David Hazony

Residence : Jerusalem, Israel

Biographical information
David Hazony is a writer. From 2004-2007 he was editor-in-chief of the public affairs journal Azure. He is the editor of Essential Essays on Judaism by Eliezer Berkovits, recently published by Shalem Press. He received his M.A. at Yeshiva University and is currently working on his Ph.D. in Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is one of the world's foremost authorities on Berkovits' thought and writings and was instrumental in bringing together the Eliezer Berkovits Institute of Jewish Thought at the Shalem Center. He lives in Jerusalem.

Discussion topics

• Are the Jews a People? Do They Deserve a State? Despite a century of efforts to build a Jewish homeland, there are still many people who think that the Jews are not a people, and that their state should be dismantled. The proper response will require a new way of thinking about Judaism, peoplehood, and the meaning of statehood in our time.
• Eliezer Berkovits: A Thinker for the Jewish People--One of the most important thinkers on the subject of Jewish unity was Eliezer Berkovits. Most of Berkovits' writings are little known and out of print, yet a careful reading of this diverse and creative thinker reveals a powerful vision of the Jewish people's role in human history. While most Jews choose to live in diaspora communities under the models developed over centuries of exile, Berkovits argued for a Judaism centered on the idea of the "holy nation"-a model community which Judaism was meant to create. For Judaism to fulfill its central aim, Berkovits argued, the Jewish people need to be united through sovereignty, in full control of their own affairs. In his view, Jewish creativity and teaching have suffered immeasurably due to the conditions of exile, and only the reestablishment of a thriving, prosperous Jewish state can allow the Jews to rediscover the creative dynamic which characterized Jewish life in ancient times. At a time when Jews around the world are searching for new meaning in both Jewish unity and the State of Israel, Berkovits' unifying approach is worth a close look.
• David, Solomon, and the Scandal of Israeli Archaeology--For centuries, scholars have struggled over whether certain parts of the Bible ever really happened. Yet in the last few years, a group of Israeli archaeologists has unveiled a far-reaching theory according to which the entire kingdom of David and Solomon never existed. This new approach has become the rage in the media, and has the capacity to rewrite the way Israelis and Westerners view their own origins. Yet like many fashionable retellings, it is based much more on politics and the sweetness of scandal than on hard science. This talk will show why the new theory is much weaker than it often thought, and offer a few reasons why the mainstream archaeological establishment has failed to respond effectively. Finally, a few ideas will be suggested about how we can reconnect with our ancient past through archaeology.
• Why Judaism Has Laws--The last century was one of great scientific achievement coupled with great moral catastrophes-from the First World War to the Holocaust to the Gulag. It seems that while Western man has mastered the art of scientific progress, the dream of moral improvement is still far beyond our reach. In this talk, I will suggest that part of the problem has to do with the way the Western mind often thinks of morality and what it means to be good. An alternative view can be found in the biblical and rabbinic traditions, which teach us that while good intentions and beliefs are important, they are never enough on their own: We also need to learn the habits of righteous action. This is achieved through the idea of law, or halacha. By looking at a broad range of examples from within the tradition of Jewish law, we may understand how law helps us become better individuals and build healthy, righteous communities. In this way, the tradition of Jewish law may serve to unite Jews of different movements rather than divide them.

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