Each Human Being as an Image of God: A Jewish Response to Religious Nationalism

Judaism does not speak with one voice on any issue, lacking, as it does, a singular decisor or an authoritative catechism, so no one can authoritatively make claims about how Judaism should approach civic and political affairs. Jewish tradition is multi voiced, reflecting radically varied contexts, ages, and geographic communities, a potentially rich dialogue that spans millennia. This chapter will provide recognition of the variety of historic Jewish responses to engaging the “other,” particularly in political and civic affairs, yet will follow a path to a principled pluralist Judaism, emerging both from within the tradition and from modern Jewish involvement