Vision
The Metzilah Center was founded in 2005, to address the growing tendency among Israelis and Jews worldwide to question the legitimacy of Jewish nationalism and its compatibility with universal values.
Metzilah was established with the conviction that Zionism and a liberal worldview can and must coexist; that public discourse, research and education hold the key to integrating Zionism, Jewish values, and human rights in the Jewish state; and that the integration of these values is critical for the enduring welfare of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide.
Founding President
Professor Ruth Gavison has been a pioneer and a trailblazer in the field of human rights and Zionist values in Israel for over three decades. Haim H. Cohn Professor of Human Rights in the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University, Professor Gavison specializes in Philosophy of Law and Human Rights, was a senior advisor to the Knesset Constitution Committee, and served on the Winograd Panel to investigate the second Lebanon War.
A founding member and past chairperson and president of the Israel Civil Rights Association, recipient of the E.m.e.t Prize in Law, co-author of the Gavison-Medan religious-secular covenant, Professor Gavison has gone on to found Metzilah – a Center for Zionist, Jewish, Liberal and Humanist Thought.
Areas of Activity
Public Discourse
Metzilah was an active participant in the process of the formulation of Israel's constitution in the 16th Knesset, and helped produce background materials on key issues such as the identity of the state, citizenship and return, law and religions, minority rights and land and settlements. Metzilah's researchers are committed to ongoing publication of policy papers on related issues, such as The State of Israel and Jewish National Institutions and Access to Land in Israel.
Research
Together with the Van Leer Institute, Metzilah has embarked on a research project seeking to examine how a constitutional government in Israel may effectively combine its roles as the nation-state of the Jews and the protector of the individual and collective rights of all its citizens. Other researchers are studying issues such as Competing Jewish and Palestinian Rights of Self Determination and Conditions for Effective Self Determination for Jews under the Two-State and the One- State Model.
Education
Metzilah aims to respond to the appalling dearth of knowledge, understanding and awareness of Zionist history and ideas in contemporary Israeli society, to strengthen the secure sense of Jewish identity among Jews of all persuasions, and to educate towards a Zionism integrated with Jewish thought and universal values. Our educational efforts include annual public events, increasing the accessibility of Zionist texts and critiques, programs aimed at maintaining and transmitting a rich Jewish identity for secular Israelis, and development of educational materials reinforcing the justification of the Jewish State for audiences in Israel and abroad.