Posted on August 24, 2012
In Jon A. Levisohn’s segment in, “The Peoplehood Papers 8,” he encourages education as a way of increasing peoplehood and connection to one another. “Our peoplehood project will be well served by constructing educational programs that intentionally develop Jewish narratives, that target the learning of Jewish languages (metaphorical or literal), and that cultivate an emotional connection to specific objects of shared attention – story, language, and love.” I believe that we need to work diligently to engage new people and to show that we want and need their involvement. Levisohn explains that “the language of Talmud or of Tikkun Olam, or Hebrew – connects me to others, living o dead. But it does not connect me to Jews who do not speak that language, nor does it necessarily connect me to or make me feel responsible for “the Jewish people.” Rather than “preaching about the virtues of the Jewish people, or berating Jews for self-absorption or lack of attachment to Israel, or wondering why Jews don’t naturally recognize that ‘we are one’ or that all Jews are a family,” educating ourselves in peoplehood through “story, language, and love” is the way forward. We here at Areyvut applaud Levisohn’s message here and are working towards educating the youth about peoplehood and instilling in them the proper values to achieve this.
