The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America
Jewish Educators Study Forum

Presented in Toronto by
The Lola Stein Institute

Overview

Course Details

Insiders and Outsiders : The Ethics of Inclusion

For most of history, Jews were the outsiders in every society in which they lived. Today, the question of Jewish relations with others has been transformed in light of the power and influence Jews enjoy in Israel and in the Diaspora. Moreover, contemporary mores and beliefs challenge the boundaries that conventionally separated insiders and outsiders in Jewish communities. We now face the challenge of creating an ethic of membership that simultaneously acknowledges the importance of communal loyalty and also the unique Jewish sensitivity to the rights and needs of those who are outside of our community.

In this series, we consider a number of critical ‘pairs’ that help us triangulate this question. What does it mean to be on the “inside” or on the “outside” in contemporary Jewish life? What do we gain, and what do we lose, by creating these boundaries? How might classical texts inform how we draw or erase these lines, and what redemptive possibilities for the future may lie in a deeper understanding of the past?

Sample Sessions:

Jews and Non–Jews

The Jewish concept of Chosenness challenges the notion that every human being is equal in the eyes of God. This seminar will explore the various ways in which the Jewish tradition has wrestled with Chosenness and its implications for the status of non–Jews. Does God enjoy a covenantal relationship with non–Jews? How does our self-understanding as a unique and special people influence our ethical relations with others in the world?

Members and Non–Members

This session explores conflicting visions within the Jewish tradition about the openness of the Jewish community to outsiders. We will study the opposing views of Maimonides and Yehudah HaLevi, as well as the conflicting approaches in Ezra and Nehemiah and the Book of Ruth, to uncover the spectrum of Jewish attitudes to non–members.

Friends and Enemies

The Exodus story provides keen insight into the psychological and sociological process which our enemies have used throughout history to demonize, subjugate, and wage genocide against the Jews. This in–depth exploration of the biblical text will explore the ways in which the memory of the Egypt experience shapes the Jewish approach to strangers and foreigners. How does the Jewish tradition leverage the memory of the Exodus in order to create a sensitivity to outsiders?

Us and Them

The modern focus on Tikkun Olam in the Jewish community can often lead to a universalist ethic which rejects Jewish particularism. This session explores the phenomenon of the universal application of the Exodus story. What began as the exclusive story which set us apart as a Chosen People, became a story that was embraced by the nations of the world as the paradigm for their own liberation. How can the Exodus story teach us to celebrate our Jewish uniqueness as part of our contribution to the universal mission of Tikkun Olam?

Family and Foreigner

While we are often uncomfortable with the category of “the Other,” this session suggests that it is important for any community to establish a notion of membership which will delineate bonds of loyalty and identity. The seminar will explore rabbinic texts that suggest different ways to construct boundaries in the Jewish community. What makes a Jew part of the Jewish family? What is the essence of Jewish Peoplehood?

Other key topics: Women and Men; Abled and Disabled; Haves and Have–Nots

Shalom Hartman Institute Faculty

Donniel Hartman is President of Shalom Hartman Institute. He has a doctorate in Jewish philosophy from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a Master of Arts in political philosophy from New York University, a Master of Arts in religion from Temple University, and Rabbinic ordination from the Shalom Hartman Institute. Donniel is the founder of some of the most extensive education, training and enrichment programs for scholars, educators and rabbis in Israel and North America. He is the author of The Boundaries of Judaism and the co-editor of a new anthology, Judaism and the Challenges of Modern Life, both published by Continuum Press. Donniel is the co-author of Spheres of Jewish Identity, a new core curriculum in Jewish philosophy for secular Israeli high schools.

Melila Hellner-Eshed has a doctorate in Jewish mysticism from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem where she is currently teaching. Melila has been a central figure in the Israeli renaissance of Pluralistic Jewish study frameworks. At the Shalom Hartman Institute Melila heads Maskilot, the women's doctoral program and the program for Rabbinic students from North America here for their Israel year. She is active in the Israeli-Palestinian Sulha Peace Project. Her book, A River Flows from Eden: On the Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar, was recently published in Hebrew and English.

Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He has just completed a term as Visiting Assistant Professor and the inaugural Chair of Jewish Communal Innovation at Brandeis University. Yehuda received his doctorate in Jewish Studies from Harvard University, where he wrote his dissertation on the Jews of the Mediterranean Diaspora and their relationship to the rise of rabbinic piety. His recent project offers new thinking on how contemporary Jews can and should relate to our past. An alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowships and Bronfman Youth Fellowships, Yehuda has taught at Harvard University, Hebrew College, the Brandeis Initiative on Bridging Scholarship and Pedagogy, NYU's Center for Online Judaic Studies, and the American Jewish Committee's Commission on Contemporary Jewish Life.

Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi is Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America - Israel Department, a member of the Institute faculty and a research fellow. Ordained a rabbi at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York 15 years ago, Rachel holds a doctorate in modern Jewish philosophy from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rachel also teaches Jewish prayer at the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and serves as a scholar-in-residence in communities throughout North America. She is a Wexner Foundation Graduate Fellow alumna and has served on the faculties of CLAL, the Wexner Heritage Foundation and the Skirball Center. Rachel has authored numerous articles and is co-author of two books: Preparing Your Heart for the High Holy Days and Striving Toward Virtue: A Contemporary Guide to Jewish Ethical Behavior. For 12 years Rachel served as rabbi of Congregation Shirat HaYam on Nantucket Island during summers and the High Holidays.