Is Israel a Jewish state? Or just a state of Jews? In this Bradley Lecture, Israeli political philosopher Yoram Hazony examines the growing discomfort on the part of many Israelis with Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. Using examples such as military codes of ethics and history curricula, he sketches a picture of a state shying away from its sense of common history, values, and role in Jewish history. In our current era of ascendant nationalism across the globe, and with Israeli Independence Day being celebrated this week, Hazony’s case study of Israel’s national character is particularly resonant. To view a full list of the Bradley Lectures, see the Bradley Lectures page on the AEI website. This lecture was originally delivered at AEI in June 2000.