Tomer Persico

Dr. Tomer Persico is a Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and at Reichman University. He published "The Jewish Meditative Tradition," in 2016 and "In God's Image" in 2021

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Dr. Tomer Persico is a Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and at Reichman University. His fields of expertise include contemporary spirituality, Jewish modern identity, forms of secularization and religiosity in Israel, and the roots of Liberalism. He published "The Jewish Meditative Tradition," in 2016 and "In God's Image" in 2021.

Programs

Israel at 75: Religious Characteristics and Trends

Over the last thirty years major changes have transformed the Jewish religious field in Israel. Secular Zionism, which held undisputed hegemony, has crumbled. Religious Zionism, at first evincing a triumphant Settler movement, has lost its thrust, and the Ultra-Orthodox are in a crisis of leadership. We shall analyze and understand the many and varied Jewish voices emerging today in Israel.

Religion and State in Israel: The End of the Status Quo

Religion and State relations were never simple in Israel. The famous "Status Quo", agreed between Ben-Gurion and the Ultra-Orthodox in 1947, is today a dead letter, highlighting the growing gap between public opinion in Israel and the political arena. The Chief Rabbinate has lost public legitimacy, and diverse "Judaisms" challenge the traditional divisions in Israeli society. We Shall

Jewish Meditation, Past and Present

There was never one Jewish meditative path, but varied systems of Jewish mystical techniques branching out of the Jewish tradition. From the Bible, through the Second Temple, rising with Kabbalah and onto Hasidism, we shall examine how Jews in different times sought a direct connection with the divine. We will also asses the cultural transformations leading to current Jewish meditative methods.

What is (Modern) Judaism?

Judaism's entrance into modernity witnessed its rupture, transforming from a traditional ethnic community into a religion on the one hand and a nationality on the other. We shall examine the temptations and the costs that came with becoming equal citizens and fellow nationalists, the virtues and characteristics of divergent modern Jewish Identities.

Zionism, Jewish Extremism, and the Temple Mount

Zionism displayed a tense relationship with the Temple Mount. Secular Zionism wanted little to do with it, guerilla Zionist groups embraced it as the symbol of Jewish sovereignty, and Religious Zionism, shying away from the site, has recently grown enthralled by it. We will analyze these dispositions, studying the site's rise as a focal point for Jewish fundamentalism and ethno-national yearnings.

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