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Havdallah and Presentation by Dr. Susannah Heschel

Saturday, February 1, 2020 6 Shevat 5780

5:30 PM - 7:00 PMSanctuary & Social Hall

Dr. Heschel will lead a discussion: "Where do (we) Jews Live? In Exile or in Diaspora?

Although Jews were never formally exiled from the land of Israel, but maintained a presence there through the centuries, even while most Jews lived in diaspora, the idea that Jews were in exile has persisted in Jewish self-consciousness. Our liturgy tells us that “because of our sins we were exiled from our land” and we claim that Zionism promises us an exit from exile and a return to our homeland. Yet through the centuries, rabbis have debated whether Jewish life outside Israel was acceptable and whether we should return to the land and under what conditions. Many rabbis have understood exile not only as a political situation, but as an internal, existential condition. Modern Jewish thinkers have proposed that Judaism is a portable homeland, and that the Talmud is a substitute for the land, while Zionism is based on a negation of the diaspora and the restoration of Jewish political sovereignty. We will examine the various facets of exilic understanding in rabbinic, medieval and modern Jewish thought and proposals for overcoming exile even while continuing life in diaspora.

About Dr. Susannah Heschel:

Dr. Susannah Heschel is the Eli Black Professor and Chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College. Her scholarship focuses on the history of Jewish and Protestant religious thought in Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries. She has written and edited many books, including two volumes of her father’s writings, including Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel. Dr. Heschel will discuss the relevance of her father’s teaching on prayer, spirituality, and social justice.

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