Judaism and the Challenges of Modern Life

Much more than a particular period in world history, modernity has fundamentally transformed how we think and live, and especially how we understand and relate to religious traditions. As the 'ghetto walls' have fallen, both empirically and metaphorically, Judaism is compelled to compete in an open marketplace of ideas. Jews can no longer count on an assumedly necessary Jewish identity or commitment, nor on the rallying force of anti-Semitism to ensure an individual and collective sense of belonging. Rather Jewish moral, spiritual and historical values and ideas must be read with new eyes and challenged to address modernity’s proliferating array of questions and realities.   The pertinent questions modern Jewry faces are how to embrace modernity as Jews and what such an embrace means for the meaning and future of Jewish life. This collection of essays, authored by scholars of the Shalom Hartman Institute, addresses three critical challenges posed to Judaism by modernity: the challenge of ideas, the challenge of diversity, and the challenge of statehood, and provides insights and ideas for the future direction of Judaism. Providing readers with new insights into Judaism and the Jewish people in contemporary times, the collection explores a wide range of issues that includes: the significance of Israel for the future of Judaism; the Jewish people as a people; the relationship between monotheism and violence; revelation and ethics; Judaism and the feminist challenge; and Judaism and homosexuality.

Introduction, Donniel Hartman 

Part I: The Challenge of Ideas

Judaism and the Challenges of Science, Menachem Fisch                                                

Tradition and Legal Change, Zvi Zohar                                                                           

Tradition, Continuity and Change, Vered Noam                                                               

Revelation and Ethics, Donniel Hartman                                                                          

Traditional Judaism and the Feminist Challenge, Chanah Safari                                   

The Changing Status of Women in Liberal Judaism: A Reflective Critique, Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi

Judaism, Feminism and Homosexuality, Jonathan Malino and Tamar Malino               

Part II: The Challenge of Diversity

The Religious Significance of Pluralism, David Hartman                                                

Monotheism and Violence, Moshe Halbertal                                                                    

Who is a Jew: Membership and Admission Policies in the Jewish Community, Donniel Hartman                          

The Anomalies of Jewish Political Identity, Michael Walzer                                         

Part III: The Challenge of Statehood 

The Significance of Israel for the Future of Judaism, David Hartman                          

Religion and State in Israel, Menachem Lorberbaum                                                        

War and Peace, Noam Zohar                                                                                                

Universalism and Particularism: The Non-Member within Jewish Law, Moshe Halbertal

Moshe Halbertal is Professor at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Senior Research Fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute, Israel.

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