Sunday, April 12, 2009

"We who are capable of transmitting Jewish knowledge must rise to the challenge"


"For too many Jews, Judaism is not even a memory — it is the memory of a memory.

This generation is different, because so many cannot access the familial aspect of Judaism.


This generation, more than any other in Jewish history, has been distanced so long and so effectively, that it must reach out beyond itself in order to reconnect.

At the same time, we who are capable of transmitting Jewish knowledge must rise to the challenge and meet it more than half way.

The task before us is to inspire and empower this generation to re-create Jewish memories and restore Jewish knowledge.


It is almost a miracle that, so far removed from the positive practice of Judaism, there are those who still seek, and even hunger for, Judaism."

--Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

From "Why is This Generation Different From All Other Generations?" an essay by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz