Shared Destiny or Separate Paths? A New Perspective on Jewish Peoplehood

As Israel marks its 75th year of independence, can we still claim that the Jewish people share one destiny?
Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman is president of the Shalom Hartman Institute and holds the Kaufman Family Chair in Jewish Philosophy. He is author of the Boundaries of Judaism and Putting God Second: How to Save Religion from Itself. His latest book, who are the Jews and Who Can We Become, was a 2023 Jewish Book Council Award Finalist. Donniel is also the host of the award-winning podcast For Heaven’s Sake, together with his colleague Yossi

Politically and religiously, North American and Israeli Jews are increasingly growing apart. As Israel marks its 75th year of independence, can we still claim that the Jewish people share one destiny? When values and priorities diverge, can there be a collective identity?

Donniel Hartman delivers the keynote address at Shared Destiny | Separate Paths: A Leadership Forum on American Jewry & Israel in Washington, DC. He explores the forces driving this wedge, and consider why this is the moment to imagine a new grand narrative – a unifying meta-story – that redefines Jewish peoplehood.

This program was part of Ideas for Today, curated courses by Hartman Institute scholars on the big Jewish ideas we need to think better and do better.

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