The bell has rung on the most recent round in the Jewish universalism-particularism debate. Doug Rushkoff [prolific writer and author of Nothing Sacred: The Truth about Judaism] battled Ariel Beery [editor of PresenTense and blogger for Blogs of Zion] as to Judaism's core: Rushkoff identifies it as social justice [and thus it is not necessarily linked to the actual Jewish people] while Beery sees it as the people itself [as an end in itself which instrumentally serves to strengthen Jews in their ability to perform tikkun olam].
The issue is far from academic: for those of us who strive to be liberal Jews who possess the tools for a sophisticated Zionism beyond Hasbara (Israel advocacy)- -one which integrates our commitment to Israel with our understanding of Judaism- -this is of vital importance. If we cannot articulate for ourselves a Judaism meaningfully in consonance with Zionism [i.e., Judaism beyond a mix of tikkun olam and sentimentality], we certainly cannot transmit our beliefs to others, our children not least of all. Rushkoff's implicit (and sometimes explicit) view that our Zionism is chauvinistic and anachronistic will logically become more widespread as Zionism is increasingly perceived as a hindrance to tikkun olam. The perils of this potential future are, I trust, obvious.
Beery argues against Rushkoff with vigor and determination. He proposes a healthy Jewish particularism content with its limited destiny, by which Beery implicitly rejects a secular messiasnism (e.g the unique role of the Jews to spread the faith of humanism).
I part company with Beery, however, on his apparent secularism. He speaks of the people as an end in itself and secondarily as an instrument for the betterment of other people. He does not speak of the Jewish people as an instrument for HaShem. Traditional Jewish self-understanding [and by that I mean, my Jewish self-understanding] is that of a flesh and blood people, in covenant with HaShem--obligated to one another, obligated to The One (however we best understand that).
You can access the debate here. Please wade through the less than gentlemanly conduct; it is worth the effort.
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