Who Are the Jews—and Who Can We Become?

Donniel Hartman is president of the Shalom Hartman Institute, where he holds the Kaufman Family Chair in Jewish Philosophy. He is the author of Putting God Second: How to Save Religion from Itself and The Boundaries of Judaism, among other books; the founder of religious education, training, and enrichment programs in Israel and North America; and host of the popular Jewish podcast For Heaven’s Sake.

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionPart 1. What’s Our Story?1. The Genesis Covenant and the First Jews2. Exodus Judaism and the Covenant of Commandments3. Conversion and the Rabbinic Synthesis of Genesis and Exodus4. Good Jews and Bad Jews and the Art of Boundaries5. Maimonides, Champion of Exodus6. Emancipation from the Genesis Covenant7. Zionism and the Resurrection of Genesis8. The North American Homeland between Europe and Zion(ism)Part 2. A Zionism for the Twenty-First Century9. Foundations for a Twenty-First Century Liberal Jewish Story10. Recalibrating the Religion-State Status Quo11. Israel’s Relationship with World Jewry12. Unpacking a Not-So-“Basic” Law13. Yearning Again for PeacePart 3. A Diaspora Future14. At Home15. Intermarriage and the Meaning of Jewishness16. The Eroding North America-Israel Relationship17. The Future of Liberal Zionism in North America18. The Choice to BelongNotesBibliographyIndex

"Hartman adroitly argues that 'as long as the story we tell ourselves about ourselves embraces and strengthens the complexity of our identities . . . we provide ourselves with the tools to expand our moral aperture,' and invites essential debates about Judaism's past, present, and future. This impresses."-Publishers Weekly “This inspired work gives us a language for understanding today’s core Jewish issues, both in Israel and the Diaspora. I look forward to gathering my community around it for a spirited discussion of its insights.”-Rabbi Edward Feinstein, senior rabbi, Valley Beth Shalom, in Encino, California “While not shying away from criticism or complexity, Hartman gives us a glimpse of the world as it could be: one steered by collective Jewish meaning, moral rigor, and courageous commitment to each other.”-Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, senior rabbi, Central Synagogue, in New York City “In this groundbreaking book, Donniel Hartman takes on the great Jewish question of our time: who are we? Combining deep erudition with passion and love, Hartman explores the complexities of Jewish identity, writing with sympathy for the variety of ways in which we express our Jewishness even as he insists that we aspire to our highest values. Who Are the Jews-And Who Can We Become? belongs on the short shelf of indispensable books on contemporary Judaism.”-Yossi Klein Halevi, author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor