How Judaism Became a Religion Saturdays, October 10 and 24, 12:15-1:45 pm (after Kiddush)

What exactly is a religion, anyway? Is Judaism a religion? If not, what is it? These questions have puzzled Jews (and those we live among) since the Enlightenment. Follow Leora Batnitzky  on the journey of how Jews have integrated, or not, in our encounters with the modern world.  We will travel from optimism about emancipation (this is where the question of religion rises up), pessimism when the promise of emancipation dissolved in the face of nationalism  in
France and Germany (this is where the question of Jewishness takes over). Judaism as a very private and non-political matter, Judaism as an essentially political matter,
e.g., Zionism, Judaism as a civilization. And what does Jewishness have to do with any of it? These questions are with us still: ‘who is a Jew?’ and ‘what is Judaism?’ — and what are these things to me? to my community?  If you want to read ahead, the book is How Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought, by Prof. Batnitzky, but reading it is not essential.

Registration requested, below. No cost for members; $5 for non-members.

Facilitator: Pat Madsen, a B’nai Havurah member for the better part of 30 years, has written liturgy, studied for a master’s in Judaic Studies, helped plan many JWRC/Kol Nashim Women’s Retreats, sat as a judge, practiced law, acted in local theaters, read more than is necessary, and taught at the Denver Institute for Jewish Studies.