The Sensible Jew’s take on Q & A
The recent appearance of the Emanuel’s Rabbi Jacqueline Nino on ABC-TV’s Q & A provoked a heated discussion on J-Wire. The Sensible Jew gives its take on the topic.
The need for thinking beyond the narrow confine of sub-community cultures is starkly demonstrated in comments section of this J-Wire article.
Non-Jewish readers who imagine Australian Jewry is monolithic might be surprised at how riven by factional conflict we really are.
At the centre of many such conflicts is the question of who – or what – truly represents authentic Judaism. Progressive Judaism is marginalised in various ways by other streams, and the fury of one of the J-Wire commenters is an interesting example of the battle for ownership over our religion.
In the coming week, I will write more on this subject of ownership, concepts of mainstream versus fringe, and the ways in which the reality of our diversity is often at odds with the image certain communal leaders try to project.
Also coming in the new week, Rabbi Yaron Gottlieb will answer one of the questions put to him in his last post regarding the many contradictions of the Orthodox Jewish response to homosexuality, while Malki Rose will examine issues surrounding leadership and the Chabad sect of ultra-orthodoxy.
The Sensible Jew works in tandem with J-Wire. We provide the news. SJ provides the op-eds.
I must admit that, as the one responsible for posting the first comment on the Q&A article, I was a tad surprised to have been described above as having expressed “fury”. Perhaps the language I used in my post was a bit strong, but I was not furious. I merely raised what I think is an important point for consideration.
Alex Fein.
And whom, pray tell is The Sensible Jew?
I am not sure that 5 people for 8 posts actually makes for a heated discussion.