About this episode
Allison, Don, Noah and special guest star, author Ayelet Waldman discuss: The thinnest of lines — between 'Jewish' and 'Democratic' How do Jews around the world think Israel ought to balance its “democratic” and “Jewish” values? The Jewish People Policy Institute's new report, “Jewish and Democratic: Perspectives from World Jewry,” shows that diaspora Jews view Jewish values as essentially democratic ones. But what about the rights of non-Jewish minorities in Israel? Romanticizing the Draft? A Knesset member put forth a proposal to end the draft in favor of an all-volunteer army. This would appease ultra-Orthodox Israelis and other who are against the draft, but most Israelis are against replacing conscription with a volunteer professional army. Apart from the more practical considerations, canceling the draft would undermine Israeli society's romantic and nationalistic image of the army as a melting pot and expression of citizenship. 'You Can't Go Home Again' After spending her salad days in Israel, author Ayelet Waldman emigrated to the U.S. and didn't return for twenty years. Now she's back for a visit and has come to the TLV1 studio to tell us whether, as Thomas Wolfe wrote, you can't go home again.