Despite the headlines in this CNN story about "New Jews", there is nothing really new here. Most of the new practices being described are not so new, as in the case of recently founded prayer groups or Hebrew school teaching techniques which are wonderful but hardly radical departures from that which preceded them. And for those that are new, such as tattooing, the newness lies in the practice, while the intent of those doing it is, in their own words, about ethnic pride and communal connection. What could be more traditional?
In fact, when Jessica Ravitz (Jessica Rabbit's Jewish cousin?) writes, "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai about 3,300 years ago, he couldn't have seen these Jews coming", she is drawing on a Talmudic passage which anticipated the on ongoing evolution of Jews and Judaism, almost 2,000 years ago.
The story is told (Menahot 29a) of Moses entering the Beit Midrash, academy, of Rabbi Akiva and of his being totally befuddled by the substance of the Torah being studied there. Yet, the tale continues, he was totally at ease once Rabbi Akiva connected that which he was teaching to the Torah which Moses was given at Sinai. Is that not the case with these so-called "New Jews"?
If there is anything about which to be concerned, it is that neither the author nor her subjects experience how deeply traditional all this newness really is. Actually, without this kind of continual re-newing, there is no way to preserve a connection to the old. And, to stick with the Moses story, that is something which was true from the moment he broke the tablets in response to the people's seeming disregard for the Torah he brought them from on high. If starting anew was not a deeply embedded part of the tradition, how could God tell Moses to carve new tablets for himself - for himself!, ones which would be as good as the first set?
The issue is not, nor has it ever been, new vs. old, or traditional vs. innovative. Success has always gone to those who rejected that dichotomy in favor of asking themselves what works for them, committing to it, celebrating it joyously, and using it to help others and the world at large. When we have that, we have everything, whether it's recognizable to Moses or our grandparents. And if we talk about it that way, whatever we are doing will connect us to both of them.
We will not always agree about the practices, but if we agreed to see both what we do and what others do, with that kind of "big picture" approach, one which shatters the false dichotomies between old and new, traditional and innovative, whatever we do will be all four of those things. And that combination really works.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
We just studied this story yesterday in our weekly class. We decided it sounded a bit like a bunch of college professors making fun of themselves, and also a kind of announcement--"Of course we've changed the Tradition! Got a problem with that?"
Change is the only constant! Deal with it!!g
It's funny how when you put something out there it comes back! I was just telling that story of Moses to my husband the other day! It's a great story, and I'd like to finish it.
Moses was placed in the back row in Rabbi Akiva's class. In that time period the smartest students were in the front row, next smartest the second row, and so on. Moses was in the back. As he listened to Rabbi Akiva speak about the Torah (THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES!), Moses had a difficult time following the discourse. Moses asked G-d what Rabbi Akiva was talking about, and how come he had a hard time understanding. Moses was befuddled because he received this knowledge first hand! How could anyone possibly know the Torah better than he? G-d laughed and told Moses that the Torah is a Tree of Life, it is the Living Torah, and as it lives the understanding of it grows. Knowledge built upon knowledge etc.
This of course goes right to what you were saying Rabbi Hirschfield! I agree too that there is no such thing as a "New Jew", that phrase is rather ridiculous. It never ceases to amaze me how much the rabbis of the Talmudic era knew, and how far we haven't come! There are many great books relating how Jewish people of different ages practiced, and by the way, NO Entire group of any kind whatsoever does anything the exact same way as each other! Remember, we are told ad infinitem in the Torah, "G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, G-d of Jacob", because it emphasizes the fact that one's relationship with G-d is a personal one and each person's understanding is different. Not better, nor worse, just different. What is new is when an individual or group changes the way they study, so that their methods are new to them.
Spiritually Yours,
Laura Weakley
As the song goes,'Everything Old is new again.' The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'll add a corollary to this: the more things change, the more interpretations introduced that hark back to the original design. The 'new Jews' have only put their own signature on something that has a rock solid base. And that's a good thing.
Hi All,
The article tackles a lot of the issues that take place in generational shifts, such as the loss of power of the previous generation and the lessened impact of the institutions attached to that generation.The article sheds some light on a lot of familiar faces, like Heeb, PunkTorah, Limmud and more. The piece also includes a slide show of Soulico photos set to “SOS” from Exotic on the Speaker.
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