With Professor Yakov Yadgar as our guide, we explore how nation-states, particularly Israel, shape and sometimes constrain Jewish identities while emphasising the importance of celebrating diverse histories and practices, especially those of Mizrahi heritage.

Our guest

Yaacov Yadgar is a Professor of Israel Studies at Oxford School of Global & Area Studies and Oxford Department of Politics & International Relations. Read more about his work.

Key topics

• Diversity of Identity: The importance of recognising Mizrahi histories and cultures to move beyond a Eurocentric view of Jewish identity.
• Nationalism vs. the Individual: How state influence creates tension between nationalised and localised Jewish practices, impacting personal identity.

Your guide

Short definitions of terms mentioned in this episode:

• Ashkenazi - Jewish people descended from Germany and Northern France
• Mizrahi - Jews from the Middle East and North Africa - this term has a complex history
• Sephardi - Jews descended from Iberia and the Spanish diaspora

Want to learn more? Listen to previous episodes where we discuss identity.

• S1E1 The Big Three Origin Stories
• S1E7 “Identity is overrated” with Dr Orphira Gamliel

References & Resources

• Yadgar, Y (2024) To Be a Jewish State: Zionism and the New Judaism. NYU Press

Videos

• UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies (2024) To Be a Jewish State: Zionism as the New Judaism
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Show credits

Host / Producer: Eylan Ezekiel

Post-production: Communicating for Impact

Artwork: Emily Theodore

Music: Aleksafor utransndr Karabanov

Sound effects: Serge Quadrado

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.