stimulating ideas
The latest edition of the Peoplehood Papers, volume 13, is a stimulating collection of short essays by a diverse group of thinkers and educators. Each writer answered the questions: What does Peoplehood mean? Why is it important? and How do we nurture it? The results are a fascinating collection of accessible pieces that together add…
In this talk from the JDov series, Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-HaLachmi argues that the future of Jewish Peoplehood depends on three questions that are being discussed in contemporary Israeli society, and beyond. Watch the 15-minute talk here. Discuss the following questions: Discuss each of the questions raised here. How does each one address or reflect…
The recent war just like any war before also raises issues relating to the Jewish people as a whole. Below are a few questions and issues I have been grappling with in these difficult days. We would love to hear your insights: Solidarity – when Jews are in trouble their sense of solidarity rises to…
In November 2012, when operation "Pillar of Defense" was in progress, I wrote an op-ed reflecting on Jewish Peoplehood in times of crisis. In that short piece I expressed my frustration at the knee-jerk impulse of the organized Jewish world to show solidarity with Israel in times of crisis. I argued that "this form of…
The current, on-going crisis in Israel, has been making me reflect on lots of things lately, about Jewish values, the centrality of the State of Israel, the nature of violence and oppression. But mostly it makes me think of my family. My immediate family (some of whom live in Israel and some of whom live…
It is instructive to note that within Judaism there have always been universalistic and particularistic dimensions, and this dual approach to the world finds expression in the concept of covenant (brit) that appears at the very beginning of the Bible. This notion maintains that God stands in relationship with all people. To be sure, the…
Big Questions and Hard Questions For whom are we responsible?” is a different question than “What does it mean to be responsible?” or “Do we have a responsibility to our particular heritage?” The latter questions are examples of what I’ve come to call Hard Questions: they matter to everyone, but they invite a response only…
There are many ways in which to understand why and how Israel is significant for Jews. Some argue that it is the Promised Land; it is a refuge from persecution; it is the realization of secular Jewish nationalism; it is the hub for Jewish culture and innovation. Each of these approaches reflect a set of…
One of the most powerful statements about the importance of Jewish Peoplehood comes to us every year through the story of the Wicked Son in the Passover Hagaddah. What does the Wicked Son (‘Ha’Rasha’) say? “What is this [Passover] to you?” To you, and not to him. And since he excludes himself from the community…
We can all imagine just how different they are. Clearly a young Jew growing up today in Paris with the anxieties we all know about, the threats we have all read about and experienced if we have done anything Jewish in Paris over the past few years, has a totally different set of formative experiences…
It is time for like-minded Jewish peoplehood educators and activists to share a common platform for discourse and mutual enrichment. We live in times when Jewish peoplehood can be a practice and an active experience, so let's celebrate this opportunity. In ancient times, the notion of Jewish Peoplehood was primarily a conceptual framework reflected in…