I’d like to suggest that the eruv, a symbolic ritual enclosure made for the purpose of allowing activities which are normally prohibited on Shabbat, offers us a way to envision a flourishing American Judaism tied to the flourishing of all Americans. Jewish flourishing today requires more than either a singular focus on identity or an unflappable commitment to community.
These communities, secure in their Jewish identities, proved unable to “show up” when American society needed their voices.
Family strings theory pro#
Some communities and leaders offered pro forma statements condemning the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, but discussions in private social media groups told a story of communities deeply suspicious of (if not antagonistic to) anti-racist activism.
Family strings theory professional#
“I don’t care that there are nineteen different ways for me to attend havdalah online,” a friend texted me, “when I am worried about my professional prospects and my family’s welfare.”Īt the same time, more insular American Jewish communities responded tepidly, at best, to the mass protests against police brutality and systemic racism during the summer of 2020. As programming migrated to Zoom, institutions that organize activities for Jews, and whose members participate by means of financial commitments, have struggled to stay afloat. The restrictions of the pandemic made evident the extent to which the Jewish identity project is episodic and programmatic, its technology insufficient for creating nurturing and supportive communities. The last eighteen months have laid bare the deficiencies of each of these stories. For the most part, these two stories have unspooled in parallel because the Jews that tell one story rarely interact with those who tell the other. Both the identity and the community narratives reflect uniquely American notions of religious freedom. The second narrative, emphasizing community, celebrates America for the opportunity it affords to construct insular Jewish communities so that we may practice as we wish. Raised on this identity narrative, I was told that America has afforded us an unparalleled opportunity for participation in the dominant society while retaining some form of unique Jewish identity. The identity narrative speaks of cultivating individual Jewish identity as an inoculation against assimilation and promises a pathway to keep one’s Jewishness while contributing to the broader American story. The American Jewish community has been shaped by two dominant stories we tell ourselves: identity and community. Having spent more than a year surviving, it is time to turn our attention to thriving. This pandemic, characterized by both radical stasis and dramatic change, prompts us to reflect about the changes we want. Rabbi Joshua Ladon is Director of Education for the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America.Īs the American Jewish community emerges from the pandemic, many of us-newly aware of the frailty of the community’s dominant principles-are searching for a vision that centers Jewish thriving over merely existing. Proximity, Pluralism, and the American Eruv
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