We believe that there are two “models” of Judaism currrently existing, a traditionalist model and an inclusivist model. We have chosen the inclusivist model, and wish to modify it for the twenty-first century.
The Traditional Model Of Judaism
The traditional model of Judaism was that of a separatist religious civilization, in which intermarriage was avoided and contacts with the people and ideas of other civilizations were limited.
There was an expectation in the traditional model of Judaism that all Jews would some day make aliyah (immigrate to Israel), and that Diaspora (outside of Israel) Jewish communities were in “exile.”
In the old model of Judaism, Israel was considered to be the center of Judaism. The religious version of this model looked forward to a messianic king of the House of David, who was expected to appear at the end of time.
Some of the traditional Jewish liturgy invoked an era in which all Jews were brought back to Israel, to acclaim a messianic king, and build a Third Temple.
A secular version of the traditional model of Judaism, Zionism, called on all Jews to make aliyah to Israel, and become citizens of the secular Israeli state. The founders of Zionism in the late 19th century expected that the majority of Jews would leave the Diaspora for Israel after the state of Israel was established. Yet despite Israel’s creation in 1948, many Jewish communities remain in the Diaspora.
An Inclusivist Model of Judaism
We are interested in a second, inclusivist model of Judaism, one which existed historically in various eras and countries, often hidden behind the public endorsements of the traditional model.
This alternative model was not officially sanctioned, and has tended to sporadically drop out of the history books.
In the second model, encounters by Jews with other civilizations were considered fruitful and healthy, enriching Jewish spirituality and secular culture. Spouses and converts brought into Judaism from other cultures were valued and cherished, as shown in the Book of Ruth in the Bible.
To this day, the traditional Jewish liturgy has prayers for the welfare of righteous converts (Jews by Choice), reflecting this inclusivist model of Judaism.
In the inclusivist model of Judaism, Jews desiring to make individual spiritual pilgrimages to Israel and perhaps settle there, were supported financially by their local Jewish communities in carrying out this wish.
Jews also sent regular charity funding and other assistance to groups of Jews living in Israel, and this tzedakah (charity) was given a high priority.
But many Jews remained in the Diaspora, and built flourishing communities in numerous countries, adding rich spiritual and cultural heritages to Judaism.
Israel was considered to be the historic “cradle” of Jewish civilization, and its Jews were to be tended and cared for by Diaspora Jews, but most Diaspora Jews never seriously expected to live there.
We wish to create a new Inclusivist Judaism that follows the second model, an “Inclusivist Judaism 2.0.”
We hope to carry with us much of value in the traditional model of Judaism from from its immense treasuries of liturgy, history, music, and many other subjects, while building a new version of the second, inclusivist model of Judaism.
The Spiritual/Secular Divide
We also view the distinction between “religious” Jews and “secular” Jews as an artificial pre-21st century construct, not always applicable in the current era.
It results in “spiritual” or “religious” Jews frequently being cut off from valuable Jewish secular art, literature, and music, and “secular” or “cultural” Jews being deprived of precious Jewish meditation techniques, spirituality, and ancient Jewish text study.
We would like to bridge some of this gap as we evolve.
For more information about the general beliefs and practices of the Inclusivist Judaism Coalition, please visit:
www.inclusivistjudaism.wordpress.com
Why Inclusivist Judaism “Coalition”?
We know that there are other Jewish teachers and organizations that share some of our goals for Judaism. We hope to invite them to join us as loosely afffiliated partners, so we may publicize their work.
We do not expect that our partner organizations will agree with us on all topics. But on subjects where we have shared views, we hope to provide mutual assistance.
Our Future
We believe that our “style” of Jewish spirituality and culture will slowly emerge from interactions among our members, and our borrowings from Judaism’s rich past.
We are a network of like-minded folks, who are working on growing Inclusivist Judaism into the seventh denomination of Judaism.
What Is Inclusivist Judaism's Relationship To The Half-Jewish Network?
During the early years of the Half-Jewish Network (2005-2009), it gradually became clear that many half-Jewish people who wanted to identify as Jews faced major obstacles in entering many Jewish settings.
Many Jewish institutions refused to admit them unless they committed to living as Jews the moment they arrived, and overtly or covertly refused to provide them with instruction about Judaism, conversions, synagogue memberships, and other pastoral services.
Many Jewish institutions remain reluctant to outreach half-Jewish people. Other Jewish institutions are welcoming them, but have not yet set up any programs for them.
In addition, other half-Jewish people, who are comfortably settled in Christianity, Islam and other faiths and cultures, often wanted to learn more about their Jewish "half," but were discouraged from doing so by Jewish institutions geared to accept only half-Jewish people willing to convert to Judaism.
Also, the Half-Jewish Network was repeatedly approached by Jews with two Jewish parents, who expressed dissatisfaction with various aspects of mainstream Judaism.
The Inclusivist Judaism Coalition was founded in 2009 in response to these concerns, with the goal of providing a welcoming Jewish home to everyone sincerely interested in learning more about Judaism, irregardless of their upbringing, ancestry, or current beliefs and practices.
Who Can Join The Inclusivist Judaism Coalition?
All new members of the Half-Jewish Network are automatically accepted as members of the Inclusivist Judaism Coalition. Those who identify as Jews are accepted as Inclusivist Jews.
Those who identify as Christians, Muslims or members of other faiths or secular cultures, or who are uncertain of their preferred faith or cultural identity, are welcomed as "mishpachah" (family) members -- we view them as members of our Jewish family.
We respectfully ask that our mishpachah members not engage in missionary work for other faiths and cultures while belonging to Inclusivist Judaism, just as we would not want Inclusivist Jews visiting or belonging to churches or mosques with the goal of persuading their members to become Jews. We ask that our boundaries be respected, just as we respect the boundaries of others.
For more information about the Inclusivist Judaism Coalition, and its inclusivist membership categories, please visit: