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The Jew Among the Nations: Where are We Headed?

The Jew Among the Nations: Where are We Headed?
For the past two millenia, the Jewish posture toward the nations of the world has been dominated by the need to defend ourselves. Times have changed. With the success of Israel and American Jewry, we have a unique moment of opportunity to have a collective impact for good on the world. Yet, antisemitism and anti-Zionism have not disappeared.

If we could formulate a foreign policy for the Jewish people today, how much of it would be shaped by our need to defend ourselves?  And, how much of it would be shaped by dreams of transforming the world?

In this study/discussion group, we will explore these questions:
  • How historically have Jews understood our relationship to the broader human community? Does the Jewish people have a distinctive role to play in history? How has our understanding of ourselves changed over time?
  • What have been the impact of the Holocaust, the birth and growth of the State of Israel and the experience of America on how we see our role in the world?
  • Ma nishtana? What makes the present moment different from or the same as all other moments in our history? What are the unique opportunities and challenges of our generation?
  • What stories do we most want to tell about ourselves today?  What might it mean today to speak to the world in a uniquely Jewish voice?

We will be engaging in conversation on these questions with Biblical and Rabbinic sources, as well as contemporary thinkers like David Hartman, Yitz Greenberg, Jonathan Sacks, Bret Stephens, Daniel Boyarin, David Biale, Dyonna Ginsberg and Thomas Cahill. We will start from Yitz Greenberg’s idea that we are in a Third Era of engagement with the world, new rules apply and new strategies are needed.

Join us for what we hope will be a provocative, meaningful and deepening experience!

Facilitated by Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum
Thursday nights on zoom, 7-8:30pm
Dates: Oct.27, Nov.17, Dec.15, Jan.19, Feb.23, March 23, April 20, May 18

Cost of Registration: $50 


 
Sun, May 11 2025 13 Iyyar 5785