Sunday, December 18, 2011

Modern Orthodox Inconsistincies?

Click here to register as a bone marrow donor. It's the easiest way to save a child's life.

***************

In my estimation the core elements of American Modern Orthodoxy include (but are not limited to) Zionism (idealized as aliyah), American patriotism and integration within civil society. Lately I have been wondering how we can subscribe to the first at the same time as the latter two. We talk about living in Israel as the ultimate actualization of halakhic, nationalistic, communal and social ideals, all the while being disdainful of the particularism, insularity and ghetto mentality that are hallmarks of the right wing. But doesn't the aspiration of MOs to live and interact with Jews only in a Jewish state represent particularism, insularity and ghetto mentality par excellence?


Maybe to a certain extent we are on the same page after all with regards to how we conceive of ourselves vis-a-vis the non-Jewish world? Is MO patriotism and commitment to civil society in fact just a bedi'eved to accomodate the reality of us living in America?

1 comment:

Rabbanit Ruth Alfasi said...

BS"D: Interesting perspective, it'd be good to hear some elaboration. I just discovered your blog and look forward to looking around it.