Bad Jews - A History of American Jewish Infighting Emily Tamkin, a Jewish writer from the UK who writes about American Jewry, has recently published a book titled Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities. The book’s publisher, Hurst, describes it as “A lively, thoughtful history of America’s Jews, exploring their complex relationships with national culture, identity, and politics-and each other.” The book caused a bit of a stir among Jewish publications. JTA, for example, wrote that Tamkin “takes a different tack, tracing the history of American Jewry through the ways Jews on one side of social upheaval seek to discredit the very Jewishness of those on the other side.” The book itself focuses on what is happening in America, since “American Jewish history,” writes Tamkin, “is full of discussions and debates and hand-wringing over who is Jewish, and how to be Jewish, and what it means to be Jewish.” So, first, we need to realize where the word Yehudi (Jewish) comes from. There is the known answer, that Yehudi comes from Yohuda (Judah), the name of the tribe that lived in the land of Israel during the Second Temple. However, there is another meaning to the word: Yehudi also comes from the word Yechudi, meaning united. This makes perfect sense if you remember that we were pronounced a nation only after we committed to love each other “as one man with one heart” at the foot of Mt. Sinai, yet, for the most part, this explanation did not receive the notoriety it deserves. If you look at being Jewish through the spectacle of Jewish unity, as I do, then being a good Jew means first and foremost that you want to unite with all the Jews, that this is what really matters to you, your prime value. If Jewishness is about unity, then a Jew is a person who knows, feels, understands, and even spreads the idea that the most important thing is to be connected in ties of love with all the Jews, regardless of denomination, customs, political views, or any other issue that currently divides and splinters the Jewish people. The author wrote that one of the answers she got to the question about the meaning of being a bad Jew was “someone whose conception of Judaism doesn’t have applications to the wider world.” I understand where this answer comes from. It is with good reason Jews gave the correction of the world such a pivotal place in their identity. We even gave that mission its own Hebrew term, Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “Correction of the World”). However, we must know what it means to correct the world, to be responsible for it, or even to care about the world. Tikkun Olam are not simply words; they imply a very specific task, and until we accomplish it, we will not be “good Jews.” At the “inauguration” of our people, we were commanded to unite “as one man with one heart,” as RASHI interprets. Immediately after, we were declared a nation and were tasked with being “a light to the nations.” In other words, our unity and our obligation to the world are indivisible. We cannot be a light to the nations if we are not united. At the same time, we cannot unite unless we do it in order to be a light to the nations. When our ancestors united for the first time, under the guidance of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they were not a biologically related group. They were an eclectic crowd that was taken by the idea that all the people should unite, and we should not succumb to our ego. This is why Abraham advocated kindness and mercy, to teach people how to rise above their self-absorption and care for one another. Abraham was a maverick, a pioneer, a trailblazer, but thanks to him, these noble ideas are now universal. As a nation that formed out of disparate tribes and clans, it was our duty to be the living proof of Abraham’s paradigm. This is why we became a nation only after we united, and not a moment prior. Since our inception, we have known that unity is our “secret weapon.” However, we never understood why, what was the secret of the strength in our unity. The secret is not that unity itself makes us undefeatable, but that our unity dissolves the world’s hatred toward us and turns it into respect and awe. It gives the world the example of unity that it needs so that all of humanity can unite, as well. Not only we received a message when we were at the foot of Mt. Sinai. At that moment, the nations of the world received the knowledge that we received the calling. Since then, they have been wait
great video but the audio was really not good. if its a background noise issue, try sampling the room without you talking then use software like audacity to remove the room noise
Thank you for giving me insight into Jewish history I've certainly never been exposed to. However, I do look forward to your jokes. If you've run short I'll refresh your memory with a Henny Youngman joke. Henny said his wife just kept after him to take her on a vacation until he'd had enough. Finally he said "Ok, I'll take you on a vacation. And I'll take you to a place you've never been: the kitchen".
There are more Jews in the US than in Israel now I've been told, if that is true then merely bringing up awareness to the Fact that more contributions are needed to sustain the Jewish communities and support centers in the US, to preserve and maintain, would mean a campaign of reaching out to the Jewish families, they just might rethink where they spend their charity and redirect more of it to prevent orthodox Jewish decline in the US, maybe, I don't know ? Super Dave Osborne just kicked the bucket a while back, I wonder if he left anything to the Jewish communities, since he was playing the roles of a devout Jewish believer in Curb Your enthusiasm. Maybe Larry David could help pioneer helping get the word out to help revitalize the Jewish need you spoke of.
the new world was so needed by the old world. the rivers and water sources and fertile land was so scarred by overpopulation. and Jews are worlds top migrants. something like 1 in 25 Muslims live in a country they weren't born in, 1 in 20 Christians but for Jews I think the figure was 1 in 4.
I think it's actually really cool Rabbi. I really like the green screen, but since I live in a small town we don't have a synagogue. There is no way to go to Shur or to the synagogue to learn so your background made me feel at home. But I do like the images though and help for us visual learners
What was Einstein's disability diagnosis, was Isaac Newton Jewish was Socrates, Leonardo Da Vinci or were they also disabled, was Karl Marx disabled ? I've heard Einstein might have had some developmental or learning disability, or dyslexia, Newton possibly bipolar depressed, Freud used to abuse cocaine a ton, Socrates I have no idea, Da Vinci I've heard had something wrong with him but was he jewish ? Einstein wrote about a thread connecting his greats before him, Newton, and other great minds, mentioning disability and passion for curiosity and religion, and it's a little murkey to me, wondering if these great philosophers scientists and writers were disabled and jewish. Also wondering were they on drugs, or addictions involved, I heard Freud used a lot of cocaine, but wondering is addiction something Jewish people have a weak gene for, are addictions common among Jewish people, are they more vulnerable due to the social and emotional stressors of being in and out of Favor with God etc and the evil unseen forces that try to battle with the spiritual wellness of Jewish people ? Those are my curiosities.
Yes at 13:15 you spoke about moderately active Jewish worshipers the hump being gone, and this most likely correlates with the expansions in technology and entertainment, ie.. the TV color TV Cable, Movie Theatres, this culture of fast food America, instant gratification, and distractions. A cooling off or religion, also economic stress on families, women entering workforce, inflation causing wife and husband to both work to just keep up with bills, working longer hours etc...Modernity in the US corporate slavery putting the pinch, this actually affected all society in the US the same way.
Wonderfully put Mr.Abramson ; History, Sociology and Prophecy are the very core root of the derekh of Israel. The covenant was built on the higher intellectual of divine wisdom (people no long needed idolatrous intervention and could discern from smaller needs to absolute principles of Hashems attributes.
Thank you Rabbi Dr. Abramson. Now I have a clearer view of why my Jewish grandfather immigrated to America from Russia during the pogrom period. My turf is genetics, so I often wonder what Jews will look like after many generations of intermarriage with other exceptionally brainy peoples like many East and South Asians. Beautiful darker skin and lovely almond eyes perhaps? Will these New Jews make Albert Einstein appear ordinary?
Finished the Essencial Lectures today. Thank you for this great journey.
I like the jazz swing promo for thus conference.I am a musician and historian freak.I am puertorican and a fanatic of videos.
Bad Jews - A History of American Jewish Infighting
Emily Tamkin, a Jewish writer from the UK who writes about American Jewry, has recently published a book titled Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities. The book’s publisher, Hurst, describes it as “A lively, thoughtful history of America’s Jews, exploring their complex relationships with national culture, identity, and politics-and each other.”
The book caused a bit of a stir among Jewish publications. JTA, for example, wrote that Tamkin “takes a different tack, tracing the history of American Jewry through the ways Jews on one side of social upheaval seek to discredit the very Jewishness of those on the other side.” The book itself focuses on what is happening in America, since “American Jewish history,” writes Tamkin, “is full of discussions and debates and hand-wringing over who is Jewish, and how to be Jewish, and what it means to be Jewish.”
So, first, we need to realize where the word Yehudi (Jewish) comes from. There is the known answer, that Yehudi comes from Yohuda (Judah), the name of the tribe that lived in the land of Israel during the Second Temple. However, there is another meaning to the word: Yehudi also comes from the word Yechudi, meaning united. This makes perfect sense if you remember that we were pronounced a nation only after we committed to love each other “as one man with one heart” at the foot of Mt. Sinai, yet, for the most part, this explanation did not receive the notoriety it deserves.
If you look at being Jewish through the spectacle of Jewish unity, as I do, then being a good Jew means first and foremost that you want to unite with all the Jews, that this is what really matters to you, your prime value. If Jewishness is about unity, then a Jew is a person who knows, feels, understands, and even spreads the idea that the most important thing is to be connected in ties of love with all the Jews, regardless of denomination, customs, political views, or any other issue that currently divides and splinters the Jewish people.
The author wrote that one of the answers she got to the question about the meaning of being a bad Jew was “someone whose conception of Judaism doesn’t have applications to the wider world.” I understand where this answer comes from. It is with good reason Jews gave the correction of the world such a pivotal place in their identity. We even gave that mission its own Hebrew term, Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “Correction of the World”).
However, we must know what it means to correct the world, to be responsible for it, or even to care about the world. Tikkun Olam are not simply words; they imply a very specific task, and until we accomplish it, we will not be “good Jews.”
At the “inauguration” of our people, we were commanded to unite “as one man with one heart,” as RASHI interprets. Immediately after, we were declared a nation and were tasked with being “a light to the nations.”
In other words, our unity and our obligation to the world are indivisible. We cannot be a light to the nations if we are not united. At the same time, we cannot unite unless we do it in order to be a light to the nations.
When our ancestors united for the first time, under the guidance of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they were not a biologically related group. They were an eclectic crowd that was taken by the idea that all the people should unite, and we should not succumb to our ego. This is why Abraham advocated kindness and mercy, to teach people how to rise above their self-absorption and care for one another.
Abraham was a maverick, a pioneer, a trailblazer, but thanks to him, these noble ideas are now universal. As a nation that formed out of disparate tribes and clans, it was our duty to be the living proof of Abraham’s paradigm. This is why we became a nation only after we united, and not a moment prior.
Since our inception, we have known that unity is our “secret weapon.” However, we never understood why, what was the secret of the strength in our unity. The secret is not that unity itself makes us undefeatable, but that our unity dissolves the world’s hatred toward us and turns it into respect and awe. It gives the world the example of unity that it needs so that all of humanity can unite, as well.
Not only we received a message when we were at the foot of Mt. Sinai. At that moment, the nations of the world received the knowledge that we received the calling. Since then, they have been wait
Shalom U'Bracha
Words alone are insufficient to convey adequate appreciation for your online lectures.
Wishing you Hatzlocha in all your endeavors
endeavors
Thank you for the videos. I like the green screen.
great video but the audio was really not good. if its a background noise issue, try sampling the room without you talking then use software like audacity to remove the room noise
Thank you for explaining.
Thank you for giving me insight into Jewish history I've certainly never been exposed to.
However, I do look forward to your jokes. If you've run short I'll refresh your memory with a Henny Youngman joke.
Henny said his wife just kept after him to take her on a vacation until he'd had enough. Finally he said "Ok, I'll take you on a vacation. And I'll take you to a place you've never been: the kitchen".
More power to you DR Henry.
When can we hear a lecture about us JEws in Australia?
Incidentally I had the good fortune to meet a cousin of Professor Albert Einstein who lives here in Australia!
There are more Jews in the US than in Israel now I've been told, if that is true then merely bringing up awareness to the Fact that more contributions are needed to sustain the Jewish communities and support centers in the US, to preserve and maintain, would mean a campaign of reaching out to the Jewish families, they just might rethink where they spend their charity and redirect more of it to prevent orthodox Jewish decline in the US, maybe, I don't know ? Super Dave Osborne just kicked the bucket a while back, I wonder if he left anything to the Jewish communities, since he was playing the roles of a devout Jewish believer in Curb Your enthusiasm. Maybe Larry David could help pioneer helping get the word out to help revitalize the Jewish need you spoke of.
the new world was so needed by the old world. the rivers and water sources and fertile land was so scarred by overpopulation.
and Jews are worlds top migrants. something like 1 in 25 Muslims live in a country they weren't born in, 1 in 20 Christians but for Jews I think the figure was 1 in 4.
I think it's actually really cool Rabbi. I really like the green screen, but since I live in a small town we don't have a synagogue. There is no way to go to Shur or to the synagogue to learn so your background made me feel at home. But I do like the images though and help for us visual learners
Henry Abramson wow I was mistaken. Feel kind of red faced. Thank you Dr. Abramson.
Do one about Yemenite jews
can you make a "who was Yeshua HaNotzri " ?
What was Einstein's disability diagnosis, was Isaac Newton Jewish was Socrates, Leonardo Da Vinci or were they also disabled, was Karl Marx disabled ? I've heard Einstein might have had some developmental or learning disability, or dyslexia, Newton possibly bipolar depressed, Freud used to abuse cocaine a ton, Socrates I have no idea, Da Vinci I've heard had something wrong with him but was he jewish ? Einstein wrote about a thread connecting his greats before him, Newton, and other great minds, mentioning disability and passion for curiosity and religion, and it's a little murkey to me, wondering if these great philosophers scientists and writers were disabled and jewish. Also wondering were they on drugs, or addictions involved, I heard Freud used a lot of cocaine, but wondering is addiction something Jewish people have a weak gene for, are addictions common among Jewish people, are they more vulnerable due to the social and emotional stressors of being in and out of Favor with God etc and the evil unseen forces that try to battle with the spiritual wellness of Jewish people ? Those are my curiosities.
I lived in Russia from Abril 22,2018 to Abril 28,2021.I am puertorican.Great lecture.
Yes at 13:15 you spoke about moderately active Jewish worshipers the hump being gone, and this most likely correlates with the expansions in technology and entertainment, ie.. the TV color TV Cable, Movie Theatres, this culture of fast food America, instant gratification, and distractions. A cooling off or religion, also economic stress on families, women entering workforce, inflation causing wife and husband to both work to just keep up with bills, working longer hours etc...Modernity in the US corporate slavery putting the pinch, this actually affected all society in the US the same way.
Please, no background music or noise. We just want to hear your lectures with no distractions. Thank you.
Very interesting lecture. Thank you.
a tip: iron it. it will improve the quality of the video. even stretch it if you can make it smooth.
Wonderfully put Mr.Abramson ; History, Sociology and Prophecy are the very core root of the derekh of Israel. The covenant was built on the higher intellectual of divine wisdom (people no long needed idolatrous intervention and could discern from smaller needs to absolute principles of Hashems attributes.
I'm glad you agree.
ואו הבדיחות בקשר למסעדות סיניות הורגות אותי כל פעם מחדש, ישר כח!
Thank you Rabbi Dr. Abramson. Now I have a clearer view of why my Jewish grandfather immigrated to America from Russia during the pogrom period. My turf is genetics, so I often wonder what Jews will look like after many generations of intermarriage with other exceptionally brainy peoples like many East and South Asians. Beautiful darker skin and lovely almond eyes perhaps? Will these New Jews make Albert Einstein appear ordinary?
Dear Dr Abramson,
The 1.1% fertility rate disagrees with some other references.
Sincerely,
~ Janey
Recommendable