Join us for our virtual FL JCC Author Series with Ilan Troen, Israel/Palestine in World Religions: Whose Promised Land?.
A leading scholar in Israel studies, S. Ilan Troen has written an introduction to the religious significance of Israel, updated and rededicated in memory of the horrific events of October 7, 2023. His work reminds us that there are competing theologies defining the conflict. This complexity is magnified by the fact that three faith communities, as opposed to two in other contested areas like Cyprus, Ireland, and the Indian subcontinent, understand the Land of Israel to be central to their identity. Troen, the founding director of the Israel studies departments at both Ben Gurion and Brandeis University, suggests that religious justifications for ownership of the Land of Israel have not disappeared, despite the rising secularism of the modern age. He claims that the secular and religious components “may be maintained simultaneously and are often interwoven.”
S. Ilan Troen is Lopin Professor of Modern History, emeritus at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, Stoll Family Professor in Israel Studies, emeritus at Brandeis University, USA, and founding director of the Israel Studies centers at both institutions. He is Founding Editor of the journal Israel Studies, and 2023 recipient of the Association for Israel Studies “Lifetime Achievement Award.”