In 1953, Mordecai Kaplan wrote an important volume, A New Zionism. We asked four contributors to reflect on the following questions:
- What is the new element of a new, New Zionism that needs to be added fifty years later, in 2023?
- How can the “new element” reflect sensitivity to the present crisis regarding democracy in Israel?
Their responses remind us of the complex weaving of the religious, national, and ethical threads of Kaplanian thought.
The focus on Israel’s rich but delicate place in Kaplanian thought, especially as we move deeper into the 21st century, is also reflected in our April 23rd webinar and an article about a conference staged by the Kaplan Center in Jerusalem this past July.
Additional Commentaries
from Rabbi Bob Gluck
Givat Haviva, Israel and a vision of a shared society, in light of Mordecai Kaplan’s teachings:
Maybe it is precisely during times when peace between Jews and Palestinians seems most distant and unattainable that it is most essential for us to maintain a long view. As difficult as this may seem to place the politics aside, Israel’s sustainable, secure, and just existence may well depend upon some vision of a shared society. Concurrent with the unabating struggles regarding the West Bank and Gaza, there are cities and villages within Israel that have mixed or adjoining Jewish and Palestinian/Arab populations. Read more….
Please submit your commentary here. We’ll post selected submissions on this page.