One Day with the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem

I’m writing from Jerusalem where I’m participating in the second winter portion of the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative, a program for over twenty rabbis from varying ideological perspectives sponsored by the Shalom Hartman Institute.   In the past I’ve shared teachings and insights that I gleaned from my experience and recently Temple Israel hosted two other rabbis from the program, Rabba Sara Hurwitz and Rabbi David Ingber.

In order to give a sense of the depth and breadth of the program, I’d like to present a chronology, with minor descriptions, of most of the events that transpired on a single day.  Below is an account of my experience with the Hartman Institute on Monday, February 2, 2015.

8 am.  Breakfast with several of my colleagues and Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America.  Yehuda spoke with us about the inaugural year of a new program, a Gap Year for American and Israeli students that allows them to explore Jewish topics together and to engage in dialogue about the realities of American and Israeli life.  He told us that he is thrilled by the enthusiastic engagement of North American Israeli teens that he has witnessed.

9 am.  Study and discussion of Jewish sources from Bible to Zohar that deal with the theme of universalism and particularism in Jewish thought.  Unfortunately the scheduled instructor, Dr. Melila Hellner-Eshed, Professor of Jewish mysticism and Zohar at Hebrew University, was unable to teach due to the death of her husband the night before.  Dr. Biti Roi, a Lecturer in Jewish Mysticism at Hebrew University, filled in for her colleague after offering a brief reflection about Melila’s husband and leading us in the chanting, in his memory, of a medieval poem about the soul.  We made plans to pay a shiva call to Melila. The subsequent study and discussion raised questions that we applied to contemporary Jewish life.  How is the Jewish experience of God and history unique?  What are the parameters of our loyalty to our people specifically and to humanity overall?

With my colleagues at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem

1:30 pm.  Discussion with leaders of the Jewish Pluralism Watch, an advocacy group for religious freedom and empowerment for all Jews in Israel.  The discussion included an analysis of efforts in the Knesset to extend legitimacy to non-Orthodox Judaism and to expand the rights of women in religious life.

3:30 pm.  Meetings with three Knesset Members from various parts of the political spectrum:  Dr. Shimon Ohayon (Yisrael Beiteinu), Michal Biran (Labor) and Dr. Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid).  Dr. Ohayon and Dr. Lavie described, with variations, their commitment to Orthodox Halakhah as the defining criterion for policies regarding personal status.  Discussion got quite heated as our cohort, largely Reform and Conservative rabbis, challenged them on their stated parameters for Halakhic authority and their refusal to advocate for separation of religion and state when it comes to matters of personal status and issues affecting the public square.

6:30 pm.  Dinner with my colleagues at a local restaurant.  After we enjoyed a collegial meal together, Yehuda Kurtzer shared some of the successes and challenges of the Muslim Leadership Initiative, a Hartman program that brings North American Muslim leaders to the Institute to learn about Israel and Judaism.

I can’t overstate the impact that the Hartman Institute is having in multiple realms within and beyond the Jewish community in Israel and in North America.  For religious and lay leaders, for adults and teens, for IDF officers and Israeli educators, Hartman is cultivating nuanced conversation and action regarding Israel and Judaism.  If you consider the single day I described as somewhat of a microcosm, you get a small sense of the transformative impact of this visionary institution.  For me personally it is exceeding expectations and impacting my own thinking in ways I will continue to share.