The Opportunity and Difficulty of Unity: On the Israel March

18Forty Podcast

18Forty

Religion & Spirituality, Judaism

4.6 • 638 Ratings

🗓️ 28 November 2023

⏱️ 98 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Eric Fingerhut—president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America—and Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff, a scholar and professor at Yeshiva University, about the need for Jewish unity and the barriers to achieving it.

In recent weeks, the Jewish community has been confronted with questions of collective Jewish existence in a way we haven’t seen in decades. In response, the Jewish world has had to join together with an achdus we previously weren’t even sure was possible. In this episode we discuss:

What went into planning the historic and enormous March for Israel?
What are the opportunities and challenges for Jewish unity in times of crisis?
What can the current movement for Jewish solidarity learn from past moments from American and Jewish history?

Tune in to hear a conversation about mobilizing a people known for its proclivity for disagreement.

Interview with Eric Fingerhut begins at 7:26.
Interview with Rabbi Rakeffet begins at 56:31

Eric Fingerhut is the President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America. Prior to his appointment at JFNA, Fingerhut served as the President and CEO of Hillel International from 2013-19. He was an Ohio state senator from 1997 to 2006, and he represented Ohio’s 19th congressional district in the U.S. Congress from 1993 to 1994.

Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff is a renowned scholar, historian, author, and teacher, and he is currently professor of rabbinic literature at Yeshiva University’s Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute in Jerusalem. Rabbi Rakeffet has written many entries for Encyclopedia Judaica, including the one on Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Rabbi Rakeffet served in the Israel Defense Forces until the maximum allowable age, and served in Lebanon during the 1982 Lebanon War. In 1980, he was recruited by Aryeh Kroll to join Mossad's clandestine Nativ operation to teach Torah in the Soviet Union.

References:

The Glue, with Eric Fingerhut

Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn by Daniel Gordis

Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation by Yossi Klein Halevi

“Rabbinic Authority and Leadership On the Contemporary Scene” by Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff

Taanit 20a

“Crisis Management” by David Bashevkin

“Rafael Halperin”

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi friends, a few months ago we advertised the birth of a new community in Israel.
0:05.4	Eden Bait Shemesh, a community tailored made for all those of us in need of a five-year plan,
0:12.7	and let's face it, we are living in a time when every single one of us should be drafting the five-year plan for our futures in Israel.
0:20.5	Our own listeners from within the 1840 community have purchased in Eden, an opportunity which
0:26.4	they will longingly watch unfold into a reality, a shul, and a community.
0:32.1	I am so proud that the leaders behind Aden are none other than Rabbi Benny and Khani Krohn. I know them personally because they are the rabbi and Rebitten of my own
0:42.4	personal community and they are the ones leading this new development community. And I know for my own life that
0:49.6	their stewardship, their leadership is you know this is going to be a welcoming, joyous, incredible
0:55.7	community where everyone is going to be able to feel comfortable and build a home.
1:00.2	On June 29th, Eden will be hosting a webinar to speak in detail about the vision for this project.
1:07.6	In order to register, please click the link below or email info at
1:12.7	Edenbateshemesh.com to find out more. Once again, that's info at Edenbateshemesh.com
1:20.2	to find out more. The Koran Tanakh of the land of Israel offers a groundbreaking way to experience the Hebrew Bible,
1:31.2	spearheaded by editor-in-chief David Arnowitz and featuring a fresh English translation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Zatzal.
1:40.8	This edition brings the biblical world to life by blending the sacred text with cutting-edge
1:47.1	insights from archaeology, history, and ancient near-eastern studies. Unlike traditional editions,
1:54.1	this Tanakh places the events, laws, and prophecies of the Bible into the rich, historical,
2:00.3	cultural, and geographic context in which they
2:03.3	occurred, offering a deeper, more accurate understanding of the text. Readers explore the world of
2:10.0	the Tanakh as it truly was, from architecture and politics to poetry and language, making ancient
2:16.6	stories vivid, relevant, and alive.
2:19.9	Five volumes are currently available. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Samuel,
	...

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