Ben-Gurion's view of the place of Judaism in Israel

The article examines David Ben-Gurion's ideas on the place of Judaism in Israeli society during his term as prime minister, claiming that his stand on Judaism as a culture and religion was derived from his civic ideas. Ben-Gurion understood Judaism as a national culture extending beyond religion, based on the humanistic-political principles articulated by the biblical prophets, which had served as a moral compass throughout Jewish history and also guided the present developing society in Israel, spurring it to be a model society. In contrast to his extensive preoccupation with the nature of Judaism as a national culture, Ben-Gurion barely touched upon the question of the place of the Jewish religion in Israeli public life. He accepted religious-secular coexistence as a given, and was convinced that disputes over questions of faith could not be decided by empirical or logical means. He therefore deemed that the religious and secular should forgo futile arguments over culture and belief and instead endeavor to establish mutual tolerance and partnership as citizens of a common society.