage that went into establishing Israel’s pioneering academic institutions, and the significance of the Weizmann Institute and of scientific research to Israel’s position in the world. The gala, which also featured New Jersey senator Frank Lautenberg and former Governor Tom Kean, honored noted businessman and philanthropist Josh S. Weston for his support for the Weizmann Institute’s efforts to become a global leader in science and technology. For more on the Weizmann Institute gala, click here.
Shalem, Free University of Berlin, and Adenauer Foundation Join in Promoting Democracy
On November 3 at Jerusalem's Mishkenot Sha'ananim, the Free University of Berlin and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation joined the Shalem Center in marking the publication of Promoting Democracy and the Rule of Law: American and European Strategies, co-edited by Shalem associate fellow Amichai Magen. The book, the first volume in Palgrave-Macmillan’s new Governance and Limited Statehood series, represents the collaborative efforts of scholars from countries including Israel, the United States, Germany, and Spain to promote a dialogue about the morality, feasibility, and challenges of promoting democratic values and institutions around the world. For more on Promoting Democracy, click here.
Study Finds that College Students Who Get a General Education Make Better Career Choices
A new study from America’s National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that providing students a broad, general education before requiring them to specialize in a particular major may result in their making better career choices. Conducted by economist Ofer Malamud of the University of Chicago, the study of English and Scottish university students concludes that the latter’s comparative success in staying with their chosen career paths might well result from the time and freedom they are given in their first two years of college to study a broad range of fields. The study therefore supports an important argument for a liberal arts education, as opposed to the more specialized university education that is typical of many countries around the world, including Israel. To read more about the study, click here.
Israel Ranks Fourth in World in Scientific Activity
According to data compiled by Israel’s Council for Higher Education, Israel ranks fourth in the world in scientific activity. Since 2005, Israeli scientists have published 6,309 essays in foreign scientific journals, placing it behind only Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark in terms of the number of scientific publications per capita. The council’s findings about Israel’s strength in scientific research are consistent with the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings for 2009, which place the Technion - Israel Institute for Technology 29th in its list of the best universities for engineering and information technology, and 33rd in its rankings for the natural sciences. To read more about the Israel Council for Higher Education’s findings, click here. To view the Times Higher Education rankings, click here.
Brain-Drain Problem Getting Worse, Warns Council for Higher Education
According to the Council for Higher Education’s planning and budgeting committee, nearly 25 percent of Israeli academics choose to live and work outside the country, making Israel “the world’s largest exporter of minds.” If the situation continues unchecked, the committee cautioned, Israel will not be able to produce the scientific research that it needs. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded that the country must make an extra, urgent effort to create opportunities for Israeli academics abroad to return, and a new generation of Israeli academics to stay at home. For more on the Council for Higher Education’s findings, click here.
Tel-Aviv University Professor Claims Students Afraid to Express Their Views
Describing an atmosphere in which “students of lecturers with left-wing views” are “fearful of expressing contrary viewpoints in class, lest it harm their grades,” Nira Hativa, head of the department of curriculum and instruction at Tel-Aviv University, circulated a memo to faculty based on end-of-semester student comments. The document was covered by Haaretz, and its release led to a broad debate among Israeli academics and within the media about the importance of fostering tolerance for divergent viewpoints at the country's universities and colleges. For more on Hativa’s memo, click here.
Two New Books by Berkovits Out from Shalem Press
This November, Shalem Press published the first Hebrew translation of philosopher Eliezer Berkovits’s God, Man and History as part of the Berkovits Institute for Jewish Thought’s ongoing program of activities. The book, which examines the underpinnings of Judaism, from theology of law to the meaning of nationhood, offers an argument for the independence and validity of a traditional Jewish worldview. It features an introduction by Menachem Kellner, University of Haifa professor of Jewish thought and chairman-designate of the Shalem College Department of Philosophy, Political Theory, and Religion. In December, Shalem Press is set to release a new English edition of Berkovits’s Not In Heaven, which argues against a formalistic interpretation of Jewish law. The book, long out of print, includes a foreword by Shalem senior fellow Joseph Isaac Lifshitz. For more on the Berkovits Institute for Jewish Thought, click here.
Leading Bible Scholars Discuss Berman’s Created Equal
At the November 20-24, 2009 meeting in New Orleans of the Society of Biblical Scholars—the largest annual gathering of biblical scholars in the world—Shalem fellow Joshua Berman’s Created Equal: How the Bible Broke With Ancient Political Thought was the subject of a panel discussion on “The Pentateuch, Equality, and Political Theory.” Attempting to explore what theories from political science hold promise for the study of the Torah, panelists from Brown, Dartmouth, and Bar-Ilan University, among others, discussed their own work in the growing field of biblical political theory and related it to the issues explored in Berman’s book. His ideas on the biblical origins of egalitarianism, drawn from Created Equal, were also the subject of a recent essay in Azure, Shalem’s quarterly journal of ideas. To read the Azure essay, click here.
Shalem’s 2009-2010 Academic Year Gets Underway
The Israeli undergraduate program for Shalem’s 2009-2010 academic year, whose theme is “statecraft,” has commenced its fifth year. Among the offerings this year are courses by Shalem senior fellow Joseph Isaac Lifshitz on “The Phenomenology of Godliness”, by Shalem adjunct fellow Ran Baratz on “The Clash of Authorities: Democracy and Law in Israel”, and by Shalem associate fellow Amichai Magen on “Statesmanship, Sovereignty, and Democracy.” For more on Shalem’s undergraduate program, click here.
Rimon Students Give “Herzl and Zionism” Seminars High Marks
The second year of programming for the Shalem Center's Rimon Institute began in late October and early November as eleventh-graders from top high-schools around the country met at Kibbutz Gal-On for a pair of intensive seminars on the subject of “Herzl and Zionism.” Students heard lectures by professors Shlomo Avineri, Yosef Gorny, and David Ohana, participated in group study of Altneuland, Herzl’s vision for a future Jewish state, and met with a kibbutz member who shared his experience of Israel’s War of Independence. For more on the Rimon program, click here.
Shalem 2010 Summer Internship Registration Now Open
Continuing its tradition of offering a select group of North American undergraduates the opportunity to combine in-depth study with practical work experience, Shalem has opened registration for its eight-week summer internship program for 2010. Interns will enjoy close interaction with Shalem faculty and research fellows; join in weekly seminars and occasional symposia; and participate in informal social activities. Past interns have not only made their mark on Shalem fellows’ research projects, but have also gone on to achieve remarkable success in fields such as writing, editing, and scholarship. For more information on the Shalem summer internship program, and to register, click here.
Daniel Gordis Speaks in Toronto, Los Angeles
Earlier this fall, Daniel Gordis, Shalem senior fellow and senior vice president, gave the keynote address of the Toronto Jewish Federation’s annual Top Gifts Dinner. Speaking before nearly 400 attendees at the city’s Four Seasons Hotel, Gordis explained the idea that the purpose of Israel should be seen not only as restoring sovereignty to the Jewish people, but also as providing the rest of the world with a model of the critical role of the nation-state in human flourishing. In Los Angeles, Gordis spoke at the Young Israel of Century on the movement to delegitimize Israel, a speech that David Suissa described in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal as “riveting”: Gordis, writes Suissa, “is the ultimate struggler. He’s got every side of a complicated problem dangling inside his nimble brain, yet he still aims for a message of clarity and passion.” To read the L.A. Jewish Journal article about Daniel Gordis, click here.
Michael Oren, Yossi Klein Halevi Conversation at Manhattan’s 92nd St. Y Broadcast Nationally
Before a packed auditorium at Manhattan’s 92nd St. Y, Michael Oren, Israeli ambassador and former Shalem senior fellow, and Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at Shalem’s Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies, spoke about the world’s obsession with Israel and the tempestuous politics of the Middle East. The conversation, moderated by novelist, essayist, and law professor Thane Rosenbaum, was part of the “Live From 92nd Street Y” series, which provides live satellite transmissions to hundreds of communities in the United States and Canada. The event was covered widely in the American and Israeli media. For an article on Oren’s and Halevi’s conversation at the 92nd St. Y, click here.
Azure Subscriptions Now Available Online
Azure, Shalem’s quarterly journal of ideas, is offering readers of E-news early access to an online subscription. For the special price of $19.95, online subscribers get access to Azure’s fully searchable archive, along with new Editor’s Highlights for each issue. Current Azure subscribers should also check Azure’s site for details on the journal’s online Hannukah event: “8 Great Essays for 8 Nights, for 8 Friends.” To subscribe to Azure, click here.
The following web addresses provide an easy to access directory of all Shalem Center sites:
The Shalem Center: www.shalemcenter.com
Azure: www.azure.org.il
Techelet: www.tchelet.org.il
The undergraduate program: www.shalemstudents.org
Hebraic Political Studies: www.hpstudies.org
Daniel Gordis: www.danielgordis.org
Michael Oren: www.michaeloren.com
IDF Lt. Gen.(Res.) Moshe Yaalon: www.mosheyaalon.com
We want to hear from you. Please send comments and questions to e-news@shalem.org.il.
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