This collection of 16 essays on the topic of sustainability and its connection to Jewish Peoplehood is a partnership between the CJPE and Siach. With shmita as the framework, authors from different disciplines consider what sustainability means for the Jewish People in the 21st Century. Some take an activist stance and call on us to…
Messinger proposes two guiding principles “to advance the discourse about balancing universalism and particularism in the 21st century.” First, she suggests moving beyond the binary and embracing hybridity. Quoting Rabbi Hirsch, she writes, “We must forget the views and prejudices that we inherited about Judaism. Instead we must turn to the sources of Judaism… because…
Nir Lahav and Idit Groiss try to understand the Jewish collective responsibility for others. They argue that “The poor of your city come first” cannot come at the expense of “Repairing the World” (“Tikkun Olam B’Malchut Shaddai”). They suggest that there is no conflict between the options, but rather, it is a question of timing…
Ellenson shows that within Judaism there have always been universalistic and particularistic dimensions, starting with the concept of covenant (brit) in the Bible. “This notion maintains that God stands in relationship with all people.” These dual dimensions are also displayed in the idea of Tikkun Olam, a concept that also binds Jews to God. “The…
Schwarz reports on the program he directs, the Rene Cassin Fellowship Program (RCFP), a yearlong program on Judaism and human rights for young adults with hubs in New York, London and Jerusalem. He believes that the “lesson for those who care about strengthening the Jewish people is…to meet today’s young adults where they are at…
