Seattle Peoplehood Project Propose approach to address the “peoplehood crisis” by building...

Seattle Peoplehood Seattle Peoplehood ProjectProject

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OutlineOutline• Peoplehood Crisis:

- definition and causes• Repairing peoplehood from within

by:o Awareness of “baseless hatred”oBuilding empathyoFostering arevut

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In the past, being a Jew meant being a member of a particular people.This is no longer the case: the condition and position of Jewish people has changed.Today, peoplehood consciousness must be re-taught step by step to all, adults and youth.

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Peoplehood CrisisPeoplehood Crisis

Peoplehood CrisisPeoplehood Crisis

• Loss of identification with Jews throughout the world

• Loss of mutual responsibility for Jews

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Peoplehood CrisisPeoplehood CrisisStems from:•Profound differences in ideology (religious, political)•Loss of “peoplehood consciousness” when there is no existential crisis

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Peoplehood ConceptPeoplehood Concept

Why Jews spent most of their history outside their Land?

Loss of land was caused by divisiveness and “suicidal” disunity resulting from sinat chinam.

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Sinat ChinamSinat Chinam: Baseless : Baseless Hatred and the LandHatred and the Land

Sinat Chinam: Baseless Sinat Chinam: Baseless HatredHatred

מקדש שני, שהיו עוסקין בתורה ובמצות וגמילות שנאת חינםחסדים, מפני מה חרב? מפני שהייתה בו .

Why was the Second Temple destroyed, whose people occupied themselves with Torah, with observance of precepts, and with the practice of charity? Because within it was baseless hatred.

Talmud (Yoma 9b)

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Since hatred destroyed their peoplehood while they had their Land, Jews set out to focus on their interpersonal relationships in order to survive as a people, without Land

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Sinat Chinam: Baseless Sinat Chinam: Baseless HatredHatred

• Belonging in a group – social acceptance – ranks as fundamental human need.

• Groups acquire meaning in comparisons: are we religious? Egalitarian? Inclusive?

• Groups adopt emotions, such as indifference, stereotypes and prejudice, that originate with the primitive neural system

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Sinat Chinam: The Sinat Chinam: The Primitive Neural ResponsePrimitive Neural Response

Our neural system has two components:primitive and advanced.

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Sinat Chinam: Baseless Sinat Chinam: Baseless HatredHatred

• The Primitive Neural System (PNS) acts as guardian: it scans for signs of threat or pain and triggers a response.

• Hate is a survival mechanism associated with PNS – it causes us to dehumanize others.

• Hate-like responses are based on our perceptions and insecurities – they can result from small triggers – criticism, a joke, a wrong look… 12

Sinat Chinam: Baseless Sinat Chinam: Baseless HatredHatred

What makes hatred baseless and destructive?•Hatred is an excessive and unjust response because of the large gap between its triggers and consequences •It lasts•It spreads•It is avoidable

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Sinat Chinam: Baseless Sinat Chinam: Baseless HatredHatred

Perception of threat leads to loss of peoplehood

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Sinat Chinam: Baseless Sinat Chinam: Baseless HatredHatred

The key to curbing baseless hatred is simply awareness:•Recognizing and not responding to reactions of Primitive Neural System•Developing empathy skills

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Curbing baseless hatredCurbing baseless hatred

EmpathyEmpathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Beyond sympathy or compassion, empathy lets us imagine ourselves in another’s place

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• Recognize that other people have valid reasons to hold their opinions and are just reacting with knowledge they have

• Train your mind to immerse yourself in a different perspective

• Search for what you share• Radical listening

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Developing EmpathyDeveloping Empathy

Arevut: Mutual Arevut: Mutual ResponsibilityResponsibility

“A central Jewish principle of interpersonal relationships, aimed at addressing the unanswered question of Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer was provided by Judah when he stated, “I am a guarantor for my brother” and thus reunited his family.”

Rene H Levy and David Chivo“Jewish Peoplehood Crisis: The Seattle Call for Conversation”

יםכל ישראל ִב ֵר� זה לזהֲעAll Israel are responsible for one another

Talmud (Shevuot 39a)

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Arevut: mutual Arevut: mutual responsibilityresponsibility

Jews can lead a world-wide effort to curb hatred by educating a new generation able to live by our social ideal of mutual responsibility.We can teach the world to expand the “us” perspective to include every other human being.

“The primary mission of the Jewish people has been, and remains, to create a moral society based on the principle of mutual responsibility.”

Rene H Levy and David Chivo“Jewish Peoplehood Crisis: The Seattle Call for Conversation”

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Arevut: Mutual Arevut: Mutual ResponsibilityResponsibility

Fostering arevut in our communities:•Respecting our diversity •Reacting with civility to differences in opinion•Recognizing that indifference, stereotypes and prejudice are immoral…without attempting to blur our differences for the sake of unity!

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Building PeoplehoodBuilding Peoplehood

Fostering arevut in our families:• Relationships with strong emotional links –

family and friends – are most likely to produce hate triggers

• Prevent new episodes of estrangement or hatred

• Repair existing episodes

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Building PeoplehoodBuilding Peoplehood

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Repairing PeoplehoodRepairing Peoplehood

Proposed Peoplehood concept is:• deeply rooted in our history• independent of religious affiliation• addresses the tikkun olam mission

of our people• but requires a personal commitment

to overcome hatred in every aspect of our lives

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ConclusionConclusion

Conclusion: to engage communityConclusion: to engage community

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• Peoplehood ambassadors• Peoplehood builders• Peoplehood lamplighters

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Conclusion: to engage communityConclusion: to engage community