Proposed Constitution for Israel: Lecture Delivered to IDF Cultural Officers
Scope and Content
This item is a rare lecture delivered by Dr. Leo Kohn to officers at an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Keti’m (קְתִ״ם) cultural and educational training conference on 1 November 1948. The lecture presents Kohn’s proposed constitution for the newly established State of Israel, drafted months after the declaration of independence. The text differs from other versions prepared by Kohn and held in the Knesset and State Archives, offering unique insight into early constitutional thought in Israel. The proposal was submitted to the Constitution Committee of the Provisional State Council in 1948, motivated in part by the UN partition resolution for Palestine, which emphasized the need for constitutional governance.
Dates
- Creation: 1948 November 1
Creator
- Kohn, Leo, 1894-1961. (Person)
Access
The collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical Note
Dr. Leo Kohn was commissioned by the Jewish Agency to draft a constitution for the State of Israel. His work informed early discussions on state structure, law, and governance, contributing to the foundations of Israeli legal and political frameworks.
Delivered to IDF officers shortly after statehood, this lecture captures an exceptionally early stage in Israel's constitutional debate. Copies are extremely rare: none are recorded outside Israel or in public collections. Holdings are known at the Knesset Archive and the State Archive.
References:
Amihai Radzyner, “A Constitution for Israel: The Design of the Leo Kohn Proposal, 1948.” Israel Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, 2010.
Shuki Friedman and Amihai Radzyner, The Religious Community and the Constitution (Jerusalem, 2006) [Hebrew].
Extent
.01 Linear Feet (1 Folder)
Language of Materials
Hebrew
Abstract
This lecture captures an exceptionally early stage in Israel’s constitutional development, delivered to IDF officers shortly after statehood.
Location
University of Florida Smathers Library Building (Judaica Suite).
Acquisition Information
Purchased from Shufra Judaica. Previously owned by Dr. Baruch Falach (source: Ynet News: https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r1dwqaoph).
Physical Description
1 typescript/lecture manuscript; 4to; original and mimeographed text, complete, in good condition; some pencil and pen corrections; some blurred letters from the mimeograph process.
Subject
- Kohn, Leo, 1894-1961. (Person)
- Title
- A Guide to the Proposed Constitution for Israel: Lecture Delivered to IDF Cultural Officers
- Status
- Completed
- Subtitle
- הרצאת ד"ר ליאו כהן על "הצעת החוקה לישראל" בכנס קתים
- Author
- Finding aid created by Rebecca Jefferson
- Date
- October 2025
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu