Donniel Hartman

Who Are the Jews—And Who Can We Become? Reflections on a Post October 7th World

The Jewish identity meta-narrative has been a living synthesis of two competing religious covenants: Genesis Judaism, which defines Jewishness in terms of who one is and the group to which one belongs, independent of what one does or believes; and Exodus Judaism, which grounds identity in terms of one’s relationship with an aspirational system of values, ideals, beliefs, commandments, and behaviors.

When one narrative becomes too dominant, Jewish collective identity becomes distorted. When Genesis and Exodus interplay, the sparks of a rich, compelling identity are found. This Genesis-Exodus meta-narrative can be a roadmap to addressing contemporary challenges, including Diaspora Jewry’s eroding relationship with Israel, the “othering” of Israeli Palestinians, interfaith marriage, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and—collectively—who we Jews can become.