Today, most groups are in Jerusalem, visiting Mount Herzl National
Cemetery, touring the Jerusalem Municipality or the Israeli Supreme
Court, followed by a visit to Jerusalem's newest mall, Cinema City. Our
theme is from Mountain to Mountain: Jewish sovereignty from King David
to Modernity.
We will be asking What are the symbols of Jewish sovereignty then and
now? How are the Knesset, the Supreme Court, Yad Vashem and
Mount Herzl related to the ancient Jewish kingdoms of the First and
Second Temple? What is the emerging civil religion of Israel and how
does it enhance (or not) the ancient Jewish traditions and beliefs?
We will explore these questions with the following case study: What does
Cinema City have to do with any of the illustrious institutions we are
visiting? The questions we are dealing with at Cinema City go to the core
of the meaning of the
Jewish State and the
struggles this young state
in creating its own
identity.
The Cinema City complex
(a commercial mall with
many movie theatres) was
recently built next to the
Supreme Court of Israel. It
has caused much
controversy concerning its
nature and the proper place
of such a structure in the
midst of the national
institutions. In fact, the
judges of the Supreme
Court directed the
government to block off the
bridge connecting the court to Cinema City as they saw the physical
connection as demeaning to the court. Is this so?
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