The Key to Jewish Unity

URJ president, Rick Jacobs and OU executive VP, Moshe Hauer, ZTL (eJP)

We live in a polarized world. Politically and religiously. I don’t think that’s arguable. And it seems to be getting worse by the day.

With respect to the religious sphere, Judaism is certainly not immune to this phenomenon. I would even hazard to say that we might be leading the charge. Not only denominationally, but even within Orthodoxy itself. Nowhere is this more evident than in Israel, where polarization has become so fierce and so angry that it is hard to believe we follow the same basic Halacha and share so many of the same values.

I have lamented this reality more times than I can count, always longing for unity in a world of ever-increasing chasms between Orthodox Jewish camps. To say nothing of the polarization between Jewish denominations, where the divide is so great that hope of any kind of unity seems like a practical impossibility.

With respect to the latter, that reality is understandable. Denominational differences are based on matters of belief, halacha, and the values impacted by them. Matters that cannot be compromised, at least as far as Orthodoxy is concerned. Still, I do not believe this must be an absolute impediment if handled the right way. With dialogue we can achieve a degree of Jewish unity in many important areas without compromising principles. More about that later.

The question is -  and always has been - how do we get there? How can we truly be ‘one nation under God’, unified as a nation known as the Jewish people?

If I knew the answer to that, I might be heralded as the greatest Jewish genius since the Vilna Gaon — or Albert Einstein. I obviously don’t.

But I am intrigued by a Jewish organization that appears to have no denominational sponsor, nor is it an observant one. What intrigues me is its focus on dialogue — and the way it embraces that mission is something I think we could all benefit from. The following excerpt from an article published in eJewish Philanthropy by Tiffany Harris addresses this very subject:

Part of our mission is to be a place of learning and growth for Jewish young adults, and that would be impossible if we become an echo chamber. We have to ensure that everyone in our community, from Mem Global residents, hosts, and rabbis to the staff who train and support them, has the skills to have complex conversations and stay in relationship with one another — even, perhaps especially, when they disagree.

To help us with this critical work, I turned to the Constructive Dialogue Institute. In 2022, we began using their Perspectives curriculum to train our staff in viewpoint diversity so they could navigate complex and often emotionally charged conversations.

Constructive dialogue is not about winning an argument or proving that the other side is wrong. It is about developing mutual understanding without giving up our own beliefs. Constructive dialogue does have its limits: it does not extend to hateful speech or to well-trafficked falsehoods, and it never requires us to legitimize ideas that cause real harm. What it does ask of us is to stay rooted in curiosity and respect when we engage in good-faith disagreement.

I know nothing about this organization - its origins, its ideology, or its religious compatibility. Nor am I suggesting we join it. There may very well be aspects of it that contradict Halacha. I simply don’t know. But I like the approach. A lot. And I think we need to do the same -,, certainly across Orthodox factions, and even across denominations.

The path forward must begin within our own denomination first. To that end, rabbinic leaders from every observant faction of Judaism ought to come together and speak with one another - each recognizing that there are differences that will be insurmountable and issues upon which we will never agree.

But — and this is the important part — we must nevertheless respect the views of rabbis from other Orthodox factions, even when we disagree strongly. We should explore the areas where we do agree and unite behind them, promoting those shared values and ideals together as one – a Jewish nation under God.

Imagine if the leading rabbis of the Charedi world met with the leading rabbis of the Religious Zionist world and emerged united in that way. Or if the rabbis of BMG and YU did the same. What a different world we would live in if that happened. It all comes down to respecting those with whom we disagree - even strongly - while still demonstrating brotherhood and mutual respect.

What about Orthodoxy and heterodoxy? Is there any way to engage in dialogue without compromising principles?

Absolutely there is... 

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