r/JewsOfConscience • u/AutoModerator • Oct 23 '24

AAJ "Ask A Jew" Wednesday

It's everyone's favorite day of the week, "Ask A (Anti-Zionist) Jew" Wednesday! Ask whatever you want to know, within the sub rules, notably that this is not a debate sub and do not import drama from other subreddits. That aside, have fun! We love to dialogue with our non-Jewish siblings.

Please remember to pick an appropriate user-flair in order to participate! Thanks!

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u/lucash7 Non-Jewish Ally Oct 23 '24

So, this may have been asked before, but I’m not a particularly religious person. I grew up in a traditionally conservative Christian household but over the years drifted and find myself current in the realm of agnosticism/apathetic skeptic (basically I don’t know but I’ve more concern for how people act/treating others kind; etc. than whether there is one or more deity).

However; over the last many months (year/s?) that I’ve been a part of this sub I’ve been drawn to the activist (for want of a better term) history; knowledge based, etc. undertones within Judaism that I have read about (if that makes sense? Forgive me; it’s late). As such I am curious about reading and learning more. I feel like perhaps there might be a place for me within it:

Books? Articles? Documentaries? Directions?

I basically want to learn more.

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u/crumpledcactus Jewish Oct 23 '24

I would look into the works of R. Sherwin Wine, and one of R. Wine's inspirations, R. Mordecai Kaplan. Wine was the founder of an entire movement - Humanistic Judaism, as was Kaplan with Reconstructionist Judaism.

While Kaplan saw the Jewish people are a civlization within civilization, Wine saw Jews as any person who enacts Judaism as a series of cultural practises within the eyes of a Jewish community. In his view, Jewish is more of a verb than an adjective.

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u/lucash7 Non-Jewish Ally Oct 23 '24

Hm, interesting. Appreciate the info and will look into it.