Penn alum Dr. Arnold Eisen, current chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, addressed a full audience at Hillel yesterday, offering a sociological perspective on the current state of Judaism. He focused his speech on the importance of youth reinterpretation and redefinition of Jewish history, culture and text.
Eisen began his talk by explaining how, in his youth, he noticed a disconnect between modernity and traditional Judaism: "There seemed to be something missing . Modernity was an experiment . By studying the past and culture there was a way to put [Judaism] back together," he said.
He then explained, "it was [The Daily Pennsylvanian] that brought me back to Judaism," referring to how his involvement in the paper enabled him to interview the man who would become his idol, Jewish theologian Rabbi Heschel, who emphasized to Eisen that if his Jewish experience was "irrelevant, dull, oppressive and insipid," then he "had it wrong."
Eisen piggy-backs on Heschel's insistence that traditional Judaism be reinterpreted, made modern and relevant and even be criticized by the new generation of Jews - both on a community and an individual level.
"This eternal quality [of Judaism] can only speak to us if it gets translated into the language of today," he said.
He emphasized the notion that Jews need to remain aware of their history and traditions. He noted the Jewish "over-representation in all movements of social justice" and said this could only continue if the new generation of Jews remains active.
When discussing what alarms him most about Judaism today, Eisen focused on the importance of Israel as a symbol for Jewish history. "Most American Jews do not really care about the state of Israel . Only 60 percent of adult American Jews have been to Israel," he lamented.
Eisen, who is known for his involvement in the Jewish conservative movement, ended his discussion by relating what he considers to be the power of the conservative sect to "fully engage . tradition" and make it relevant to modern reality. He left members of the audience with the challenge to "be a Jewish human being who cares."
