2023NationalJewishBookAwardFinalistinModernJewishThoughtandExperienceWhoAretheJews--AndWhoCanWeBecome?tacklesperhapsthemosturgentquestionfacingtheJewishpeopletoday:Givenunprecedenteddenominationaltribalism,howcanweJewsspeakofourselvesincollectiveterms?Crucially,thewayeachofustellsour“shared“storyisputtingourcollectiveidentityatrisk,DonnielHartmanargues.Weneedanewstory,builtonJudaism’sfoundationsandpoisedtoinspireamajorityofJewstolisten,discuss,andretellit.Thisbookisthatstory.Sinceourbeginnings,Hartmanexplains,theJewishidentitymeta-narrativehasbeenalivingsynthesisoftwocompetingreligiouscovenants:GenesisJudaism,whichdefinesJewishnessintermsofwhooneisandthegrouptowhichonebelongs,independentofwhatonedoesorbelieves;andExodusJudaism,whichgroundsidentityintermsofone’srelationshipwithanaspirationalsystemofvalues,ideals,beliefs,commandments,andbehaviors.Whenonenarrativebecomestoodominant,Jewishcollectiveidentitybecomesdistorted.Conversely,whenGenesisandExodusinterplay,thesparksofarich,compellingidentityarefound.HartmandeftlyappliesthisGenesis-Exodusmeta-narrativeasaroadmaptoaddressingcontemporarychallenges,includingDiasporaJewry’serodingrelationshipwithIsrael,the“othering“ofIsraeliPalestinians,interfaithmarriage,theIsraeli-Palestinianconflict,and--collectively--whoweJewscanbecome.
IDEALS CRUCIALLY BECOME SHARED
