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What has become of the humanistic values of the Jewish tradition?
The creation of the State of Israel was not only intended to provide refuge for the Jews of the diaspora and thereby resolve the “Jewish question.” It also sought to ensure that the values of the Jewish tradition, shaped over two thousand years of exile, would inform the governance of the country. These values of Judaism extend justice and compassion to all human beings. Today, both Jews and non-Jews who feel a special attachment to the State are asking where those values are, in light of the death and destruction in Gaza. This session will present and discuss some of these values through biblical and rabbinic texts. Rabbi Stephen Berkowitz was born in New York and was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia in 1986. Over the past forty years, he has served Reform and Masorti congregations in the United States, France, Belgium, and Spain. He currently lives in France with his wife Isabelle, one of the founders of JCall Spain.