Dr. Rachel Havrelock

Announcing!
The Osher Marin JCC Visiting Scholar
DR. RACHEL HAVRELOCK
Bible Scholar, Professor & Author of
River Jordon: The Mythology of a Dividing Line

"Jewish Politics: How Jewish History Informs Our Political Opinions”

The distinct history of the Jews informs many of the political positions held by Jews today. This series explores the history while considering the scope and ramifications of contemporary political opinions.

The Ancient Jewish State – Jan 5 & 6, 2012
The Hebrew Bible chronicles the rise and fall of ancient Israel as it provides insight into ancient ideas of Jewish nationalism.  We will look at the biblical books of Deuteronomy and Joshua to survey how these biblical precedents contribute to ideas of the nation state.  We will then look to the books of the Maccabees and the writings of Josephus Flavius to consider how the Jewish State survived during the Greek and Roman empires. In both cases, we will consider how the borders were determined, when wars were fought, and how the states in question treated non-Jewish citizens.

The Ancient Jewish Diaspora– Feb 2 & 3, 2012
The very idea of Diaspora is rooted in the Jewish past.  Amidst the invasions and exiles, Jews developed strategies for group survival and cohesion.  As we consider the ancient diasporas of Persia, Babylonia, Greece, and Rome, we will discuss the techniques with which Jews dealt with foreign rulers, pressures to assimilate, and contact with other cultures.  We will further consider how the beginnings of Jewish diaspora parallel American Jewish life today.

The Modern Jewish Diaspora – Mar 1 & 2, 2012
At the same time that Jews have placed themselves at the left as well as the right in different places and times, they have introduced the idea of diaspora politics to the world.  Among its contributions, diaspora politics argues that a people does not require a state in order to survive and flourish.  As we will see, these ideas flourished after the destruction of the Temple, during the push for Jewish emancipation in Europe, and in present times.

The Modern Jewish State – Apr 12 & 13, 2012
The Zionist movement that worked to realize the State of Israel has taken several forms and espoused various positions since the first Zionist Congress is 1897.  Here we will look broadly at the central forms of Zionism and the State of Israel in order to survey how Israel’s domestic and international positions have formed.  Israel is arguably the central issue in contemporary Jewish politics.  As well as looking at Israeli politics from an internal perspective, we will discuss how American Jewish positions on Israel differ from Israeli ones.