SHABBAT READING
We Are What We Remember: KI TAVO • 5776, 5783: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Rabbi Sacks Legacy — One reason religion has survived in the modern world despite four centuries of secularisation is that it answers the three questions every reflective human being will ask at some time in his or her life: Who am I? Why am I here? How then shall I live?
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REFORM RESPONDS
Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism Conference Keynote Address: Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, Jewish Journal, June 1, 2023 — … Why are we gathering? While we may each have a different perch from which to understand the Jewish community, I think that what brings most of us here and now is a sense of urgency that we are at an inflection point in the history of North American Jewry and the Reform movement.
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The Takeover: Samuel J. Abrams, Tablet, Aug. 30, 2023
Building a Progressive Tower of Babel: David Bernstein, Quillette,Oct. 13, 2022
Did US Jews Wake Up on the Wrong Side of ‘Woke’ Progressive Politics?: Luke Tress, Times of Israel, Dec. 28, 2022
How Can Jews Fight Progressive Antisemitism? – Opinion: Naya Lekhet, Jerusalem Post, Aug. 13, 2023
FOR FURTHER REFERENCE:
I Will Not Hide my Judaism in Progressive Spaces: Adriana Leigh, Jewish Women’s Archives. Jan. 12, 2023 – I have a confession. I’ve often hidden my Judaism, particularly in progressive and feminist spaces.
Identity Politics Puts Its Progressive Spin on Old-School Antisemitism:Full Comment Podcast: National Post, June 19, 2023— Hatred toward Jews is the oldest and most pernicious form of prejudice. Although antisemitic conspiracy theories and the persecution of Jews have always been around, the rise of social media, populism and identity politics have made it seem increasingly pervasive. Author Philip Slayton joins host Brian Lilley to discuss his new book, “Antisemitism: An Ancient Hatred in the Age of Identity Politics,” and why he believes the fight against antisemitism needs to adapt to its modern expressions.
A New Book Challenges Progressive Jews: Dmitri Shufutinsky, JNS, Jan. 1, 2023 — David Bernstein is the founder and CEO of the Maryland-based Jewish Institute for Liberal Values (JILV), as in classical liberalism and moderate politics.
The New Ideological Gatekeepers of American Judaism: David Bernstein, Quillette, Feb. 4, 2023 — A couple of months ago, I spoke to a group of about 60 people at a Friday evening Shabbat dinner in the Washington, DC area, on the topic of my new book, Woke Antisemitism: How a Progressive Ideology Harms Jews (recently excerpted in Quillette). I’m always a bit apprehensive before I speak to mainstream Jewish audiences about my book’s thesis—not because I fear the majority will disagree with me, but because many congregations feature one or two highly assertive ideological watchdogs who tend to attend this kind of event with a view toward angrily deligitimizing the speaker.
UK Progressive Judaism Bodies Merge to Give Movement More Reach and Voice: Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian, Aor. 17, 2023 — Two bodies representing progressive Judaism in the UK have joined forces to give their movement greater reach and a stronger voice.