Identity
Me & Jewish Supremacy
The idea of chosenness is a barrier to a world in which every human being is seen as made in the image of God, worthy of respect and honor.
Edith Stein and Me
Edith Stein was a Jewish woman who converted to Roman Catholicism, joined the Carmelite order and was murdered at Auschwitz. Her story raises questions about who is a Jew.
Mitzvat Ahavat Erev Rav: Loving the Complexity of Our Identities
Identity politics hold an increasingly defining role in the American social and political landscape of the 21st century. Jane Litman explores the complexity of holding Jewish identity in relationship to other identities.
A New Theory of Interfaith Marriage
We need a new theory of interfaith marriage in which the covenant is understood to be between God and people who are Jewishly engaged. What matters is the engaging itself, not whether the person engaging is a Jew or not.
Who is a Jew?
From the diaries of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan, a reflection on how to define the term “Jew.”
Developing a Jewish Identity: A Mystery
People begin to form a Jewish identity in a myriad of ways.
Embracing What It Means to Be Jewish and…: Patrilineal identity
I was a meticulous rule-follower as a child. My parents still tease me about how I was so...
September Adult Ed Beit Midrash
Rabbi Toba Spitzer dives into the use of metaphors in framing a picture of the Jewish people that is encompassing and defining, drawing on three conceptual metaphors: “covenant,” “narrative” and “tribal.”
An American ‘Hiloniut’: Contemporary Jewish Secularism
How can we serve Jews interested in Jewish values and customs who are unwilling to enter a synagogue?
Becoming Jews of Mixed Identity
Mixed Identity Causes Some Mixed Feelings Away at College
December Adult Ed Beit Midrash
n this month’s December beit midrash, we’ll explore how identity politics hold an increasingly defining role in the American social and political landscape of the 21st century.Rabbi Jane Litman explores the complexity of holding Jewish identity in relationship to other identities.
Our Jewish Identities Are Situational
‘Jewish’ foods vary from place to place as Jews adopt the cuisines of their neighbors.
Why I Include Bilhah and Zilpah in the Imahot
Why include all six matriarchs in the Amidah? Why include the matriarchs at all? David Mosenkis looks at the way narratives dominated by a ruling group overpower the essential contributions to Jewish lineage and civilization by non-dominant populations.
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association Statement on Ishut
How is Jewish status conferred? In this 2013 document from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, the tension between biology and identity is most prominent.
A Reconstructionist View on Patrilineal Descent
In this piece from 2001, Rabbi Jacob Staub wrestles with the arguments around inclusion of patrilineal Jews, and explains why the inclusion and celebration of patrilineal Jews are crucial to the Jewish future.
Evolve is a project of Reconstructing Judaism
