Crisis in Israel | April 16, 2023

www.writersblocpresents.com
Video: Karl Sonnenberg
Why have hundreds of thousands of Israelis taken to the streets in protest like never before? In escalating numbers every weekend, protestors amass, and include students, professionals, members of the military. Why? Some extreme right wing members of the new Parliament have inflamed Israelis and Palestinians alike, with proposed legislation that critics have warned could threaten civil rights and erode democracy. What are the prospects for quelling the escalating violence? Additionally, the Israeli Prime Minister and his new government have initiated plans to overhaul and weaken the Israeli judicial system. What will the impact be on Israeli society now? On the next generation of Israelis and Palestinians? On American involvement in and support of Israel? What do the proposed changes mean for Israel’s democracy?
David N. Myers and Daniel Sokatch have co-authored numerous op-ed pieces for the Los Angeles Times. They both have broad intellectual, cultural and emotional involvement with Israel and the American Jewish community.
David N. Myers is the Distinguished Professor and holds the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA. He is the Director, UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, and Director, UCLA Initiative to Study Hate. David is the author or editor of 15 books, and is co-author of the prize-winning book, American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, a Hassidic Village in Upstate New York, which recently won the prestigious Jewish Book Award in American Jewish Studies.
Daniel Sokatch is the CEO of the New Israel Fund. He is the author of the acclaimed book, Can We Talk About Israel: A Guide for the Curious, Confused, and Conflicted.