On The Bookshelf

The Primacy
Of Spirituality

Journalist writes book about
the religious aspects ofglobalization.

AARON LEIBEL
Washington Jewish Week

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kind of globalization.
"Halachah was accepted by Jews in
Amsterdam and Baghdad," Rifkin
says. "There was a common system of
values and a religious legal code that
could be enforced by a beit din (reli-
gious court). This, in turn, allowed
for international commerce between
Jews who could trust each other, who
lived by the same code. That set in
motion the forces of globalization."

ra Rifkin looks at everything
through the prism of religion
and spiritual beliefs. So the
Annapolis, Md.-based religion
writer and author of the recently
published Spiritual Perspectives on
Globalization: Making Sense of
Economic and Cultural Upheaval
(Skylight Paths; $16.95) felt per-
fectly natural writing a book about
the religious aspects of globaliza-
tion.
"I believe that religious ideas are
the crux of every civilization," the
author notes. Because everyone is
influenced by the religious culture
in which he or she lives, "looking
at globalization through this prism
is like looking at any issue becau:se
everything is influenced by our
religious perspective."
In his book, Rifkin looks at how
various religions — Roman
Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism,
Judaism, Buddhism, the B'hai
faith, Protestantism, and tribal and
earth-based belief systems — and
Making Sense of Economic
their leaders look at globalization.
and Cultural Upheaval
Judaism doesn't directly deal
with the modern phenomenon —
iro Rifkin
a concept that emerged as we
forewomi by Dt- Dayld to,44, Hotv,,vti Divimy &hoof
know it in a 1944 plan for post-
war economic recovery starting
Ira Rifkin examines evidence of how various
with the World Bank — but its
religions view the economic, cultural and
faith and values are related to
personal
aspects ofglobalization.
aspects of globalization. .
For example, the author explains,
Judaism puts a great deal of
Many of the institutions of modern
emphasis on how employers are sup-
globalization grew out of the Jewish
posed to treat their employees.
"If international businesses are mis- experience, he says.
treating or taking advantage of their
workers in Southeast Asia or Africa,
then that is in conflict with the moral Experienced Journalist
Rifkin, 60, was born in New York
and ethical values of Judaism," he
City. He calls his background "tradi-
says.
tionally Brooklyn Jewish," not very
Jews themselves are a globalized
observant — "we kept kosher for the
people, he adds, having become one
grandparents," he remembers — but
after they were forced to leave their
culturally Jewish.
homeland and dispersed throughout
He attended Hebrew school and
the world. Out of necessity, they
developed a system that became a
SPIRITUALITY on page 78

SPIRITUAL
PERSPEC
S.