Episode #5: Why is Judaism called “Judaism”? (Is it an Ethnicity? A Nationality?)
When a student asked about the nature of Judaism - about why it’s called Judaism - the stakes, for her, had suddenly grown very high. The Washington Post had recently published an article with the provocative headline: “Is Judaism an ethnicity? A race? A nationality? Trump signs an order and provokes an identity crisis,” and people began asking: “if other people who aren’t even Jewish are going to tell us about the very nature of Judaism, we should probably know ourselves.”
To answer the questions: “"Is Judaism an ethnicity?” and “Is Judaism a nationality” we uncover the roots of why Judaism is called that, and what it means for our understanding of the very nature of Jewishness.
Episode #4: What's a Jewish Response to Crisis?
Discussing the events at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, where an armed attacker took four hostages, including the rabbi. We ask: "What's a Jewish response in a moment of crisis," and look at the idea of "Spiritual Pre-hab.”
Episode #3: Is Judaism a Religion? (Part II)
“The modern concept of religion was and is not a neutral category.” (Leora Batnitzky, Professor of Jewish Studies & Religion, Princeton University)
Who gets to decide what counts as “religion,” and how that should shape our understanding of how Judaism can be meaningful in our lives? Where did the idea of “religion” even come from? In Part II of this episode, we reach the conclusion of figuring out: can we even call Judaism a religion?
Episode #2: Is Judaism a Religion? (Part I)
Turns out we actually aren’t entirely sure how to define “religion.” And we’re not even sure if Judaism fits the description to begin with. If we’re using the lens of “religion” to understand Judaism, what is the nature of that lens? How does its clarity and focus affect what we’re looking at? Is it magnifying or distorting things? When we use that lens, what are we seeing, and what are we not seeing? And who built that lens? Can we even call Judaism a religion?
Episode #1: The 1,200 Year Old Question
1,200 years ago, one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world asked a question. It was a question that would reverberate through history, and still impact us today. What does this simple act teach us about the role of questions and answers in Judaism, and how Jewish practice works and evolves across space and time?
