Defining Jewish Peoplehood

According to our ancient texts, the existence of a common Jewish peoplehood is a self-evident fact. We recite in synagogue: "…Who has chosen us from all peoples, and has given us His Torah". In this prayer (that we all learned preparing for bar-mitzva), we declare ourselves to be one of the peoples of the world – an ancient people that has its own religious tradition. The prophet Jeremiah (31:34-35) promises the continued survival of our peoplehood which he defines as "the seed of Israel", clearly presenting the Biblical perception of common descent. Similarly, the rabbinic tradition defines the Jews as an "umma" (a people or nation) and a "lashon" (a language), one of seventy peoples and languages into which humanity is traditionally divided. It is of importance to note that the term "umma" is derived from the very same root as the word "imma" (mother), indicating yet again that the Jews defined themselves as a people sharing a common descent.

A visit to the local university library will demonstrate that our ancient self-perception is also an obvious fact in the modern world of academics. Next to many books entitled "The History of the Jewish People", we will not find any books entitled "The History of the Catholic People" or "The History of the Lutheran People"; rather, we will find books such as "The History of the Polish People" or "The History of the Armenian People" or "The History of the American People".

The Yiddish-speaking world of Eastern Europe before the Holocaust was a reality in which Jewish peoplehood was a clear fact of life and the substance of one's core identity. The Jews spoke their own language which was a clear reflection of their living in their own society. They were one of the peoples of Europe, defined as a national minority group in Poland, in the Soviet Union and elsewhere – not merely a religious community. The Jewish society in Israel today is the direct continuity of this destroyed Yiddish world. Modern Hebrew has replaced Yiddish, national majority status has replaced minority status – but the essence remains the same. The Jews speak their own language, live in their own society, create their own cultural life and understand their place in the scope of Jewish history.

Is the American Jewish world another way of expressing a Jewish peoplehood continuity? Well, bar-mitzvah boys continue to declare that we are a people, chosen from among the peoples. The smashing of a glass at every Jewish wedding together with the cry "if I forget thee, O Jerusalem…" would seem to indicate that our central historic memories remain relevant in our lives. Yet, sadly, the social reality of American Jewry broadcasts a very different message, negating the very content of an ancient civilization. American peoplehood has replaced the historic Jewish peoplehood, limiting the Jewish experience to religious ceremonies for a mostly irreligious community. The drama of American history is alive and very familiar, whereas our own story is simply foreign and mostly unknown. It's such a well-to-do community that knows no persecution, and yet Jewish education is so unimpressive. There is no Hebrew creativity; most don't even know the alef-bet.

The American Jewish public at large seems to be unaware that something has gone very wrong, and that there has been a dramatic break in Jewish continuity. Crisis, so it seems, is elsewhere in the Jewish world where a seemingly unsolvable historic conflict fills our agenda. Yet, that dramatic crisis should not overshadow the urgency of the crisis in Diaspora Jewry: the collapse of an ancient identity. Some might argue that this crisis of identity is unsolvable, and the unseen sociological forces of the dynamic and impressive American world are simply too overwhelming. Yet, with just a bit of old-fashion Jewish self-criticism, and with a renewed willingness to be comfortable in our own distinctiveness, perhaps we could try to take a first step back from more than a century of assimilation – returning to a primary Jewish identity based on our peoplehood.

In addition to a tradition of common descent, peoplehood always includes a narrative that the community cherishes. Jewish education must include a serious encounter with the central chapters of our history. The circumstances that brought about the creation of Biblical literature, the impact of the destruction of the Temple on the shaping of Jewish civilization, the medieval Jewish community, the crisis of modernity, Exile and Return – all these memories and more should be the self-evident basics of every educated Jew.

There is no Jewish peoplehood without our own language. The aim of Jewish education must be the renewal of Jewish creativity in Hebrew. The Hebrew language and the culture that it carries distinguish us as a civilization, connect us to our past - and with all other Jews.

Finally, peoplehood includes a homeland. All peoples in the world feel a connection to a particular territory which they see as theirs. Therefore, the American Jewish community must renew the concept of exile. It is self-evident that our homeland is the Land of Israel, the memory of which has shaped the Jewish world. Some of us live in the homeland, and some of us live in exile from it. Homeland and exile are two sides of the very same essence, enabling all Jewish communities to share a common awareness and a common heritage.

And the most urgent issue of all is worthy of repetition: American Jewry must be self-critical. There has to be a general recognition of the multi-generational failure to provide quality Jewish education. This self-criticism is the vital tool for returning to ourselves.