Democracy and Judaism: Does One Need the Other to Thrive?

with Aaron Dorfman, Amy Spitalnick, Rabbis Amy Klein and Bill Plevan, and moderated by Rabbi Elyse Wechterman

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Over 50 years ago, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, posited that Democracy was essential for a vibrant and thriving Jewish people/community.  Our question is:  was he right?  Do Jews and Judaism need democracy?  In the United States?  In Israel?  Kaplan posited that Democracy is the religion of America: is this still true, and what does it mean for those of us who also have another religious tradition?  Is there a Jewish commitment to democracy in either the US or Israel, and what do we need to do to strengthen it?

*Cosponsored by The Mordecai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs