By Peter Young
Having an opportunity to visit the Hartman Institute was special. On one hand, it was beautiful to see the excitement in the faces of Rabbi Cohen and Rabbi Zeff at being able to share this experience with us. Even more special was getting to sit down with Rabbi Hartman himself. Rabbi Hartman has a way about him that instantly captured my interest. He was loud, animated, and passionate during our time with him. Rabbi Hartman led us in a text study, which is something I love to do and try to do whenever I can find a chevruta (study partner).
What made this study session different was a combination of two things: Rabbi Hartman's contagious passion and the extremely relatable topic. Through verses in the Bible, we were able to discuss the idea of chosenness and how it applies to modern Judaism in North America. As a young man who hopes to play a role in the future of Jewish leadership in North America, it was exhilarating to discuss such big ideas with such an intelligent teacher. We were able to talk about what factors are shaping Jewish life in North America and in what ways it is different than Jewish life here in Israel as well as other countries around the world. One highlighted difference that impacted me was the high volume of assimilation of Jews in American society. American Jews are losing their connection to Judaism because for the first time in history, we are not being persecuted or being called "other". By having that label of separate, Jews have been forcibly connected to each other and their Judaism. However, intermarriage is at an all time high which shows the lack of discrimination against Jews in modern American society. Rabbi Hartman raised several important questions about the future of American Jewry that I am excited to continue to ponder.
