Welcome Lilach Ben Zvi, our newest research intern!

The Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies is excited to announce the virtual arrival of Lilach Ben Zvi, our newest research intern, who is a Phd Candidate at the University of Haifa. During her stay at the Institute, Lilach will be working on the nature of the public sphere in Israel as a Jewish and democratic state based on the works of Yeshayau Leibowitz. Her project is titled, "The public sphere in the Jewish and democratic state."

"My research focuses on the public sphere in Israel and the way this realm may serve as a battleground for different and contradictory world views in the Jewish and democratic state. Focusing on the political theory of Yeshayahu Leibowitz, I would like to redraw the public sphere as a realm of its own, distinct from the political one. The establishment of the Jewish state, according to Leibowitz, was an opportunity for the creation of a vital public sphere of a constant struggle of values. This research contributes both the theoretical discourse about the meaning of the public sphere and the discussion regarding how such an idea may promote an essential and active civil society in Israel." - Lilach Ben Zvi