Viewing the Conservative Movement at a turning point, this book analyzes the problems facing the largest religious movement in the American Jewish community and outlines a plan of action for the future. Elazar and Geffen suggest: clarifying ideology, mission, and purpose, finding the right balance between traditionalists and advocates of change, unifying movement institutions in a cooperative effort, staunching the decline of membership to the left, recapturing the loyalty of lapsed adherents, closing the gap in observance between the laity and the standard bearers of the movement, developing the Movement in Israel and world-wide, and strengthening ties with Jewish federations and other Jewish communal bodies. The authors propose that the Conservative Movement's remedying of these problems will benefit not just American, but all world Jewry.

The 1999 Israeli elections focused on the character of the main political contenders for prime minister - Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak. Along with Barak's victory, the Israeli public made important statements concerning the shape and direction of Israeli political culture with a hope of a centrist vision. Leading Israeli political scientists discuss the revival of the Israeli left and the increased strength of ethnic Sephardi, Russian and Arab electorates. They also examine the place of foreign policy, media, and other socio-economic factors on the outcome of the election.

The 1996 Israeli elections were the first elections by direct vote for the position of prime minister in which a newcomer - Binyamin Netanyahu - defeated the most veteran Israeli politician, Shimon Peres. The result indicated not only a transition of power from the left-centre to the right-centre, but also the decline of the major parties and the ascendance of the smaller parties. Israel at the Polls, 1996 looks at the parties, election campaigns and the processes that determined this outcome. Major issues such as religion and politics, Israel as a Jewish state, the peace process, and the 'new politics' are analysed by outstanding Israeli political scientists.

Constitutionalizing Globalization explores two converging trends: the spread of federalism and federal arrangements around the world, and the globalization taking place on the international scene. Daniel Elazar shows how globalization of the economy and the concern for global human rights bring with them the need for development of a constitutional order that will control both. The gradual development of appropriate constitutional mechanisms and controls are part of a general shift from modern statism to post-modern federalism. The reliance on the sovereignty of the nation state, which marked the era from the Treaty of Westphalin in 1648 to the end of World War II, gave way to the beginning of a world order which, while built on states, links those states in various ways through enforceable constitutional bonds. These trends have been recognized by both students of federalism and students of international relations. Constitutionalizing Globalization is the first book to join the perspectives of both in order to explain the new paradigm. It is important reading for students and scholars of constitutional issues, federalism, and international relations.

The 1996 Israeli elections were the first elections by direct vote for the position of prime minister in which a newcomer - Binyamin Netanyahu - defeated the most veteran Israeli politician, Shimon Peres. The result indicated not only a transition of power from the left-centre to the right-centre, but also the decline of the major parties and the ascendance of the smaller parties. Israel at the Polls, 1996 looks at the parties, election campaigns and the processes that determined this outcome. Major issues such as religion and politics, Israel as a Jewish state, the peace process, and the 'new politics' are analysed by outstanding Israeli political scientists.

This new and updated edition of the classification system embodies every effort to encompass the range of Jewish knowledge found in all kinds of published materials.

This informative volume is comprised of various articles which examine specific issues relevant to authority and leadership in the Jewish community. The articles cover a vast number of cases and span a period of time from the biblical to the present. From the political and legal challenges and pressures from the outside, to the problems within the community itself such as the continuation of the Jewish tradition through education, the book reviews and analyzes individual instances in which the leadership of the community has been called upon to act. Together, the articles are woven in with one another against the historical background of the Jews to provide a genuinely interesting and complete chronicle of authority and leadership in the Jewish community. Co-published with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

For the first time in decades, here is an in-depth look at Minnesota government and politics, providing a useful overview of the history, structure, and distinctive characteristics of the political system in the North Star State. Minnesota's government is often held up as a role model for other states. Drawing on survey research, electoral analysis, interview data, and political experience, the authors examine contemporary politics in Minnesota, emphasizing in particular its long-standing moralistic dimension. Attention is given to the major components of the state's political system: the constitution, legislature, courts, relationship to both the federal system and local governments, lobbying, elections, campaign finance, and public attitudes toward taxes and services. Equally important, the authors assess various enduring myths and views about Minnesota politics, including its legendary liberalism and citizen involvement in the political scene, and even consider how its new governor, former wrestler Jesse Ventura, fits into Minnesota's traditions.

Two values often at odds with each other--competition and compassion--dominate New York's political culture. Since the eighteenth century New York has been known for its economic leadership and entrepreneurial opportunities. Its nickname, "the Empire State," reflects the state's continuing role as a national and international center of industry and commerce. Yet New York's political culture, as Daniel J. Elazar has noted, is paradoxically both individualistic and moralistic. Compassion is extended not only toward those unable to compete in the marketplace but also toward the numerous interest groups and institutions--labor, business, nonprofit agencies--that depend on the state's largesse for their own well-being. This distinctive political blend can produce inconsistent yet complementary public policies, such as providing tax incentives for economic development alongside liberal Medicaid benefits.
In this excellent overview of New York politics, five distinguished scholars explore the state's paradoxical political culture, examining its local, regional, and national components through the years.

An update and revision of the original 1976 edition, this study presents a two-fold discussion: a basic survey of the structure and functions of the American Jewish community, and a suggestion as to how that community should be understood as a body politic, a collective unit that is not a state but is no less real from a political perspective.

Viewing the Conservative Movement at a turning point, this book analyzes the problems facing the largest religious movement in the American Jewish community and outlines a plan of action for the future. Elazar and Geffen suggest: clarifying ideology, mission, and purpose, finding the right balance between traditionalists and advocates of change, unifying movement institutions in a cooperative effort, staunching the decline of membership to the left, recapturing the loyalty of lapsed adherents, closing the gap in observance between the laity and the standard bearers of the movement, developing the Movement in Israel and world-wide, and strengthening ties with Jewish federations and other Jewish communal bodies. The authors propose that the Conservative Movement's remedying of these problems will benefit not just American, but all world Jewry.