Dear Colleagues:

Israel lives with a tension between a self-definition as a democracy, which implies equal rights of citizenship, and definition as a Jewish State, which raises questions about the status of non-Jews. This can be framed as a matter of grand policy, but it is transacted endlessly in everyday life. When I was in Jerusalem and took a cab to the airport, the Arab cab driver expected to be stopped by security and questioned in a way that a Jewish driver would not have been.

Guy Ben-Porat studies this kind of tension between a dominant majority and minorities not just in Israel but in other settings, such as Northern Ireland. It is part of his broader work on peace processes in divided societies. His report about Israel, therefore, will be based on both intensive domestic research and his international perspective.

Dr. Ben-Porat is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Policy and Administration in Ben Gurion University. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University. Global Liberalism, Local Populism: Peace and Conflict in Israel/Palestine and Northern Ireland (Syracuse University Press, 2006), was awarded the Ernst-Otto Czempiel Prize of the Peace Research Institute of Frankfurt in 2008. Among his other work is the forthcoming, Between State and Synagogue: The Secularization of Modern Israel (Cambridge University Press). Dr. Ben-Porat’s research has also included overviews of modern Israeli politics, the Middle East peace process, the contradictions of Israeli citizenship, and the relationship between business and politics.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guests…

Guy Ben-Porat is a senior lecturer of political science and public policy at Ben Gurion University in Israel. Ben-Porat’s latest research is on public policy in multicultural states, and church-state relations. At the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, he co-chairs the research group “Religion and Secularism: Between the State and the Economy.” His upcoming publication “Between State and Synagogue: The Secularization of Modern Israel” (Cambridge University Press), explores the evolving tensions between the secularization of Israeli society and the constraints imposed by religious orthodoxy.

Parking Possibilities

We regret that there is no convenient free parking, especially with the current construction on Bellflower. The closest lot is the Severance garage, which can be entered from East Boulevard. One can avoid going outside the garage by using an entry door to the library that is just northeast of the main parking lot entrance from East Boulevard. It leads to an elevator which goes to the library entrance. You can also go up the stairway or elevator labeled “Thwing Center,” from which it is a short walk to the library. Another possibility is the parking lot of the Church of the Covenant on Euclid, which can be entered from the north side of Euclid Ave, opposite Cornell Road. Visitors would walk west on Euclid, past the Thwing Center, and then follow the walkway to the library entrance.

Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

February 22: The Widening Party Gap in Electing Women to Congress. With Karen Beckwith, Flora Stone Mather Professor of Political Science

March 1: University Circle Update. Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer

March 8: Perspectives on Genetically-Modified Food. Chris Cullis, Professor and Chair, Department of Biology and Mary Holmes, co-founder of the North Union (Shaker Square) Farmers Market

March 15: Spring Break – No Discussion

March 22: Shale Gas: Opportunities and Challenges. David Zeng, Frank H. Neff Professor and Chair, Department of Civil Engineering

March 29: International Development Assistance in Public Health. Bill Goldman, retired foreign service officer with USAID

April 5: Military Ethics and Dehumanizing the Enemy. With Anthony Jack, Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science, Philosophy, and Psychology and Shannon French, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Inamori Professor of Ethics.
***Special Location: Inamori Center, Crawford Hall Room 9***

April 12: The New Cuyahoga County Government: Perspective from the Council. Julian Rogers, Councillor for District 10

April 19: Mass Murder for the Media: The Breivik Case in Norway. Mark Turner, Institute Professor and Professor of Cognitive Science
***Special Location: Inamori Center, Crawford Hall Room 9***

April 26: Advocacy for Children, Who Don’t Vote. Doug Imig, Professor of Political Science, University of Memphis