FROM THE VAULT: Samuel G. Freedman: Can Jew vs. Jew Ever Become Jew with Jew?

While we return to Jewish Denominations next week, enjoy this ever-necessary 2020 conversation about Jewish infighting, division, and unity—pulled from the 18Forty vault. 

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down with Professor of Journalism at Columbia and author, Samuel G. Freedman, to talk about dissent not as a cause of ugliness and divide, but of beauty and unity.

Some would say that disagreement isn’t a bug of the Jewish community, but a feature. We have a rich history of debate in the Talmud and haven’t been able to shake this dubious quality even in the modern day United States. The internet has only exaggerated this, and while one can argue for the benefits of dissent, the fact that Jews seem embroiled in a perpetual state of debate remains.

• Is debate a healthy state of mind for our community?
• Should we be looking to avoid debate or embrace it?
• Does dissent cause only divide or can it be used as a means of understanding the other members of our community?

Tune in to hear Samuel discuss the roles that individual Jews play in the larger debate that is the Jewish community.



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