ABOUT THIS LECTURE: While Israel’s wars have a been a challenge for all Jews who support Israel, they have presented unique challenges for religious Zionists who adhere to Jewish law. Jewish law developed mostly during centuries in which Jews had no state and no army, and therefore it contained little material on war prior to 1948. In consequence, when the state of Israel was created and found itself at war, religious Zionist rabbis had to construct a body of law dealing with war almost from scratch. This talk will focus on how these rabbis dealt with this challenge with remarkable creativity and ingenuity.
