Abraham Joshua Heschel – an appreciation
JVL Introduction
In Britain, we know of Rabbi Heschel through his participation in the 1965 march from Selma to Birmingham and his support for the civil rights movement..
But we generally know little more.
In this essay, Cornell West situates Heschel in his time, inspired by the biblical prophets as he drew meaning, relevance and radical conclusions out of the catastrophe of the Holocaust.
For West: “The fundamental question facing world Jewry—especially the younger generation—is how to keep alive the precious prophetic legacy of Jerusalem, exemplified in the words and works of Heschel and King, in the age of escalating neo-fascism…
“What are the bounds of our sensitivity and empathy? In which narratives of the past and present do we situate, locate, and insert ourselves?”
This article was originally published by Jewish Currents on Wed 23 Dec 2020. Read the original here.
The Radical Heschel
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“For evil is indivisible . . . The greatest task of our time is to take the souls of men out of the pit.”
This inspiring piece demonstrates the humanity of radical Jewish thought, even before figures like Heschel had the opportunity to comprehend where Zionism would lead.
Inspirational in these dark times.
‘The greatest task of our time is to take the souls of men out of the pit.’
A fine piece; I just started Yacov Rabkin’s A threat from within – A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism. (Fernwood/Zed, 2006) Both analytical and historical, it seems an excellent complement to Herschel’s social theology as summarised by West. Worthy of parallel study?
I did not know what being a prophet means until I read Heschel’s book.
Professor, Dr. West – For the most part you have in your writing much of the essence of what Prof. Rabbi, Dr. Heschel was about and his soul as well. To claim however he would have even thought about Israel in a way reflected by your statement as “Ethnic Cleansing” is not only outrageous but destructive. Just read some of the comments you have incited. The incident you wrote of, was 1 incident to which he reacted to as most Jews would respond with sadness to great to bear. FYI – on Passover during the weekly prayers we omit most of Hallel which is often recited during Joyous and Celebratory times, because the Egyptians were drowned in the sea. If you closely read his book Israel, Echo of Eternity and followed his interactions with Nostra Aetate/ Vatican II – if you did that honestly, without an agenda, you would awaken to the truth. It pains me as you too write so magnificently and whose soul appears aligned with the likes of Heschel and King to have the world possibly mislead by this darkened tone. If you do some digging, read and listen to Reverend King’s expressions on Israel, you will come to see that he too would never use the language you have, never. I believe this type of communication so brilliant yet tainted, holds you back from true greatness…worse yet…your true potential of healing the world – Tikum Olam. Perhaps, you can be honest with yourself and realize that. I hope you do so we can truly join hands.