Abraham Joshua Heschel—a Major Jewish Prophet
JVL Introduction
As we approach Yom Kippur, even the secularists and atheists among us may enjoy discovering – or rediscovering – the deeply radical, religious and spiritual Jewish tradition embodied in the life of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Descended from prominent Hassidic rabbis, Heshel was born in Poland in 1907 but lived and worked in Germany until he was expelled in 1938. He escaped to the US, where he became a prolific scholar and popular writer and, in the sixties and perhaps unexpectedly, a renowned social activist.
A film of his life has recently been released by Journey Films, directed and produced by Martin Doblmeier, Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story, which provided the occasion for Tikkun to publish this appraisal of his life.
It is one of four films about religious leaders that Doblmeier has made, “because he felt that the cause of progressive religion has been neglected and largely forgotten by the mainstream media”.
This article was originally published by Tikkun on Mon 14 Jun 2021. Read the original here.
Abraham Joshua Heschel—a Major Jewish Prophet
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Always interested in the Hasidim. Used to live in Stoke Newington London…i was just walking down the street when a Hasidim asked me if I would help unload a lorry being broke I said yes there were 4 of us but he offered me a job in his mini-market and I was made to feel part of the family… I then read about them and was deeply impressed by their faith and wisdom
Zapata said, “Strong leader, weak people!” It may have been a question though?
This article made great sense.
“All I can say is that whether or not we are all just epigones, there is much to learn from the glorious history of progressive religion in twentieth-century America, for inspiration, for consolation, and the occasional prophetic kick in the pants.”
I am off to discover more about progressive religion