Editor's Letter
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A Thoughtful Voice
"The search for goodness or God or meaning or the Promised Land or even the Messiah is really about
the pursuit. I think that's what my teacher Yitz Greenberg meant when he said the Messiah was the
bunny that kept the greyhounds of civilization running."
- Brad Hirschfield, from his book
Ask the
YOU DON'T
HAVE TO
BE WRONG
FOR_ ME TO
BE RIGHT
BRAD HI RSCH FIE LD
T
alk about a spiritually pro-
Muslims. He conceived and hosts the American Muslim TV
vocative yet uplifting 25
Network series Building Bridges: Abrahamic Perspectives on
minutes!
the World Today. The series, now in its third season, reaches
As we sat in the David B. Hermelin
3 million households. His new series, American Pilgrimage,
ORT Resource Center at the Jewish
began in July. It brings viewers into the homes and mosques
Community Center in West Bloomfield
of Muslim leaders across the country.
on Nov. 16, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield and
"We live in a world where religion is killing more people
I talked about his assessment of today
than at any time since the Crusades:' Hirschfield writes on his
— "one of the most polarized moments book's dust jacket. He rejects categorizing people. Rather, he
in human history."
seeks to bring people of different faiths, and also the faithless,
That's a heavy topic for any discus-
together. He promotes diversity and acceptance as elixirs for
sion, let alone a Sunday night chat on
religious, racial and ethnic unrest.
the last day of the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan
This pursuit certainly fits with the experience of his great-
Detroit's 57th annual Jewish Book Fair, the oldest and largest
grandparents, Russian immigrants Sarah and Sam Plotkin, who
such event.
may have been the first Jews to live in Birmingham, Mich., at
Still, I found the topics we kicked around compelling. The
the time a restricted community. They would have moved there
rabbi is a robust man with robust ideas. He shapes authentic
around the turn of the last century. Both came from established
understanding from his years of study, conflict and dialogue.
families. Sam, a cabinet maker, "had to buy his way into the
Hirschfield, president of the New York-based CLAL/The
area, paying off neighbors to make it acceptable for them to live
National Center for Jewish Learning and Leadership, was at
next to a Jew," Hirschfield writes in his book.
the book fair to spotlight his new book, You Don't Have To
At Wits' End
Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith
Without Fanaticism (Harmony Books, New
I was stunned to learn that Hirschfield, an
York, 2007). It's an arresting essay on the
Orthodox rabbi who grew up in an upscale
search for faith without fanaticism — for
neighborhood on Chicago's north shore, honed
inclusiveness without sacrificing tradition.
his spiritual spurs as part of the 1980s settler
You get the feeling we really can forge a world
movement in the West Bank city of Hebron.
with less violence and division.
The settlers' aim was to reconstitute the Jewish
CLArs famed founder, Rabbi Irving "Yitz"
state within the biblical borders of Eretz Yisrael
Greenberg, recruited Hirschfield in 1994.
(Land of Israel). Hirschfield carried a gun
Hirschfield, then 30, had been ordained at the
and even fired it twice. He doesn't know if his
Institute of Traditional Judaism in Teaneck,
bullets struck anyone. He spiritually retreated
N.J. He had come to CLAL in 1993 as a rab-
when he saw what extremism can foster. In its
binic intern. Subsequent part-time work under
place, he grappled with the intersection of reli-
Greenberg eventually led Hirschfield to high-
gious belief and common ground.
level staff positions. He and wife, Becky, now live
Hirschfield truly has come full circle, today
in Riverdale, N.Y. They have three daughters.
preaching
an interfaith message of peace and
Brad Hirschfie Id
hope to counter all the hate and deception.
Balancing Polarities
He has journeyed to the inner chamber of the
In our pre-lecture discussion, Hirschfield first established his
human soul to discover modern applications to biblical themes.
baseline. To draw from Jewish knowledge and tradition, he
Hirschfield considers his book a vehicle, much like Judaism
says, we must craft a compass worthy of navigating our polar- is. It is a vehicle for helping people live happier and more
izing times.
meaningfully — and design a society where kids ultimately
"It's incumbent upon us to do two things:' he says. "We
will have a real shot at achieving the same thing.
must commit deeply to people we love most. And we must
We must own the dark side of religion or we risk the
remain deeply open to people who have different commit-
avalanche of hate that destroyed New York's Twin Towers,
ments and loves than us."
Hirschfield says. "Religion drove those planes into the build-
That message is central to the 272-page book, his life and
ings," he says, "but it also can provide the catalyst for building
how he views the world. "This approach is something that I
a better world."
think the human race needs in the 21st century:' he says. "I
My attention turned rapt as Hirschfield recounted how
am simply trying to play a part in nurturing the ability for
every stopping point of his life — a largely secular home,
genuine commitment and openness."
being a settler in Hebron, earning two degrees from the
The notion is powerful.
Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, becoming an
Not one to recoil, Hirschfield has reached out to American
Thoughtful Voice on page A6
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November 27 2008
1420970
A5