Ammiel Hirsch: 'What Did We Do Wrong?' Peoplehood and the Reform Movement [Denominations 2/5]

This series is sponsored by Joel and Lynn Mael in memory of Estelle and Nysen Mael.

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and a leader of the Reform Movement, about the way Jewish Peoplehood is understood among the non-Orthodox majority of American Jews.

Rabbi Hirsch is known in the Reform Movement and beyond for his decades-long staunch commitment to Jewish Peoplehood. We recorded this interview before Oct. 7, and especially considering Rabbi Hirsch’s leadership on issues related to Zionism, a follow-up conversation with him will follow shortly. In this episode we discuss:

–Where should the State of Israel fit into our priorities as a people?
–‚How has Reform Judaism course-corrected its views on Jewish Peoplehood over time?
–How can we be a unified people when we can’t always agree on who is a Jew?

Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might improve the state of interdenominational relations.

Intro: 0:00
Interview: 19:50
Outro: 1:06:46

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is a leader of the Reform Movement. He is the senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and former executive director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America/World Union for Progressive Judaism, North America. He wrote two books: The Lilac Tree: A Rabbi’s Reflections on Love, Courage, and History (2023) and One People, Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues That Divide Them (2003), which he co-authored with Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman.

References:

One People, Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues That Divide Them by Ammiel Hirsch and Yaakov Yosef Reinman

The Impostor by Avner Gold

18Forty Podcast: “Altie Karper: When a Book Is Banned”

“The Believer” by Armin Rosen

“Dissent in the Reform Ranks” by Armin Rosen

The Lilac Tree: A Rabbi’s Reflections on Love, Courage, and History by Ammiel Hirsch

The Book of Jewish Values: A Day-by-Day Guide to Ethical Living by Joseph Telushkin

“Who Can Be Called Rabbi?” by Gil Student

“Shomer Yisroel” by Omek Hadavar