Our Vision
Each month, Sh’ma creates a “
conversation-in-print” — that is, it brings together an array
of voices that cross the spectrum of Judaism:
secular and religious, communal and nonpartisan, engaged and dispassionately scholarly.
We raise relevant questions thoughtfully and
wrestle lovingly with Jewish concerns as we
attempt to navigate the intellectual, communal, and spiritual challenges of contemporary
Judaism. Our focus is on ideas — their complexity, their range, and their power. Sh’ma is
a vibrant intellectual arena that hosts intelligent and creative conversations about ideas
that reside outside of any particular institution. Our readers open Sh’ma to find what
they cannot find elsewhere — concise, accessible, informative, and intelligent discussion
of Jewish issues. Sometimes focusing on personal belief, other times on communal policy
issues, we look to Sh’ma for incisive articles
that illuminate a range of opinions.
Sh’ma — An independent “think
tank” of diverse ideas and conversations
published online and in print to incubate
issues of significance to the Jewish community conversation.
Who are Sh’ma Readers?
“They are deeply committed to Jewish tradition and Jewish continuity; spiritually curious
and at times adventurous; at home, at least to
some extent, with the world of Jewish texts
and the texture of Jewish rituals; appreciative
of the many genuine intellectual, ethical, and
political benefits of secular modernity, though
not unaware of its fraught relationship with
Jewish life; people for whom their Jewish
identity is a vital component in an ongoing
process of self-creation and expression by the
light of their understanding of morals, community, and spirituality, a process they share
with other families of humanity, and with concerned individuals everywhere.”
Yehudah Mirsky, Fellow at the Jewish
People Policy Planning Institute
Are You One of Our Readers?
Join a growing number of informed Jews —
rabbis, philanthropists, federation directors,
educators, lay leaders, students — who read
Sh’ma each month to view the world through
a Jewish lens that is inclusive, expansive, and
thought-provoking.
Subscribe online at shma.com
ComingApril 2010
Jewish Loyalties
■ Michael Kimmage on the Fifties
■ Noam Pianko on Mordechai Kaplan
■ Arie Dubnov on Hannah Arendt
■ Steven Nadler on Baruch Spinoza
■ Paul Mendes-Flohr on Martin Buber
■ Eli Lederhendler on lines that can’t be crossed
■ Roberta Seid and Hadar Susskind on Israel
■ Amy Eilberg on embracing difference
■ Shaul Magid on dogmas in American Judaism
■ Shlomo Fischer on Israel’s army
■ And an array of short reflections on assessing
personal boundaries & convictions
C O R R E C T I O N : Sh’ma February
Are You Going to a Seder This Year? Give a Gift Subscription To Your Host Join the Sh’ma conversation, stay informed, and subscribe today! SHMA.COM
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