Jewish Peoplehood and the Jewish State, How Unique?—A Comparative Survey

Abstract

The Jewish-Israeli case-that of the Jewish people, the Jewish national movement-Zionism-and the Jewish nation-state-Israel-is often said to be unique. Its unique features are said to be the extra-territorial character of the Jewish people and Israel's ties with the Jewish Diaspora (expressed, most controversially, in the Law of Return) and the strong connection between the Jewish religion and the prevalent notion of Jewish peoplehood. Some argue that these features of the Jewish-Israeli national identity are inconsistent with modern civic democracy; many others defend or even celebrate them, pointing to the uniqueness of Jewish history and culture. The underlining premise of uniqueness itself is rarely questioned. In fact, however, it appears that this case is far less unique in the modern democratic world than is widely assumed. There are numerous other cases where national identity and religion are officially connected in some way, and where there are official bonds between a nation-state and an ethno-