Daniel Katz's 5th: What I Have Gained from Being in Israel

My time in Israel has come to an end and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. However, I feel like I have gained a better understanding of politics and societies in general.

If anything, Israel goes to show how even small societies can be demographically complex and diverse. With various ethnic and religious groups such as Ashkenazim, Mizrahim, Haredim, Russians, Arab Muslims, and Druze, there is a plethora of different cultures and lifestyles in Israel. These groups can be seen in the political landscape as well with parties like Shas, Likud-Beteinu Yisrael, UAL, and Labor. It is truly astonishing because in Israel the diversity of the populace is seen in the political system too, to a much greater extent than in the US I would argue. If anything, Israel shows that one can have an ethnically heterogonous society and be relatively tolerant and have a diversity of political groups.

Also in regards to the political, it was unique seeing how different the parliamentary system is as opposed to the US political system. With a low electoral threshold for parties and more emphasis on representation, I have come to believe that the parliamentary system is more democratic. This can be seen when you have a diversity of parties in the Knesset, ranging from secular Arab Socialist parties like Hadash, to heavily theocratic parties like United Torah Judaism. Such representation guarantees that most major political factions and views in a society are given representation. Also, unlike in the US system, where the president is giving executive power over both domestic and foreign affairs, the power is divided into the offices of the prime and foreign ministers. I believe that such is highly beneficial because it means that you do not have power vested in a single person, which could possibly contribute to the rise of an all-powerful “imperial presidency”. However, that is not to say that the system is perfect. There is always the threat of a coalition collapse and political instability if a coalition cannot be formed in the Knesset. This is not to mention the many, unnecessary ministerial positions that pay up to 111 million sheqalim per position. However, in my opinion, it is better (and more fascinating) to have many parties with different interests than merely two parties, which differ on only a few, key issues.

Because of what I have taken away from this study abroad program, I am thankful for my time in Israel. I am also thankful for Professor Aronoff, who gave us many great opportunities to learn about Israel, listen to distinguished people speak to us, as well as some of the amazing sites this country has to offer. I hope to visit this country again sometime in the future.