Last year, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni appointed Ruth Gavison, Israeli law professor and former president of NIF’s flagship grantee the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), to assist her in preparing a constitutional arrangement reflecting Israel’s character as a “Jewish and democratic” state.

OUR SUBMISSION

You can download the report we published, after canvassing the views of more than a hundred NIF supporters around Australia.

JPPI FULL REPORT

You can read the JPPI's full report on their website, which includes extensive quotes from NIF Australia's submission.

BACKGROUND

Though "Jewish and democratic" appears in Israeli law and is accepted across a wide political spectrum, its meaning remains subject to debate. Professor Gavison has in turn asked the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) to invite Jews in the Diaspora to contribute their thoughts on what it means for Israel to be both a Jewish and a democratic state.

This is an historic opportunity for Diaspora Jews to participate in a process of great importance for Israel. With encouragement from JPPI, we are gathering views on this subject by discussion and through written submissions and will submit a summary of the outcomes. 

We hope this initiative will generate thought and fruitful discussion on this complex set of issues, strengthen ties between the Diaspora and Israel, and make some contribution to the never completed task of advancing justice, fairness and tolerance in Israeli society.

Download a copy of our briefing document, and read our additional resources