Jewish Attitudes to the “Other”

“For in the Image of God Was Adam Created”: Xenophobic Bias vs. Expansive Inclusion in the Judaic Tradition

Join this online learning with Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller.

Who is Adam? Are all humans created in God’s image? Probing the sources of racism in Judaism, this seminar takes a critical look at classical Jewish texts that sanction slavery and promote prejudice and intolerance. Countering with core teachings that affirm the essential humanity of all and nurture an acceptance of difference, while boldly renouncing any form of  human subjugation or subordination, we will argue that Jewish tradition calls on us to overcome our prejudices, to “love the stranger” and to aspire to a world of unity and amity among God’s diverse creations.

The session will include sources that establish a Jewish case for reparations as well as a plea for our active involvement in advocating for racial justice and for foundational social and structural change at this moment of national crisis.