One People?: Tradition, Modernity, and Jewish Unity (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization) [Paperback]

Jonathan Sacks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1993 | Series: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization

'Sacks has confronted the questions which most profoundly trouble contemporary Jewish existence. His book redraws the conceptual field in which the arguments will continue even if it is unlikely to end them. This is no small contribution.' Michael Gillis, Jewish Quarterly 'A tour de force. Brilliantly documented and skilfully presented . . . essential reading for all who wish to establish the basis for a constructive dialogue between the various religious sections in Jewry.' Sidney Brichto, Jewish Chronicle 'His analysis of contemporary orthodoxy . . . is recommended, especially for non-traditional or secular Jews who wish better to understand an observant Jew's perspective on the diverse Judaisms of modernity.' A. J. Avery-Peck, Choice One People? is the first book-length study of the major problem confronting the Jewish future: the availability or otherwise of a way of mending the schisms between Reform and Orthodox Judaism, between religious and secular Jews in Israel, and between Israel itself and the diaspora-all of which have been deepened by the fierce and continuing controversy over the question of 'who is a Jew?' One People? is a study of the background to this and related controversies. It traces the fragmentation of Jewry in the wake of the Enlightenment, the variety of Orthodox responses to these challenges, and the resources of Jewish tradition for handling diversity. Having set out the background to the intractability of the problems, it ends by examining the possibilities within Jewish thought that might make for convergence and reconciliation. The Chief Rabbi employs a variety of disciplines-history, sociology, theology, and halakhic jurisprudence-to clarify a subject in which these dimensions are inextricably interwoven. He also explores key issues such as the underlying philosophy of Jewish law, and the nature of the collision between tradition and modern consciousness. Written for the general reader as much as the academic one, this is a lucid and thought-provoking presentation of the dilemmas of Jewish Orthodoxy in modernity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'His analysis of contemporary orthodoxy, which constitutes the bulk of the book, is recommended, especially for non-traditional or secular Jews who wish better to understand an observant Jew's perspective on the diverse Judaisms of modernity.' A. J. Avery-Peck, Choice 'We are indebted to Rabbi Sacks for presenting us with a closely reasoned argument helping the modern Orthodox Jew resolve the dilemma of wanting to live with his non-observant neighbours with mutual respect, and at the same time retaining his unqualified commitment to his faith in Tora min Hashamayim and all that that implies.' Mendell Lewittes, Jerusalem Post Magazine 'It is admirable that an Orthodox Chief Rabbi should be searching-with halachic backing-for ways of uniting all Jewish factions.' Stefan Reif, Jewish Chronicle 'A tour de force. Brilliantly documented and skilfully presented, it looks honestly at the Jewish experience of the past in order to find a resolution to the problems that today threaten the Jewish people with dissolution. Rabbi Sacks asserts in the preface that, in writing about Liberal, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Judaisms, I have tried to come to terms with positions that are fundamentally not my own.A" He is, I believe, the first Orthodox rabbi in a position of authority ever to do so, and for this he deserves our praise ... One People? is essential reading for all who wish to establish the basis for a constructive dialogue between the various religious sections in Jewry ... for those who truly love Klal Yisrael, his is the only reasonable way forward.' Sidney Brichto, Jewish Chronicle 'His approach marks a refreshing change from those engaged in theological backbiting, and it bears out his desire to seek reconciliation between the different creeds of Judaism ... Chief Rabbi Sacks is to be praised for opening up the process of reconciliation within Anglo-Jewry in a reasoned and dignified manner.' Jonathan Romain, Jewish Chronicle 'Sober, realistic, even optimistic. It is also splendidly written, closely reasoned and meticulously documented ... All of us can-and should-accept that the Chief Rabbi's motives are good.' John Rayner, Jewish Chronicle 'Any sense of deja vu is soon eclipsed by the increased tightness and depth of the argument, apparent not least in the uncanny way in which any counter-argument is either anticipated or raised and dealt with later in the text ... There is thus scope for much future discussion. This book makes its case against a deftly woven background of the history, sociology, theology and Halakha of the past two centuries. Its argument is brilliantly sustained through its compelling paradoxes which at times illuminate and at times provoke ... Sacks has confronted the questions which most profoundly trouble contemporary Jewish existence. His book redraws the conceptual field in which the arguments will continue even if it is unlikely to end them. This is no small contribution.' Michael Gillis, Jewish Quarterly 'An intellectual and philosophical feast of scholastic diplomacy. Diplomat par excellence, Sacks seeks to forge bridges over the seemingly unbridgeable chasms separating Orthodoxy, Progressive Judaism and Jewish secularism, as well as within Orthodoxy itself ... a masterly exercise which, it is hoped, will not fall on the deaf ears of a Jewry too divided to love itself ... a valiant attempt to occupy the pivotal middle ground of Jewry-a stance which demands courage in an age such as ours which favours extremism. Let us hope that all sections of Jewry will accept the hand of friendship and understanding stretched out to them by Sacks so that maybe one day we just might become One People.' Jewish Telegraph 'Jonathan Sacks has had the courage to elaborate a major constituent of his personal credo before the public gaze ... it is not dispassionately reasoned but is an expression of a devout commitment to the cause of unity ... Even if Jonathan Sacks has raised more questions than he has answered, if we are prepared to address these questions to ourselves, he has thereby rendered a service to each of us, and so let us hope, to all of us, what he calls the covenantal communityA", keneset Yisrael.' Ephraim Borowski, Le'Ela

About the Author

Jonathan Sacks is Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. Educated at the University of Cambridge, he was formerly Principal of Jews College, London, and 1990 BBC Reith Lecturer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Littman Library Of Jewish Civilization; First Edition edition (September 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1874774013
• ISBN-13: 978-1874774013
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,556,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks

Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks has been Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth since September 1, 1991, the sixth incumbent since 1845.

In July 2009, appointed to the House of Lords as a cross-bencher.

Prior to becoming Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Sacks served as Principal of Jews' College, London, the world's oldest rabbinical seminary, as well as rabbi of the Golders Green and Marble Arch synagogues in London. He gained rabbinic ordination from Jews' College and London's Yeshiva Etz Chaim.

His secular academic career has also been a distinguished one. Educated at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he obtained first class honours in Philosophy, he pursued postgraduate studies at New College, Oxford, and King's College, London. Sir Jonathan has been Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex, Sherman Lecturer at Manchester University, Riddell Lecturer at Newcastle University, Cook Lecturer at the Universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and St. Andrews and Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He is currently Visiting Professor of Theology at Kings' College London. He holds honorary doctorates from the universities of Bar Ilan, Cambridge, Glasgow, Haifa, Middlesex, Yeshiva University New York, University of Liverpool, St. Andrews University and Leeds Metropolitan University, and is an honorary fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and King's College London. In September 2001, the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred on him a Doctorate of Divinity in recognition of his first ten years in the Chief Rabbinate.

At his installation as Chief Rabbi in 1991, Dr Sacks set out his vision of a reinvigorated Anglo-Jewry and launched it with a Decade of Jewish Renewal, followed by a series of innovative communal projects. These included Jewish Continuity (a national foundation funding programmes in Jewish education and outreach), the Association of Jewish Business Ethics, the Chief Rabbinate Awards for Excellence, the Chief Rabbinate Bursaries, and Community Development, a national programme to enhance Jewish community life. In 1995, he received the Jerusalem Prize for his contribution to diaspora Jewish life. In September 2001 the Chief Rabbi began his second decade of office with a call to Jewish Responsibility and a renewed commitment to the ethical dimension of Judaism. He was awarded a Knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June 2005. A notably gifted communicator, the Chief Rabbi is a frequent contributor to radio, television and the national press. He frequently delivers BBC RADIO 4's THOUGHT FOR THE DAY, writes a monthly CREDO column for THE TIMES and delivers an annual Rosh Hashanah message on BBC 2. In 1990 he was invited by the BBC Board of Governors to deliver the annual Reith Lectures on the subject of THE PERSISTENCE OF FAITH.

The Dignity of Difference was awarded the 2004 Grawemeyer Prize for Religion, and A Letter in the Scroll a National Jewish Book Award 2002.

Born in 1948 in London, he has been married to Elaine since 1970. They have three children, Joshua, Dina and Gila and three grandchildren.

Publications:

Tradition in an Untraditional Age (1990)
Persistence of Faith (1991)
Arguments for the Sake of Heaven (1991)
Crisis and Covenant (1992)
One People? (1993)
Will We Have Jewish Grandchildren? (1994)
Community of Faith (1995)
Faith in the Future (1998)
The Politics of Hope (1997)
Morals and Markets (1999)
Celebrating Life (2000)
Radical Then, Radical Now (2001)
The Dignity of Difference (2002)
The Chief Rabbi's Haggadah (2003)
From Optimism to Hope (2004)
To Heal a Fractured World (2005)
The Authorised Daily Prayer Book: new translation and commentary (2006)
The Home We Build Together (2007)
Future Tense (2009)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an explanation of what separates us, May 1, 2004

By 

Michael Lewyn (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One People?: Tradition, Modernity, and Jewish Unity (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization) (Paperback)

In this book, Sacks (the Chief Rabbi of Great Britian] focuses on how Orthodox Jews should relate to Reform Judaism (and to a lesser extent, other liberal Jewish movements; Sacks focuses on Reform because it is the oldest non-Orthodox denomination, and because it differs more sharply from Orthodoxy than does Conservative or Reconstructionist Judaism).

Sacks sketches out three options: exclusivism (that is, treating non-Orthodox Jews as if they were Christians), pluralism (treating other Jewish movements as equally valid), and what he calls "inclusivism"- treating rival Jewish movements as partially but not completely valid.

Sacks endorses the latter, middle, course, asserting that pluralism is impractical because Reform (and to a lesser extent, other Jewish denominations) reject the binding character of traditional Jewish law, and thus create unbridgeable gaps between Orthodoxy and its rivals.

Sacks also explains the differences among Orthodox Jews, focusing on the concept of "aggadic pluralism." Sacks explains that even though Orthodox Jews may abide by the same day-to-day religious law (or halacha) there is no uniform Orthodox position on matters outside halacha - for example, what the stories in Genesis mean, or the theological implications (if any) of the Holocaust. I thought his discussion of this issue was valuable for both non-Orthodox and Orthodox Jews (both of whom occasionally mistake the position of one or two rabbis or intellectuals with the "Orthodox position").

I think this book is an excellent guide to the differences among Jews, and would recommend it to anyone mystified by 20th-century Judaism.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well written and thoughtful, June 2, 2009

By 

N. W. De Kraker "yael" (Netherlands) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One People?: Tradition, Modernity, and Jewish Unity (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization) (Paperback)

I liked this book. It addresses in a thoughtful manner many of the problems which we see in our people.