Zev Eleff: Is This the End of American Judaism? [Denominations 1/5]

05/14/24 • 127 min

This series is sponsored by Joel and Lynn Mael in memory of Estelle and Nysen Mael.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we begin our Denominations series by talking to Zev Eleff—historian, author, and the president of Gratz College—about the development of the denominations of Judaism we have in America today.
We’ve been occupied for months with defending our right to be Jews in America, so perhaps this is the right time to return to considering the purpose of the Jewish lives we want to live. In this episode we discuss:

How did America’s Jewish “denominations”—better termed “movements”—as we know them come to be?
What have the different Jewish movements each contributed to American Jewish life?
How can we get back to not just fighting antisemitism, but uncovering the meaning of our Judaism?

Tune in to hear a conversation about how previous generations of American Jews have handled the issues that, to one degree or another, threatened to divide us.
Interview begins at 49:36.
Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff is the president of Gratz College. Zev is the author and editor of nine books and more than 50 scholarly articles in the fields of Jewish Studies and American Religion, including Modern Orthodox Judaism: A Documentary History, Dyed in Crimson: Football, Faith, and Remaking Harvard's America, and Authentically Orthodox: A Tradition-Bound Faith in American Life. Zev’s research focuses on American Jewish history, sports, and Modern Orthodox history.
References:
Jonathan Haidt on The Daily Show
Ammi Hirsch on Campus Chaos
“Failure Goes to Yeshivah: What I’ve Learned From the Failure Narratives of My Students” by David Bashevkin
Authentically Orthodox: A Tradition-Bound Faith in American Life by Zev Eleff
The Birth of Conservative Judaism by Michael Cohen
American Judaism by Jonathan D. Sarna
The Jews of the United States, 1654 to 2000 by Hasia R. Diner
Jew Vs Jew: The Struggle For The Soul Of American Jewry by Samuel G. Freedman
This Is My God by Herman Wouk
Jewish Continuity in America by Abraham J. Karp
18Forty Podcast: “Halacha as a Language”
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

How did America’s Jewish “denominations”—better termed “movements”—as we know them come to be?
What have the different Jewish movements each contributed to American Jewish life?
How can we get back to not just fighting antisemitism, but uncovering the meaning of our Judaism?

Previous Episode

Rachel Goldberg-Polin: A Hostage’s Mother Fighting for His Freedom [Divergence 5/5]

Our Intergenerational Divergence series is sponsored by our friends Sarala and Danny Turkel.
In this special episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rachel Goldberg-Polin—whose son, Hersh, was kidnapped by Hamas and is still held hostage in Gaza—about heading into Passover with our loved ones still captive.
Normally, Intergenerational Divergence feels like something of a choice. But now, Jewish families have been split apart by force. In this episode we discuss:

How do we foster a continued connection to the members of our family who are missing?
What difficult thoughts and questions will we bring to the Seder table this year?
What does it mean to express hope via the Pesach Seder amid these bitter times?

We hope wholeheartedly that this conversation about missing our children at the time of Passover will be made irrelevant and the hostages will soon return home.
Interview begins at 7:17.
References:

“One Tiny Seed” by Rachel Goldberg-Polin
“To the Boys in the Room” by Rachel Goldberg-Polin
Sefer HaMenucha on Mishneh Torah, Leavened and Unleavened Bread 8:2
“A Prayer for Israel To Add to Your Pesach Seder” by Yosef Zvi Rimon
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Next Episode

Ammiel Hirsch: 'What Did We Do Wrong?' Peoplehood and the Reform Movement [Denominations 2/5]

This series is sponsored by Joel and Lynn Mael in memory of Estelle and Nysen Mael.
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and a leader of the Reform Movement, about the way Jewish Peoplehood is understood among the non-Orthodox majority of American Jews.
Rabbi Hirsch is known in the Reform Movement and beyond for his decades-long staunch commitment to Jewish Peoplehood. We recorded this interview before Oct. 7, and especially considering Rabbi Hirsch’s leadership on issues related to Zionism, a follow-up conversation with him will follow shortly. In this episode we discuss:

Where should the State of Israel fit into our priorities as a people?
How has Reform Judaism course-corrected its views on Jewish Peoplehood over time?
How can we be a unified people when we can’t always agree on who is a Jew?

Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might improve the state of interdenominational relations.
Interview begins at 19:50.
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is a leader of the Reform Movement. He is the senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and former executive director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America/World Union for Progressive Judaism, North America. He wrote two books: The Lilac Tree: A Rabbi's Reflections on Love, Courage, and History (2023) and One People, Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues That Divide Them (2003), which he co-authored with Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman.
References:
One People, Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues That Divide Them by Ammiel Hirsch and Yaakov Yosef Reinman
The Impostor by Avner Gold
18Forty Podcast: “Altie Karper: When a Book Is Banned”
“The Believer” by Armin Rosen
“Dissent in the Reform Ranks” by Armin Rosen
The Lilac Tree: A Rabbi's Reflections on Love, Courage, and History by Ammiel Hirsch
The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living by Joseph Telushkin
“Who Can Be Called Rabbi?” by Gil Student
“Shomer Yisroel” by Omek Hadavar
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.