Are Secular Jews Religious? A Critical Look at ‘Post-secularism’ in Israeli Discourse

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the Social Sciences have seen the rise of a new theoretical framework in the discourse surrounding religion and secularization, which centers around the term ‘Post-secular’. This theoretical framework became dominant in Israel's academic discourse through its utilization in the critical examination of the popular classifications in Israel for religiosity and secularism, and in a rejection of the dichotomy between these terms. Regarding the element of rejecting the dichotomy between religiosity and secularism, those who advocate for post-secularism in Israel’s academic discourse claim that the ‘post-secular’ exposes the impossibility of a Jewish secularism and, in other words, that Jewish secularism hides its own religiosity from itself. In the article, I will critically examine the context of the rise of the post-secular theoretical framework in the Social Sciences, and its use in Israeli academic discourse – and especially the criticism that it (and neighboring stances) raises regarding the probability of a Jewish secularism. I will maintain that Jewish secularism does not exist merely as a fact based on a kind of false consciousness and suggest a primary outline for the phenomenology of this identity.