Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on October 20, 2013

Joe Biden's 'Jewish Pride' Should Be a Guide

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Bidens Support: Vice President Biden who spoke at the years J Street conference has said that Jewish heritage, Jewish culture, Jewish values are such an essential part of who we are that its fair to say that Jewish heritage is American heritage.

If youve read my previous columns, you know I believe in the centrality of Israel in Jewish civilization, that in the past few decades, Israel has transformed from being a project of world Jewry into becoming its beating heart, and that the future of Jewish creativity, confidence and influence are going to happen primarily in Hebrew and in the Jewish homeland.

But what if I didnt believe that? What if I believed, as many still do, that the Diasporas future is to be found if it is not to wither away in the inherent strengths and unique energies of the Diaspora itself? That American Judaism should offer a compelling alternative to Zion, rather than accept the latters eventual supremacy? What would that look like?

This question was posed to me by my editor at the Forward over a bowl of soup in Lower Manhattan a few weeks ago. Here is my answer.

About 15 years ago, I was just starting out as an Israel-based writer and editor, and I paid a visit to Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things magazine and one of American Christianitys foremost public intellectuals. We spoke of various magazines and trends at the time, and I kept noticing his tendency to use the word Jewish in ways I hadnt considered. The phrase the Jewish press kept coming up, and it took me awhile to understand that he wasnt referring to the Brooklyn-based tabloid by that name, or to the more benign local or national publications such as the Forward. He was referring to what American Jews tend to call the secular media: The New York Times, Time magazine. And so on.

Jewish press? My first instinct, of course, was to be offended. But getting offended is often the best way to miss a vital learning opportunity, and he was a gracious host. So I thought the following: If I were a Christian of strong and outspoken faith, I could very well understand coming to a similar conclusion. After all, there are places in America in which a Christian is comfortable speaking and writing about faith. And then there is the secular sphere, where he or she really cant. And it happens that every time you look at the mastheads or rolling credits in the secular world, you see a highly disproportionate number of Jewish names. How can a faithful Christian be blamed for seeing it as somehow, well, Jewish?

Fast-forward to 2013. Vice President Joe Biden gives a lengthy address marking Jewish Heritage Month, in which he goes far indeed.

The truth is, he revealed in his revelatory Joe Biden way, that Jewish heritage, Jewish culture, Jewish values are such an essential part of who we are that its fair to say that Jewish heritage is American heritage. Then he upped the ante. No group has had such an outsized influence per capita as all of you standing before me. Speaking of such progressive causes as civil rights and same-sex marriage, Biden added this zinger: Think behind of all that, I bet you 85% of those changes, whether its in Hollywood or social media, are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry. The influence is immense; the influence is immense. And, I might add, it is all to the good, he said.

See the original post here:
American Jews Should Own Their Success!

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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