Contemporary Jewish Philosophy

Workshop in Writing Jewish Philosophy
Whereas in fields such as literature and art there is a balance between contemporary creativity and its study, in Jewish philosophy research is flourishing but there is almost no new original writing. The purpose of this group is to create conditions to spark creativity which will be expressed in the composition of a series of books of contemporary Jewish philosophy. The goal is neither research nor interpretation of earlier works, but rather original work, with a preference for philosophical rather than kabbalistic writing.
Academic Director: Dr. Moshe Meir

Death: Readings and Studies in the Philosophy of Halakha
Recognizing our recoil from death is crucial to our understanding of why all philosophies have dealt with death and why it has had such a formative effect on religions and on human thought. There is extensive literature on this topic, including in Halakha and its research. It deals primarily with the laws of burial, mourning, relating to the body, determining the moment of death, and so on. However, this issue has not yet been dealt with by the philosophy of Halakha . This will be the focus of this research group.
Academic Director: Dr. Avinoam Rosenak

The Fourth International Conference on the Philosophy of Halakhah – Halakhah as an Event
Tuesday-Wednesday, 28-29 December 2010
The conference will focus on philosophical analyses of the event of the halakhic entity. Can the knowledge concealed in action and the body of the actor be revealed? What is the gap between the knowledge gathered from theoretical writings and the knowledge gleaned from the halakhic act and the Halakhic event? Does Halakhah change because of the dynamics connected to action rather than due to halakhic theory? What new insights about Halakhah have arisen given the halakhic actor’s awareness about body issues, his senses, and his movements?
A study group on " Halakhah as an Event"undertook in 2009 an innovative study of the way Halakhah came into being, focusing on the philosophy of the praxis, not only on the theory, as has been common hitherto. The research output of the group will be presented at the international conference alongside studies by researchers active in various fields whose sensitivity to the event of the halakhic entity is grounded not only in texts but also incorporates sociological, anthropological, phenomenological, psychological, theatrical, and educational aspects. These studies will demonstrate a strong linkage to the dialogue of philosophy and the philosophy of Halakha .
The Proceedings of the Conference will be published after the customary academic review.
Academic committee: Dr. Avinoam Rosenak (Chair), Prof. Jonathan Cohen, Dr. Eli Hadad, Prof. Zeev Harvey, Prof. Menahem Lorberbaum, Prof. Gabriel Motzkin, Prof. Tamar Ross, Rabbi Prof. Naftali Rothenberg, Dafna Schreiber.

Identities Academic Journal
Identities is an interdisciplinary academic journal that aims to arouse debate in the intellectual public about the culture and identity of the Jewish people today. As such, the journal will publish studies about developing new currents of thought and ideas, as well as on philosophical and ideological movements and processes in various Jewish groupings in Israel and in the Diaspora. This journal aims to create an impact on the academic community and on the discourse of the general public. Therefore, it will serve as a tool for generating discussion on the basic questions, the crises, and the new ideas germinating among young philosophers and new writers who are in dialogue with established and renowned researchers, philosophers, and writers in Israel and throughout the world. Insofar as is possible, the journal will also outline potential solutions.
The journal will be published twice a year, in Hebrew. The inaugural issue will appear in 2010.
Editor: Naftali Rothenberg. Co-Editor: Yotam Benziman
Editorial Board: Gabriel Motzkin (Chair), Hanan A. Alexander, Ella Belfer, Tamar El-Or, Rachel Elior, Aviad Hacohen, Zeev Harvey, Sara Japhet, Haviva Pedaya, Ishay Rosen-Zvi, Avinoam Rosenak, Dafna Schreiber, Sara Soreni, Daniel Sperber, Chaim I. Waxman
Call for Papers

Summer Workshop for Young Researchers in Culture and Jewish Identity
The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute is interested in advancing young researchers at the outset of their careers and in integrating them in its various spheres of activity. One way of doing this is through summer workshops for doctoral candidates and post-doctoral scholars from a variety of disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences, who are dealing with contemporary culture and Jewish identity in various disciplines of the humanities and the social sciences. The workshop in 2009 was titled "What Is Contemporary Jewish Lamdanut ?"– an issue which touches on a wide and diverse range of studies in Jewish Culture and Identity.
The summer 2010 workshop dealt with the Phenomenology of Faith – Theological, A-Theological and Anti-Theological Approaches in Contemporary Judaism. 
Program

The Face of God: Toward Textual Iconography
The purpose of this research group is to explore a highly sensitive topic in Jewish theology and culture, namely that of iconography. The group will trace this theme through articulations of textual images and ideas of the face of God in the theological discourse of Judaism and with respect to corresponding notions in Christianity and Islam. It will offer a history as well as an analysis of this central theological element.
Academic Directors: Prof. Moshe Halbertal and Hillel Ben Sasson

Past activities

A study evening on the issue of the Sotah (adulterous woman)
On the launching of the book The ceremony that wasn't
This book is a new reading of the unusual ceremony concerning the Sotah , examining the way the ceremony came into being, its relationship with the Biblical sources, and its function in the study halls of the Sages. The book suggests that the ceremony should be read not as a real description but rather as a fantasy rooted in the Tannaic period which grapples with the dangers inherent in women and the (in)ability to cope with them. A new interpretation is proposed for the cryptic tractate Sotah , together with a new perspective on the relations between the Temple, the study hall, and gender in Talmudic culture.

Halakhah and Ideology – The Third International Conference on Philosophy and Halakhah
This international conference (December 2006) was organized in cooperation with the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This conference sought to promote research on Halakha and its social, political and gender-related implications: Can there be a non-ideological Halakhah ? What is the nature of the affinity between political ideology and Halakhah ? What percentage of Halakhic research has an ideological basis? The connection between Halakhah and ideology: a relation of influence or contradiction? Fruits of the conference will be published in a book edited by Dr. Avinoam Rosenak. Video recordings

Law, Society and Jewish Culture
The Supreme Court in Israel has become a major arbiter of justice in crucial moral, social and cultural issues in Israeli public discourse. This past year, the institute brought together a group of scholars and researchers from various disciplines, including philosophy, education, religion, and sociology, to discuss these issues and to offer alternatives connected with the Jewish tradition and culture to the legal dialogue. The group chose to focus on two issues which have been dealt with widely in the Supreme Court: Education – with special emphasis on questions of integration and privatization, and freedom of speech and its limits.
Academic Directors: Dr. Yotam Benziman, Dr. Aviad Hacohen, Dr. Avinoam Rosenak and Dr. Michael Wygoda

Yeshayahu Leibowitz: Conservatism and Radicalism
This conference, held in June 2003, marked the centennial of the birth of this influential Jewish philosopher. The conference was broadcast live online, and the Video recordings (in Hebrew) are on the Web site. Fruits of the conference have recently been published in the book – Yeshayahu Leibowitz: Conservatism and Radicalism, edited by Aviezer Ravitzky; published in cooperation with Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, Tel Aviv

Polemic – Academy and Spirituality – Can the Two Go Together?
Following the opening of spirituality courses and workshops in academic institutes, the institute brought together some of the senior Kaballah researchers alongside young modern (new age) researchers, for a symposium aimed at examining the question whether spirituality and spiritual practice should be taught in an academic institute.

Governance and Governability of the Jewish People: A Contemporary Analysis
This research project explored the current relationship between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora, addressing questions such as: who determines Israeli policy vis–a–vis the Jewish People, who influences this policy–making, and what is the process by which decisions are made. At the center of the study are the Government Ministries in Israel, the Israeli political parties, the Jewish Agency, formal and informal Jewish organizations in Israel and the Diaspora, and influential individuals.
Director: Prof. Gabriel Sheffer