Radical Islam’s war against the Jewish people is a war over values, specifically the value of human life. For that reason, it is vital that the Jewish people build a broad moral consensus around Jewish values related to life-and-death decision-making.
The challenge is to integrate Jewish and democratic values that meet the spiritual and physical needs of the Jewish people. This requires serious engagement with both Daat Torah and Daat Ha’Am on matters of life and death. דעת תורה ודעת העם על דיני נפשות.
Daat Torah is the advice of the learned Poskim who make real-time Torah decisions with situational context. Daat Ha’Am is the opinion of the people who vote for and accept the laws of the state.
The goal is to identify moral principles that a majority of Jews living in Eretz Yisrael can affirm. Shared Jewish values, accepted by a majority of the Jewish people in Israel, are essential to both the spiritual and physical survival of the Jewish people. They are also essential to the legitimacy of a Jewish democratic state. We do not seek a purely halachic state, nor a purely secular one. We seek a Jewish democratic state that integrates accepted Jewish and democratic values.
Jewish-Survival’s Four Questions address the most difficult moral issues confronting the Jewish people today. We invite Jews of all backgrounds to examine their values, engage with one another and work toward consensus. Our values define who we are.
The Four Question Challenge is an opportunity to foster dialogue and develop greater consensus around Jewish values related to life-and-death decision-making.
- What should be the “Jewish Rules of War”?
- Should there be the death penalty for those who murder innocent civilians?
- What limits should be placed on ideological incitement?
- What obligations do Jews have to non-Jews and to other Jews living in Eretz Yisrael?
Jewish-Survival will award $10,000 for the best answer to the first question and $5,000 for each of the other three questions. The final submission deadline is August 31, 2026. Register your participation at Jewish-Survival.com. We encourage other organizations to also offer awards for best answers that best reflect their views. After review, all reasonable submissions will be published on Jewish-Survival.com
Feel free to contact me directly at elimelech@jewish-survival.com.
To fully understand the perspectives of each question readers should review the extensive background briefing documents and the research sections.
Jewish-Survival is a dynamic interactive initiative. Please contribute your ideas and suggestions for inclusion in the briefing and research sections by sending an email to elimelech@jewish-survival.com.