Beyond Jewish Identity: Rethinking Concepts and Imagining Alternatives

There is something deeply problematic about the ways that Jews, particularly in America, talk about "Jewish identity" as a desired outcome of Jewish education. For many, the idea that the purpose of Jewish education is to strengthen Jewish identity is so obvious that it hardly seems worth disputing--and the only important question is which kinds of Jewish education do that work more effectively or more efficiently. But what does it mean to "strengthen Jewish identity"? Why do Jewish educators, policy-makers and philanthropists talk that way? What do they assume, about Jewish education or about Jewish identity, when they use formulations like "strengthen Jewish identity"? And what are the costs of doing so? This volume, the first collection to examine critically the relationship between Jewish education and Jewish identity, makes two important interventions. First, it offers a critical assessment of the relationship between education and identity, arguing that the reification of identity has hampered much educational creativity in the pursuit of this goal, and that the nearly ubiquitous employment of the term obscures significant questions about what Jewish education is and ought to be. Second, this volume offers thoughtful responses that are not merely synonymous replacements for "identity," suggesting new possibilities for how to think about the purposes and desired outcomes of Jewish education, potentially contributing to any number of new conversations about the relationship between Jewish education and Jewish life.

About the Author :
Jon A. Levisohn is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Associate Professor of Jewish Educational Thought at Brandeis University, where he serves as the director of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education. Ari Y. Kelman is Jim Joseph Associate Professor of Education and Jewish Studies at Stanford University, where he serves as director of the Concentration in Education and Jewish Studies.

Review :
"Levisohn and Kelman's instructive collection of essays on Jewish identity and education... is situated in a solid understanding of the problems with the concept of identity and the difficulties this raises for Jewish educators who have made the construction or 'strengthening' of Jewish identity the goal of their efforts." -- Stephen Frosh, University of London, Journal of Modern Jewish Studies 21:4 "It's a good thing for the Jewish educational domain to question the ways that funders and other stakeholders understand the work of educators, schools, and other educational institutions. The book succeeds in pushing back against the heavy hand of funders' expectations about how individual educational enterprises are supposed to yield subsequent Jewish identities. ... The editors of this volume are to be commended for gathering together this stimulating collection of essays to focus our attention on the relationship between Jewish identity and Jewish education. I hope this book leads to many more focused studies that will illuminate and extend the important questions it provokes." -- Bethamie Horowitz, New York University, Journal of Jewish Education "If you have any connection to the world of Jewish education, you've heard the phrase 'Jewish Identity' thrown about. However, it is rarely and inconsistently defined. Is it a tool towards a specific outcome or a goal unto itself? What assumptions are Jewish educators making and what are their blind spots? This excellent collection of studies tackles these questions and presents several ways of reframing priorities for Jewish education. Some overlap in the content occurs in some chapters, but not overly so. Highly recommended." -- Daniel Scheide, Florida Atlantic University, AJL Reviews "'Jewish identity' is such a complex idea--neither simply a religious, nor cultural, nor ethnic 'identity, ' but all of those things combined (and more). This important volume rejects narrow definitions and resists the way that 'identity' has been oversimplified and flattened in Jewish communal contexts. Along the way, it offers new paths for other communities struggling with concepts of identity to follow as well." -- Felicia Herman, Executive Director, Natan Fund "At once both a useful exploration of how the term 'Jewish identity' came to dominate the discourse of American Jewish elites and a probing analysis of the term's appropriation to define the goals of Jewish education, Beyond Jewish Identity offers a no-holds-barred critique of the politics surrounding the term. Collectively, the accomplished scholars assembled in this volume make the case for shifting the focus from how Jews feel to how they act as Jews." -- Jack Wertheimer, Professor of American Jewish History, Jewish Theological Seminary "What are we talking about when we talk about Jewish identity? The Jewish community sorely needs a dose of clarity and discernment about this vital question. This volume not only unmasks the many problems with how we use that phrase, but also reveals the fruitful concepts buried within it, paving our way forward to a new understanding of exactly what elements of flourishing Jewish life our community's organizations and leaders can build and sustain." -- Andrés Spokoiny, President & CEO, Jewish Funders Network "Beyond Jewish Identity interrogates the long-standing premise that the goal of Jewish education is to strengthen a monolithic 'Jewish identity, ' challenging us to create more specific and more aspirational goals and pushing us to broaden our understanding of 'Jewish identity' beyond the traditional measures of 'greater religious observance' or 'Jewish affiliation.' Most Jews carry a multiplicity of identities. This book articulates a set of frameworks for pursuing this important, timely conversation." -- Angela Buchdal, Senior Rabbi, Central Synagogue