Reconstructing Peoplehood: A Series with Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann

Reconstructing Peoplehood: A Series with Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann

Reconstructionist Judaism holds the principle that “Belonging” to the Jewish people is the primary way of being Jewish, coming as a first step to “behaving” and “believing.” Mordecai Kaplan, founder of SAJ and the Reconstructionist movement, also inaugurated the use of the term “Jewish peoplehood,” a concept picked up by the Jewish community writ-large. This concept, which Reconstructionists have taken for granted for decades, is actually one that is fraught and contested today. What does peoplehood look like within a time of Jewish religious extremism? What does peoplehood look like to those who grew up in a more accepting American community, where ethnic bonds were not as important as values-based ones? In this series, in which participants will be asked to read contemporary articles or book chapters ahead of time, we will discuss where reconstructing peoplehood is possible and if so, what it might look like.

Please note that the days/times are still being finalized and the current day and time are placeholders; thank you for your patience.