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

18Forty Podcast

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”
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