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…
The current crisis in Israel has educational ramifications for Jewish educators everywhere. We encourage you to explore some of the big issues with your students and constituents, from a Peoplehood perspective. Here are some topic ideas, based on some reflections in our recent blog posts: 1. Big Questions. Read Shlomi Ravid's recent blog post about…
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…
What does it mean to be a Jewish social justice activist? What do Jewish social justice activists from Israel, Europe and North America have in common? And how does Jewish Peoplehood fit in? These are just some of the key questions discussed by 70 young Jews at the recent Siach gathering; “From Me to We”,…
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…
I really appreciate Josh Feigelson's distinction between Big Questions and Hard Questions. I think it is so rich and helpful, and can provide us with a roadmap to more effective Peoplehood education. As he says so eloquently "If we are to renew a sense of peoplehood, we have to renew a language and ethic of responsibility.…