Asa Kasher

Asa Kasher
Asa Kasher
Born (1940-06-06) June 6, 1940 (age 84)
Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine
CitizenshipIsraeli
EducationPh.D. in Philosophy, 1971, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Occupation(s)Philosopher and linguist
Employer(s)Tel Aviv University and Shalem College
Awards2000 Israel Prize for philosophy

Asa Kasher (Hebrew: אסא כשר, born June 6, 1940) is an Israeli philosopher and linguist working as a Professor at Tel Aviv University.[1] He is the lead author of the IDF Code of Ethics.

Biography

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Asa Kasher is the grandson of talmudist Menachem Mendel Kasher. He is noted for authorship of Israel Defense Forces's Code of Conduct,[2] as well as his co-authorship of an amended version of the controversial Hannibal Directive in the 1990s.[3][4]

Kasher has also written an influential defense of Israel's 'law of return', justifying it as a form of affirmative action, following periods in which Jews were not allowed to immigrate to many countries.[5][6]

He also wrote about possible meanings to a Jewish and democratic state, the meaning of a Jewish collective and many other essays.[7] His essays on Jewish subjects are collected in a book titled Ruach Ish (Spirit of a Man), published in Hebrew by Am Oved publication house. He is also the editor-in-chief of the philosophy journal Philosophia.[8] Kasher has contributed as well to the fields of psychology and ethics.

Awards and recognition

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In 2000, Kasher was awarded the Israel Prize for philosophy.[9][10]

Criticism

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Uri Avnery criticised Kasher for arguing in favour of targeted killing by the IDF,[11][12][13] in those cases in which it knowingly fires on targets where civilians are present or nearby if enemy forces are also known to be present, and that "it is justified to kill a Palestinian child who is in the company of a hundred 'terrorists'" because the terrorists might kill children.[14]

Kasher was also criticized in his role as Editor-in-Chief of the philosophy journal Philosophia, which published and later retracted an article by Kevin MacDonald, titled “The ‘Default Hypothesis’ Fails to Explain Jewish Influence”. The article was criticized as promoting anti-semitic tropes, and questions were raised about the peer review process for the paper, particularly after one of the paper's referees announced himself on twitter and he appeared to lack the requisite qualifications to referee papers for the journal.[15] Springer Publishing undertook an investigation and retracted the paper.[16] Kasher eventually resigned as editor of Philosophia.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tel Aviv University personnel page
  2. ^ Yoram Hazony (30 April 2009). The Jewish state: the struggle for Israel's soul. Basic Books. ISBN 9780786747238. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  3. ^ Khalek, Rania (2014-12-31). "Killing 40 civilians in one go is "reasonable," says Israel army ethicist". The Electronic Intifada. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  4. ^ Ginsburg, Mitch. "Controversial IDF directive may have caused soldier's death in Gaza". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  5. ^ Chaim Gans (13 February 2003). The limits of nationalism. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521004671. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  6. ^ Israel studies forum: an interdisciplinary journal, Volumes 22-23. Association for Israel Studies. 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  7. ^ Raphael Cohen-Almagor (2005). Israeli democracy at the crossroads. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415350235. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  8. ^ Samantha Brennan, Robert Stainton (August 31, 2009). Philosophy and death: introductory readings. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  9. ^ "Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew) – Recipient's C.V."
  10. ^ "Israel Prize Official Site (in Hebrew)- Judges' Rationale for Grant to Recipient".
  11. ^ Seumas Miller (2009). Terrorism and counter-terrorism; ethics and liberal democracy. Blackwell Pub. ISBN 9781405139434. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  12. ^ Gary D. Solis (2010). The law of armed conflict: international humanitarian law in war. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139487115. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  13. ^ Alan M. Dershowitz (2009). The Case Against Israel's Enemies: Exposing Jimmy Carter and Others Who Stand in the Way of Peace. John Wiley and Sons. p. 276. Retrieved August 28, 2011. Asa Kasher targeted killing.
  14. ^ The Johnny Procedure, by Uri Avnery. July 18, 2009
  15. ^ Weinberg, Justin. "Philosophy Journal Hosts Debate on "Jewish Influence"". Daily Nous. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  16. ^ MacDonald, Kevin (2022). "RETRACTED ARTICLE: The "Default Hypothesis" Fails to Explain Jewish Influence". Philosophia. 51. Springer: 403. doi:10.1007/s11406-021-00439-y. S2CID 245617374.
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