Inseparable and Not the Same: Judaism, Zionism, and the Modern Jewish Condition

In today’s polarized landscape, Judaism and Zionism are often treated as either identical or entirely opposed. This class explores what is lost in both extremes, when allegiance to Israel becomes the measure of Jewishness and when rejection of Zionism erases a core strand of Judaism. We will grapple with the reality that anti-Zionism often expresses deep antisemitic sentiments, even as it also has a long and complex history within Jewish thought and debate. Together we will ask how a more nuanced engagement with Zionism might deepen, rather than divide, contemporary Jewish life.

Rabbi Dr. Joshua Ladon is the Vice President, West Coast and Senior Faculty at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where he guides the program and development strategy on the West Coast. An award-winning educator, Joshua was previously the Director of Education for the Institute in North America, guiding the content and curriculum of national and regional programs. Prior to Hartman he served as the Dean of Student and Jewish Life at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay.

A part of the series Wrestling with Complexity: Israel in Our Time