Monday, June 18, 2012
"The latter"
Right, so I didn't say what the interviews will be about. I hope to interview many movers and shakers in an Israeli phenomenon called, variably, Free Judaism (Yahadut Chofshit), Jewish Revival, and other names. It is not synonymous with activities of the Reform, Conservative, or Reconstructionist movements in Israel, although there appear to be some relationships between these Jewish denominations and this new phenom. It is characterized by "secular" Israelis finding ways of expressing their Jewishness not only through Zionism (actually, sometimes not at all through Zionism) but rather through study of the classic texts (Torah, Talmud, Midrash, etc.), through some observance of the Jewish holidays, especially Shabbat, and has seen the establishment and growth of secular yeshivot (which admittedly sounds like an oxymoron), where secular Jews sit and study texts. I'm cautious to not call it a "movement" - at the moment, it is too disparate and disorganized for that name. I see this as a very positive, encouraging development and gives me a little hope that Israel will become what I had hoped it would when I was growing up. Much more on this to follow.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I never heard of this, so I guess I will learn a lot about it through your blog. Enjoy this experience and do as much as you can every day during your stay. It's an opportunity of a life time!
ReplyDelete