Judaism and politics

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The relationship between Judaism and politics is a historically complex subject, and has evolved over time concurrently with both changes within Jewish society and religious practice, and changes in the general society of places where Jewish people live. In particular, Jewish political thought can be split into four major eras: Biblical (prior to Roman rule), Rabbinic (from roughly the 100 BCE to 600 CE), Medieval (from roughly 600 CE to 1800 CE), and Modern (18th century to the present day).

Several different political models are described across its

Biblical models

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Stuart Cohen has pointed out that there are three separate power centers depicted in the Hebrew Bible: the priesthood, the royal throne, and the prophets.^[1]

One model of biblical politics is the model of the tribal federation, where power is shared among different tribes and institutions. Another is the model of limited constitutional monarchy.^[2]

The Hebrew Bible contains a complex

In Roman Judea, Jewish communities were governed by rabbinical courts known as Sanhedrin. Lesser Sanhedrins composed of 23 judges were appointed to each city, while a Great Sanhedrin with 71 judges was the highest authority, taking cases appealed from the lower courts. The Sanhedrin served as the leadership of the Jewish community under Roman rule, and served as emissaries to the imperial authorities in addition to overseeing religious practice and collecting taxes.^[3] The Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish governing body of the Second Temple period.

Talmudic sources on political philosophy

A statement by

In addition to imagining ideal forms of governance, the rabbis accept a principle to obey the government currently in power. The Talmud makes reference to the principle of dina de-malkhuta dina ("the law of the land is law"), a principle recognizing non-Jewish laws and non-Jewish legal jurisdiction as binding on Jewish citizens, provided that they are not contrary to any laws of Judaism.^[5][6]

Medieval period

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The Qahal

During the Middle Ages, some Ashkenazi Jewish communities were governed by qahal. The qahal had regulatory control over Jewish communities in a given region; they administered commerce, hygiene, sanitation, charity, Jewish education, kashrut, and relations between landlords and their tenants. It provided a number of community facilities, such as a rabbi, a ritual bath, and an interest-free loan facility for the Jewish community.^[7][8] The qahal even had sufficient authority that it could arrange for individuals to be expelled from synagogues, excommunicating them.^[7][9]

Medieval Jewish political philosophy

Some medieval political theorists such as

Modern period

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With Jewish emancipation, the institution of the qahal as an autonomous entity was officially abolished. Jews increasingly became participants in the wider political and social sphere of larger nations. As Jews became citizens of states with various political systems, and argued about whether to found their own state, Jewish ideas of the relationship between Judaism and politics developed in many different directions.

In Europe

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In the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, when there was a large Jewish population in Europe, some Jews favored various forms of

which espoused Haredi Jewish political principles.

21st century

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (December 2023)

In the 21st century, shifts are occurring. The Jewish community in Great Britain, one of the largest in the

During the American Civil War, Jews were divided in their views of slavery and abolition. Prior to 1861, there were virtually no rabbinical sermons on slavery. The silence on this issue was probably a result of fear that the controversy would create conflict within the Jewish community. Some Jews owned slaves or traded them. Most southern Jews supported slavery, and few Northern Jews were abolitionists, seeking peace and remaining silent on the subject of slavery. America's largest Jewish community, New York's Jews, were "overwhelmingly pro-southern, pro-slavery, and anti-Lincoln in the early years of the war". However, eventually, they began to lean politically toward Abraham Lincoln's Republican party and emancipation.^[16]

Swedish born-rabbi

20th and 21st centuries

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While earlier Jewish immigrants tended to be politically conservative, the wave of

American rabbinic leaders who have advanced a progressive political agenda grounded in Jewish principles have included:^[citation needed]

• Michael Lerner (rabbi) of the Jewish Renewal movement
• Arthur Waskow of the Jewish Renewal movement
• Jill Jacobs of Conservative Judaism
• David Saperstein of Reform Judaism

Other prominent Jews who have argued based on Jewish principles for a progressive political agenda have included:

• Ruth Messinger, former President and CEO of American Jewish World Service
• Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc

Towards the end of the 20th century, and at the beginning of the 21st century, Republicans began a platform that sought to take the Jewish vote away from the Democrats. While a solid majority of American Jews continues to be aligned with the Democratic Party, many have argued that there is increased Jewish support for political conservatism.

Rabbinic leaders who have advanced a conservative political agenda grounded in Jewish principles have included:

• Seymour Siegel of Conservative Judaism
• David Dalin of Conservative Judaism

Other prominent Jews who have argued based on Jewish principles for a conservative political agenda have included:[22]

• Daniel Lapin of Orthodox Judaism
• David Klinghoffer
• Dennis Prager
• Elliott Abrams
• David Mamet
• Ben Shapiro

Jewish political philosophy in North America

Significant Jewish political philosophers in North America have included:^{[citation needed]}

• David Novak, a rabbi and philosopher at the University of Toronto, associated with the Union for Traditional Judaism
• Alan Mittleman, a rabbi and philosopher at the Jewish Theological Seminary of Conservative Judaism
• Daniel Elazar, a professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University and Temple University
• Michael Walzer, a political theorist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey
• Michael Sandel, a political philosopher at Harvard University
• Robert Nozick, a late political philosopher at Harvard University
• anarcho-capitalist philosopher and economist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Ronald Dworkin, a philosopher of law and political philosopher at New York University

In Israel

The development of a political system in Israel drew largely on European models of governance, rather than on models from the Jewish political tradition.^[23] Some political figures in Israel, however, have seen their principles as based in Judaism. This is especially pronounced in political parties that see themselves as religious parties, such as Shas, United Torah Judaism, and The Jewish Home.

Politics in Israel are dominated by

Recent interest in developing political theory grounded in Jewish sources has been spurred on by the activities of the

Although

Currently, there are four Jews in the

The four electorates with the highest Jewish populations are:[25]

Electorate	City	State	Jewish population
Wentworth	Sydney	New South Wales	16.2%
Macnamara	Melbourne	Victoria	12.8%
Goldstein	Melbourne	Victoria	8.8%
Kingsford Smith	Sydney	New South Wales	6.0%

Many Australian Jews have been hostile to the progressive Australian Greens party due to its perceived support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a pro-Palestinian political movement opposed by both major parties (the Liberal Party and the Labor Party).^[25]

There are currently three Jews in state parliaments of Australia: one in