Daniel Judah Elazar (August 25, 1934 – December 2, 1999) was a
political scientist
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
known for his seminal studies of political culture of the
US states
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
. He was professor of political science at
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academi ...
in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, and director of th
Center for the Study of Federalismat Temple University and the founder and president of the
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
[Inventory of Daniel J. Elazar's papers](_blank)
at the Minnesota Historical Society
Biography
Elazar was born in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
in 1934. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
where he studied under renowned federalism scholar
Morton Grodzins
Morton M. Grodzins (11 August 1917 – 7 March 1964) was a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, as well as a dean of the school and an editor at Chicago University Press. He is known for coining the term " tipping point" in ...
. He maintained residences in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. He was married to Harriet, with whom he had three children.
Academic career
Elazar was a leading
political scientist
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and specialist in the study of
federalism, political culture, the Jewish political tradition, Israel and the world Jewish community. As founder and President of the
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, he headed the major independent Jewish "think tank" concerned with analyzing and solving the key problems facing Israel and world Jewry. He was Professor of
Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
at
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
in Philadelphia, where he founded and directed the Center for the Study of Federalism, a leading
federalism research institute. He held the Senator N.M. Paterson Professorship in Intergovernmental Relations at
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academi ...
in Israel, heading its Institute for Local Government. In 1986, President Reagan appointed him a citizen member of the
U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations The U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) was an independent, bipartisan agency in the United States federal government formed to study and consider the federal government's intergovernmental relationships. It was establishe ...
, the major intergovernmental agency dealing with
federalism issues. He was appointed for a second term in 1988 and a third in 1991. He was the founding president of th
International Association of Centers for Federal Studies Secretary of the American Political Science Association, was Chairman of the Israel Political Science Association, and was a member of various consultative bodies of the Israeli government.
Elazar was the author or editor of more than 60 books and many other publications including a 4-volume study of the Covenant Tradition in Politics, as well as Community and Polity, The Jewish Polity, and People and Polity, a trilogy on Jewish political and community organization from earliest times to the present. He also founded and edited the scholarly journal Jewish Political Studies Review. His books in the area of federalism include ''The American Partnership'' (1962); ''American Federalism: A View from the States'' (1966); ''The American Mosaic'' (1994); and ''Exploring Federalism'' (1987). He was also the author of a multi-generational study of the development of civil community in midwestern cities. The research produced ''Cities of the Prairie'' (1970), ''Cities of the Prairie Revisited'' (1986) and ''Cities of the Prairie: Opening Cybernetic Frontiers'' (2004). He was also the founder and editor of ''
Publius, the Journal of Federalism''.
Elazar was recognized as an expert on Jewish community organization worldwide, on the Jewish political tradition, and on Israel's government and politics. He was a consultant to the Israeli government, the
Jewish Agency
The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...
, the
World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization ( he, הַהִסְתַּדְּרוּת הַצִּיּוֹנִית הָעוֹלָמִית; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the ...
, the city of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, and to most major Jewish organizations in the United States and in Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia. He took a leadership role in numerous local and national Jewish organizations. He was President of the
American Sephardi Federation
The American Sephardi Federation, a founding member of the Center for Jewish History, is a non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit ...
, and served on the International Council of
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
.
Elazar was twice a
John Simon Guggenheim Fellow, a fellow at the
Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania—commonly called the Katz Center—is a postdoctoral research center devoted to the study of Jewish history and civilization.
History
The Katz Center is t ...
, a Fulbright Senior Lecturer, and received grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, the
Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; Presumption of death, declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first women in aviation, female aviator to fly solo acro ...
and
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
s, the
Huntington Library
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Ma ...
, the
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
, and the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
. He served as consultant to many federal, state and local agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Education,
Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...
, and
Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Ur ...
, the
National Governors' Association
The National Governance Association (NGA), founded as the National Governors' Association, is a representative body for school governors and trustees of state-funded schools in England. It was formed in February 2006 via the merger of two predec ...
, the
Education Commission of the States
The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is a United States interstate agency that tracks educational policy, translates research, provides advice and "creates opportunities for state policymakers to learn from one another".fsu.digital.flvc.or ...
, and the Pennsylvania Science and Technology Commission, as well as to the governments of Israel, Canada, Cyprus, Italy, South Africa, and Spain.
Honors and awards
Elazar was a member of
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
. He was awarded honorary degrees from the
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
and
Gratz College
Gratz College is a private Jewish college in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origins to 1856 when banker, philanthropist, and communal leader Hyman Gratz and the Hebrew Education Society of Philadelphia (established in 1849 ...
in Philadelphia, and received awards for distinguished scholarly contributions from the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management of the American Society for Public Administration, th
Section on Federalism and Intergovernmental Relationsof the
American Political Science Association, and the Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry. The Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Section of the American Political Science Association has created th
Daniel Elazar Distinguished Federalism Scholar Awardto recognize scholars who have made significant contributions to the field.
Political theories
Elazar authored a four-volume comprehensive work on the idea of
covenant
Covenant may refer to:
Religion
* Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general
** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible
** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
called ''The Covenant Tradition in Politics'':.
* Volume 1: ''Covenant and Polity in Biblical Israel: Biblical Foundations and Jewish Expressions'': The covenants of the Bible are the founding covenants of
Western civilization
Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''.
image:Plato Pio-Cle ...
. They have their beginnings in the need to establish clear and binding relationships between God and humans and among humans, relationships which must be understood as being political far more than
theological
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...
in character, designed to establish lines of authority, distributions of power, bodies politic, and systems of law.
* Volume 2: ''Covenant and Commonwealth: From Christian Separation through the Protestant Reformation'': The history of the covenant tradition in the
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. has, in the course of two thousand years, undergone three separations, each of which has established a stream of covenant tradition of its own: (1) the separation between Judaism and Christianity; (2) the separation between Christianity and its Reformed wing; and (3) the separation between Jewish and Christian covenantalists and believers in a
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
compact.
* Volume 3: ''Covenant and Constitutionalism: The Great Frontier and the Matrix of Federal Democracy'': "The great frontier" that began at the end of the 15th century, whereby Europe embarked on an expansion that made Europeans and their descendants the rulers of the world for 500 years, was seen as a great opportunity for beginning again, launching an unprecedented movement of
migration
Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration
* Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another
** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
and
colonization.
* Volume 4: ''Covenant and Civil Society: The Constitutional Matrix of Modern Democracy'': The settlement of new worlds by bearers of the
covenant
Covenant may refer to:
Religion
* Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general
** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible
** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
tradition in politics gave those settlers an unparalleled opportunity to build societies on the covenantal model or as close to it as they could.
Elazar wrote extensively about the tradition of politics in Jewish scripture and thinking. His works on the subject include: ''Kinship and Consent: The Jewish Political Tradition and Its Contemporary Uses'', ''Authority, Power and Leadership in the Jewish Polity: Cases and Issues'', and ''Morality and Power: Contemporary Jewish Views''.
*
Kinship and Consent': The exploration of the Jewish political tradition is predicated on the recognition of the Jews as a separate people, not merely a religion or a set of moral principles growing out of a religion. The exploration of the Jewish political tradition, then, is an exploration of how the Jews as a people managed to maintain their
polity over centuries of independence, exile and dispersion, and how they animated that polity by communicating their own expressions of
political culture and modes of
political behavior
Theories of political behavior, as an aspect of political science, attempt to quantify and explain the influences that define a person's political views, ideology, and levels of political participation. Political behavior is the subset of hu ...
.
* ''Authority, Power and Leadership in the Jewish Polity'': Many Jews are finding that they express themselves Jewishly through political means, if at all, whether that entails support of Israel or other causes which then become "Jewish" causes, or through working within the political and communal organizations of the Jewish people, which increasingly are perceived for what they are, namely, means of organizing power.
* ''Morality and Power'': In September 1988, as the
intifada
An intifada ( ar, انتفاضة ') is a rebellion or uprising, or a resistance movement. It is a key concept in contemporary Arabic usage referring to a legitimate uprising against oppression.Ute Meinel ''Die Intifada im Ölscheichtum Bahrain: ...
approached the end of its first year, a distinguished group of leaders in academic and public affairs in Israel and the
diaspora was invited to participate in a symposium on the problems of relating morality and power in contemporary
statecraft.
The Elazar typology of Jewish communal involvement is a typology laid out in ''Community and Polity: The Organizational Dynamics of American Jewry''. It categorizes the degree of involvement
American Jews have in the Jewish community:
* ''Integral Jews'' make up 10–13 percent. For these, Jewishness is a central focus of life and is passed through
generation
A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–30 years, during which children are born and gr ...
s. Specifically, integral Jews may express their Jewishness "through traditional religion,
ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism, also known as ethnonationalism, is a form of nationalism wherein the nation and nationality are defined in terms of ethnicity, with emphasis on an ethnocentric (and in some cases an ethnocratic) approach to various politi ...
or intensive involvement in Jewish affairs."
[ufl.edu Elazar's typology](_blank)
/ref>
* ''Participants'' make up 12–15 percent. For this group, Judaism is a "major avocational interest"; they "take part in Jewish life in a regular way but whose rhythm of life follows larger society." Participants are likely to regularly attend synagogue and to be involved in different organizations, examples including participating in adult education, "fundraising for Jewish causes," or lobbying
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
for Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
* ''Affiliates'' make up 30–33 percent. These are "members of Jewish organizations but not particularly active"; they may be "affiliated with synagogues but irregular attenders."
* ''Contributors and Consumers'' make up another 25–33 percent. They "periodically use the services of Jewish organizations as needed," and keep a Jewish identity
Jewish identity is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. Under a broader definition, Jewish identity does not depend on whether a person is regarded as a Jew by others, or by an exter ...
but remain "minimally associated." They may on occasion contribute financially to Jewish organizations.
* ''Peripherals'' make up 25 percent. These are "recognizably Jewish but wholly uninvolved in Jewish life"; they have "no particular desire to use Jewish institutions or contribute to organizations"
* ''Repudiators'' and ''Converts-Out'' make up 2–7 percent. This group includes those who have converted to another religion and who "actively deny Jewishness."
Elazar's theories on the political subcultures in the American states, articulated in ''American Federalism, A View From the States'' have been influential and remains relevant among scholars of American politics. Elazar argues that there are three dominant political subcultures in the American states: moralistic (government viewed as egalitarian institution charged with pursuing the common good), traditionalistic (government viewed a hierarchical institution charged with protecting an elite-centered status quo), and individualistic (government viewed as minimalist institution charged with protecting the functionality of the marketplace but is otherwise not active). Elazar's theory is still routinely used as variable in academic research and is discussed in most textbooks on American state and local government.[Lowery, D., & Sigelman, L. (1982). Political culture and state public policy: The missing link. The Western Political Quarterly, 35(3), 376–384. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/447552]
Published works
* The American Partnership: Intergovernmental Cooperation in the United States, 1962
* American Federalism: A View from the States. 1966
* The American System: A New View of Government in the United States, edited for Morton Grodzins, 1966
* Cooperation and Conflict, Readings in American Federalism, Elazar as editor, 1969
* The Politics of American Federalism, editor, 1969
* Cities of the Prairie: The Metropolitan Frontier and American Politics, 1970
* The Politics of Belleville, 1971
* The Ecology of American Political Culture, editor with Joseph Zikmund II, 1975
* Community and Polity: The Organizational Dynamics of American Jewry, 1976
* A Classification System for Libraries of Judaica, with David H. Elazar, 1979
* Self Rule/Shared Rule: Federal Solutions to the Middle East Conflict, editor, 1979
* Federalism and Political Integration, editor, 1979
* Republicanism, Representation and Consent: Views of the Founding Era, editor, 1979
* Kinship and Consent: The Jewish Political Tradition and Its Contemporary Uses, editor, 1981
* Governing Peoples and Territories, editor, 1982
* Judea, Samaria, and Gaza: Views on the Present and Future, editor, 1982
* State Constitutional Design in Federal Systems, editor with Stephen L. Schechter, 1982
* Covenant, Polity and Constitutionalism, editor with John Kincaid, 1983
* Jewish Communities in Frontier Societies, with Peter Medding, 1983
* Kinship and Consent: The Jewish Political Tradition and Its Contemporary Uses, editor, 1983
* From Autonomy to Shared Rule: Options for Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, editor, 1983
* The Balkan Jewish Communities: Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, with Harriet Pass Friedenrich, Baruch Hazzan, and Adina Weiss Liberies, 1984
* The Jewish Communities of Scandinavia: Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, with Adina Weiss Liberies and Simcha Werner, 1984
* Understanding the Jewish Agency: A Handbook, editor with Alysa M. Dortort, 1984
* The Jewish Polity: Jewish Political Organization From Biblical Times to the Present, with Stuart A. Cohen, 1985
* The Covenant Connection: From Federal Theology to Modern Federalism, editor with John Kincaid, 2000
See also
* Political culture of the United States
The political culture of the United States has been influenced by the various European nations which colonized the Americas from the 15th century onwards. During the colonial era of American history, European settlers began emigrating to Colonial ...
References
External links
Biography of Professor Elazar
Political Science Bibliography of Daniel J. Elazar
Memorial Site
Daniel Elazar
collection on th
Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
Center for the Study of Federalism Tributes to Daniel Elazar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elazar, Daniel J.
American political scientists
Scientists from Minneapolis
Scientists from Philadelphia
Temple University faculty
Wayne State University alumni
1934 births
1999 deaths
20th-century American Jews
Earhart Foundation Fellows
University of Chicago alumni
20th-century political scientists