December 09, 2023

Talmud Class: How Has October 7 Changed the Project of Jewish Education?

43 minutes

Before October 7, our children were blessed to live in a world where their Jewish commitments were not an obstacle to making friends or fulfilling their dreams. Yes, there has always been some anti-Semitism. But for the most part, our kids could be who they were, without hiding anything. Our job was to inspire them to give voice to all parts of themselves: their love of sports; music; drama; dance; and their Jewish lives. You can do soccer and you can do Judaism. It’s an and.

That task now feels quaint.

To the extent that our children love Israel, and the Zionism that made Israel possible (which is how we have educated them), they will face a world in college that is explicitly hostile to those commitments. Some might be tempted to disconnect from the hot mess, too depressing and complicated. Some might be bullied into silence. If they still love Israel, they become at best Marrano Zionists.

Still others might be tempted to turn on Israel and claim that it is an illegitimate state. But in the bullying anti-Israel climate of today’s college campus, among universities whose presidents cannot condemn genocide against the Jewish people as against their university’s code of conduct, who among our 18–22-year-olds would have the moral courage to stand against the tide and say: I stand with Israel. I am a proud Zionist. Yes, there surely are Jewish students who are out as Israel supporters even today, and we are proud of their moral courage. But it is not easy. How do we help them?

We will examine texts about Joseph in Egypt in the Torah and in the midrash; Robert Putnam’s classic American Grace; and Dara Horn’s People Love Dead Jews to talk about how the challenge of educating our children Jewishly has changed dramatically as a result of October 7. How do we prepare our children for the world they now face?

...more