{ IMAGINING OUR FUTURE } Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins
At the beginning of the 21st century, as we consider our future, we Jews must first process and integrate the influence of four significant events of the last 200 years: the emancipation, the enlightenment, the Shoah, and the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel. Each of these has had a huge, transformative impact on our constitution as a people; the four together have created a new reality for us, opening new possibilities for our future. The emancipation refers to the events of the late 18th and early 19th century in western Europe, in which Jews first became basically equal citizens in the newly created nation states of Europe and soon thereafter, the Americas. Until this time, around the world, wherever Jews had dispersed since the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 CE they continued to see themselves as members of a faith people, Jews and Judaism deeply intertwined. Beginning with the emancipation, the notions of faith and nation became separated for many Jews. On one hand, some began speaking of Judaism as a religion; others focused on the Jews as a nation, with the nascent seeds of Zionism slowly sprouting by the end of the 19th century. The enlightenment also had profound impact on our self-understanding. Until this time, it was assumed that the Torah was the literal word of God, and rabbinic interpretation of it determinate of Jewish law and practice. The enlightenment refers to the explosion of knowledge in science, history, literary critique, philosophy and other intellectual pursuits; in particular, the “light” the enlightenment shone upon the reading of scripture had profound consequences. Reason and humanism led to the disintegration of clerical authority and 6
the varieties of expression of modern Judaism in the 20th century, including neo or modern Orthodox, Masorti (also known as conservative or positivehistorical), Progressive (also known as liberal and reform) and Renewal.
On the heels of the emancipation and enlightenment came the Shoah, the incomprehensible destruction of one third of our people, a trauma that will continue to reverberate for all time. In terms of physical impact, a population that with natural increase would now be around 50-60 million is closer to 14 million. The psychic impact is far more profound, shattering the belief in God for many, turning others inward and cautious. The call of “never again” has led to highly defensive behaviour for some; for others it has produced an unflinching commitment to fight for the oppressed.
19th century Zionism took root in the midst of the trauma of the 20th century. We will never know what the rebirth of Israel would have been like if it had occurred gradually with the backing of 50-60 million Jews. Instead, its security is now perceived through the prism of the Shoah and the persistence of antisemitism. Yet, the significance of our third experience of sovereignty of our people in our land, the basis of our Torah story and a major focus of rabbinic tradition, is just beginning to unfold. Being a free people in our own land is not a response to the Shoah, but the fulfilment of thousands of years of dreaming of that possibility. Now we need to consider what our dreams for the future should be. Our rebuilding of Israel requires us to reinterpret our self-understanding. Two thousand years of dispersal, with powerlessness and antisemitism culminating in the Shoah, leads us to be cautious but should not lead us to be fearful. Rather, we need to celebrate that we are an ancient people whose civilisation has amazingly survived historical challenges, including those four major events of the last two centuries. All these events require each of us to consider what it means to be a Jew engaged with Judaism, and how we thereby create a community of clear intention. The gift of the emancipation allows us to live freely in our lands of