When I hear the term “Jewish state” I cringe. Like it or not, the term feels like the white supremacist notion of an ethnostate and is counter to anything resembling the idea of a democracy. Using the term “Jewish state” sets up a semantic muddle that makes it difficult for non-Jews to be clear about the country’s intentions. Are they interested in democracy? Or are they interested in an exclusionary state based on religious belief? My cultural experience with the 1st amendment gives me pause.