The Jewish Communal Affairs Department of the American Jewish Committee is pleased to publish Unity in Judaism by the distinguished scholar Dr. Eliezer Berkovits. This paper is part of the Department’s “Jewish Perspectives” series, which applies the insights of the Jewish tradition to contemporary issues.
While previous contributions to the series dealt with social and ethical matters of universal concern, this monograph addresses a serious internal Jewish problem -- the increased polarization among Jewish religious groups.
Although Jews have a long history of disputing with each other, the current debate could split the Jewish community irreparably because the very definition of Jewishness is at stake. Intermarriage and divorce have increased rapidly among American Jews. There are hundreds of thousands of children who have been born either to mixed-marriage couples or to couples in which the non-Jewish spouse’s conversion is not recognized by Orthodox Jews. Too, the large number of Jewish couples who dissolve their marriages without a Jewish divorce (get) has produced offspring from remarriages who, according to Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, may not marry other Jews. As a result of these trends, it is conceivable that there will soon be two distinct groups of Jews, whose members will not marry across group lines.
Recently, disputes over these and other matters have become more intense. Extremists in all the camps have escalated their rhetoric, denouncing each other publicly and creating a confrontational atmosphere that prevents civil and meaningful communication.
The American Jewish Committee, believing that the unity and ongoing vitality of the Jewish community supersedes all other considerations, has tried to combat polarization by encouraging dialogue among the leaders of the different religious streams of Judaism. This process may enable all Jews to reach a consensus on the issues that now divide us; at the every least, it will create an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect enabling Jews to agree to disagree in a spirit of love.
To facilitate dialogue and understanding among Jews, we commissioned Dr. Berkovits to analyze the biblical, talmudic and rabbinic sources on Jewish unity. We hope that this extensively documented and sensitively written paper will show Jews how high a priority their tradition places on showing respect and consideration for one another, regardless of differences in ideology or practice.
Yehuda Rosenman, Director
Jewish Communal Affairs Department