What Is a Jew?

Donniel Hartman: Addressing the 'Israel Problem'

In recent essays, former Ambassador Elliott Abrams and Jerusalem-based rabbi and educator Dr. Daniel Gordis posit that North American Jews' alienation from Israel lies in the less religious, less observant, less knowledgeable, less committed, and more intermarried contemporary American Jewry.

Shalom Hartman Institute President Donniel Hartman, in his latest column for Times of Israel, writes that Israel is not immune from having to compete for our people's loyalty, because we live in an era where one's identity, loyalties, and affiliations are no longer simply inherited:

They must be chosen. In this sense, all Jews must become Jews by choice....2,000 years ago our rabbinic tradition obligated precisely this as a core commandment of the holiday of Passover - that every Jew see themselves as if they, personally, had come out of Egypt."

We cannot simply retell the story of Israel's past achievements in the hope that it will engender new-found loyalty. We cannot simply advocate for Israel's justice in relation to its enemies under the hope that its relative moral advantage will suffice. It will not. These may be sufficient to convince the committed to stay. They are not sufficient to inspire the new generation of Jews to choose to see Israel as an integral part of their Jewish story."

• Read how Donniel Hartman addresses The "Israel Problem" on Times of Israel
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What Is a Jew? Donniel Hartman raises the question
Leading rabbis comment in the latest edition of Call & Responsa. Now on the iEngage Project website.

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'Putting God Second' Book Club
Donniel Hartman discusses his new book, Putting God Second: How to Save Religion From Itself, in a recent webinar.

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Register for 'What is a Jew? - Dilemmas of Identity in the 21st Century
Community Leadership Program Summer Retreat in Jerusalem will run from Tuesday, June 28 to Tuesday, July 5.

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Rabbinic Torah Study Seminar in Jerusalem will run from Tuesday, July 5 to Thursday, July 14.

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