Department of Comparative Religion
Subject: Between theology and politics: Jewish-Christian Discourse and Religious Neo-conservatism in the United States
Advisor: Prof. Eli Lederhendler and Dr. Karma Ben Johanan
Abstract: My research focuses on the political and theological thought of religious neo-conservative intellectuals, both Catholic and Jewish, in the United States since the early 1990s and their interfaith collaboration. These religious neo-conservatives draw significantly from the neo-conservatism of the previous generation (anti-totalitarianism, support for democracy and the free market, nationalistic stances in foreign relations, and cultural conservatism), but add a dimension of religious thought. The tension in their thinking lies between advancing individual freedom and democracy, and religious conservatism as a distinctive identity in the American public discourse. Unlike their primarily secular Jewish counterparts among the neo-conservatives who generally didn't base their thought on religious foundations, religious neo-conservatives place theology at the core of their political worldview and employ distinct religious language. Furthermore, while secular neo-conservatives shifted from the political left to the right while maintaining their secular lifestyle, many religious neo-conservatives, especially Catholics, undergo processes of religious conversion and return to faith. These intellectuals, enthusiastic adopters of the American democratic-liberal system, distinguish themselves not only from the "old right," but also from traditionalist and paleo-conservative movements that critique modernity more deeply and often harbor suspicions and distance from Jews. The amalgamation of critical secular and liberal elements with a religious basis is a subject yet to be systematically explored, especially concerning the interfaith (Jewish-Christian) and ecumenical (Catholic-Evangelical) collaborations that characterize their thought. This study aims to fill this gap by delving into the political and theological thought of these intellectuals, predominantly Catholics and Jews, who work together in research institutions, journals, and various political settings. It seeks to understand how they develop this synthesis by using religious components and traditions derived from both Jewish and Christian sources. It will also investigate the influence of their personal, non-neutral encounters with secular and leftist perspectives on their subsequent religious and political thought post-conversion. The interfaith collaboration that characterizes this group is a central puzzle to unravel. It will explore how similar concerns propelled these religious neo-conservative intellectuals, Jews and Christians alike, into shared activism, despite the historical enmity between their religious communities and the prevailing conservative sentiment that often taints them. This collaboration's impact on their interpretation of the theological sources will be examined as well. My research will analyze how these intellectuals, committed to the practical world and actively engaging in political activism, spread their ideas to the wider public through popular journals that reflect the combative intellectual nature of the neo-conservative tradition These journals, being primary vehicles of their thought dissemination, will be the focal point for this research, revealing the complex character of interfaith neo-conservative collaboration, oscillating between agreement and tension
Bio: I am a doctoral student at the Department of Comparative Religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. My research focuses on interfaith dialogue and the relationship between theology and politics in the writings of Jewish and Catholic intellectuals within the neo-conservative movement in the United States over the past three decades. I am intrigued by the intersection of religion and politics, particularly in cases where religious (and inter-religious) thought influences perceptions of law and public policy and how contemporary social and political processes shape interfaith discourse.
I completed my undergraduate degree in a program that combined philosophy, economics, and political science (PPE), and my master's degree with distinction at the Department of Comparative Religion, both at the Hebrew University. My master's thesis delved into the thoughts of neo-conservative Catholic Christians in the United States regarding Jews and Judaism. This work received a commendation from the Israeli Association for the Study of Religions.
Publications:
"תוצרת (אדום), כחול, לבן: תרגום ולוקליזציה בשמרנות הישראלית", קובץ מאמרים "האמריקניזציה של הימין הישראלי, המרכז לחקר ארה"ב באונ' תל-אביב (עתידי).
"קתוליות, מודרניות וחילון - שיחה עם ד"ר כרמה בן-יוחנן", רליגיה - בית למחשבה דתית, גיליון ו (אביב תשפ"ג, מאי 2023).
"היטלר יוגנד, סניף המושבה", סגולה - מגזין להיסטוריה יהודית 108 (יוני 2019).
Rotenschtreich Scholarship 2021/22