Jewish and Democratic State

     Israel describes itself as a Jewish and Democratic state. But, of course, as with most things here, this description is far more complicated than it seems. What do we mean by Jewish? Do we mean a state governed by Halacha (traditional Jewish law)? Do we mean a state whose official symbols, such as the flag and national anthem, are Jewish? Do we mean a state composed primarily of Jews? Defining "Democratic" isn't much easier. No country in the world (as far as I know) is actually a democracy, which would require its citizens to actively run the government (the US, for example, is a Democratic Republic). And no country is actually 100% Democratic, which would mean that 51% of the citizens can vote to kill the other 49%. If no state meets this definition of Democratic, what do we mean when call Israel Democratic? Does the fact that the Palestinians living in the West Bank under Israeli military authority can't vote mean Israel isn't Democratic? If so, did the US stop being Democratic when it occupied Germany and Japan after World War II? The Hartman Institute, which defines itself as a "pluralistic research center", held a symposium on this question in the fall of 2008 to try and answer some of these questions. You can find their various answers here. So, is Israel a Jewish and Democratic state?