Oct 8, 2019 By: yunews
On Oct. 7, 2019, Dr. Ori Aronson, associate professor of law and deputy director of the Center for Jewish and Democratic Law at Bar-Ilan University, discussed the significance and challenges of Israeli constitutionalism in 鈥淚nterpreting Israel鈥檚 Nationality Law,鈥 hosted by the of the .
Dr. Aronson started with a brief history of Israel鈥檚 nationality law and the ethical and theological significance of interpreting it in the modern day and posed the question: 鈥淲hat does it mean for Israeli law?鈥
He then analyzed Israeli constitutionalism through the lens of human dignity and liberty. He delved into the 鈥減ast-present-future鈥 theme of the document while examining the presence of Jewish and democratic values. He also noted multiple interpretive challenges, such as the rephrasing of existing laws and novel provisions. 鈥淔or any constitutional scholar, this is a really fascinating text,鈥 he noted.
Dr. Aronson also considered what it means for Israel to be a nation-state for the Jewish people. He noted how the document adds to the secular understanding of 鈥淛ewishness,鈥 noting that 鈥渢he word 鈥榬eligious鈥 was added very late in the game.鈥
He also pointed out the use of the Arabic language and how it recognizes both Arabic and Hebrew as official languages. Aronson framed the constitution as an interpretation of the state of Israeli people and recognizing Jews as a minority. He also discussed how fragile the document was and how quickly the interpretations can change with time. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that we don鈥檛 trust our future politicians, we don鈥檛 trust the future itself,鈥 he said.
Dr. Aronson started with a brief history of Israel鈥檚 nationality law and the ethical and theological significance of interpreting it in the modern day and posed the question: 鈥淲hat does it mean for Israeli law?鈥
He then analyzed Israeli constitutionalism through the lens of human dignity and liberty. He delved into the 鈥減ast-present-future鈥 theme of the document while examining the presence of Jewish and democratic values. He also noted multiple interpretive challenges, such as the rephrasing of existing laws and novel provisions. 鈥淔or any constitutional scholar, this is a really fascinating text,鈥 he noted.
Dr. Aronson also considered what it means for Israel to be a nation-state for the Jewish people. He noted how the document adds to the secular understanding of 鈥淛ewishness,鈥 noting that 鈥渢he word 鈥榬eligious鈥 was added very late in the game.鈥
He also pointed out the use of the Arabic language and how it recognizes both Arabic and Hebrew as official languages. Aronson framed the constitution as an interpretation of the state of Israeli people and recognizing Jews as a minority. He also discussed how fragile the document was and how quickly the interpretations can change with time. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that we don鈥檛 trust our future politicians, we don鈥檛 trust the future itself,鈥 he said.
