Building A Jewish Democracy

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עברית

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Contact Us

Contact Us:

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By Post:
The Israel Policy Center
P.O. Box 24433
Mount Scopus
Jerusalem 91240
Israel

Phone: +972 54 5743391
Fax: +972 2 5354237

Or:  Dr Yitzhak Klein, Director
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To make your tax-deductible contribution by check (US funds),
Make your check out to:
“Central Fund for Israel”
And mail to the above address.

You will receive a US tax-deductible receipt.

Our Mission

Reinforcing Israel’s Character as a Jewish Democracy.

Israel is the Jewish state and a vibrant democracy.  It is under assault by forces within and abroad.  Some of these forces want Israel to stop being a Jewish state.  Some want to eliminate Israel, period.

• Domestically, Israel’s democracy and Jewish identity are under assault by ideological post-Zionists in academia, the media, and Israel’s judiciary and law enforcement system.  Amazingly, power of these unelected elites is secured by law; they wield power without being accountable to the people.  They shape much of Israel’s public discourse and are frequently are able to dictate policy, domestic and foreign, to Israel’s elected governments.
• Israel’s unelected elites advertise themselves as guardians of democracy, but are not above using undemocratic methods to protect their power and advance their agenda, such as prosecuting their political opponents, criminalizing free speech, and barring opponents’ access to the press.
• Within and beyond Israel, an international network of anti-Zionists and anti-Semites works to delegitimize Israel and Zionism with a view to destroying both.
• Most Israelis instinctively favor Zionism and want to live in a Jewish state, but many aren’t sure how to justify those convictions.
• Some Israelis who do seek to strengthen Israel’s national identity advocate proposals that would undermine democracy and civil rights in Israel.

How The Israel Policy Center (IPC) Works to Strengthen Israel, the Jewish State.

1.  IPC works in the Knesset and with government ministers to shift political power within Israel’s political system from Israel’s unelected elites to where it belongs:  with the people’s elected representatives in the Knesset and the Government.  The Center—
• Promotes constitutional and electoral reform, particularly placing judicial and senior civil service appointments in the hands of the Knesset.
• Advocates improving the transparency of, and Knesset oversight of,  Israel’s law enforcement system.
• Supports free competition, including the free competiton of ideas, in academia and the electronic media.  Today these sectors are government-mandated cartels dominated by post-Zionist elites
• Critiques “nationalist” legislative proposals that would impair democracy and civil liberties.

2.  IPC educational projects for civics teachers and other future leaders teach the legitimacy of Israel’s Jewish identity and the fundamentals of democracy, while providing students with the knowledge and confidence to discredit post-Zionist ideologies.

3.  IPC works with Israeli government ministries to create pro-Israel and pro-Zionist networks abroad to fight against delegitimization and improve Israel’s public profile.

Our Staff

The Israel Policy Center (IPC) is one of Israel’s oldest policy institutes devoted to strengthening Israel’s character as Jewish democracy. 

We believe that Israel, as the Jewish state, should be devoted to preserving the national interests and promoting the culture and civilization of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel.  We believe Israel’s people should have the right to choose the values and the policies by which they live, through their elected representatives in the Knesset.  We are certain that strengthening Israel’s democracy and its Jewish identity go together.

Founded in 2002 by Prof. Moshe Koppel and Dr Yitzhak Klein, the Center has been active in promoting constitutional reform and civil liberties in Israel.  We are especially active in the Knesset, where our research papers and briefings are welcomed by Knesset members and other decisionmakers who have few other sources for clear, professional analysis of the issues they confront.  Our civil liberties research highlights violations of civil and due process rights by Israel’s law enforcement authorities, which suffer from inadequate oversight and transparency and are too frequently motivated by political bias.  Our research papers include a full-dress draft constitution for Israel and a large suite of proposals for strengthening Israel’s Jewish identity, improving Israel’s representative democracy and ensuring that power I Israel is exercised with accountability.  Our work is respected for its integrity and its unimpeachable professional standards.