Aaron Hahn Tapper: Judaism Unbound Episode 195 - Judaisms?
Aaron Hahn Tapper, author of Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities and founding Director of the University of San Francisco’s Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice, joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg to talk about why, when talking about Jews and Jewish practice, you should add an “s” to the end of “Judaism.” [1]
Image Credit: Barbara Ries
(0:01 - 20:04): To begin the episode, Hahn Tapper introduces some of the core ideas of Judaisms, emphasizing the point that there has never been one normative “Judaism,” but instead many different Judaisms. In doing so, he argues that there is a major difference between statements of “Jews do X” and those that begin with “Some Jews do X.” [2] He also describes how those “Jews do X” or “Jews believe Y’ statements are not only inaccurate, but also carry the potential of marginalizing groups whose Jewish observances look different from those that predominate. As a way of concretizing some of these ideas, both Hahn Tapper and Lex look back at important moments in their respective childhoods, which illustrate ways in which many Jews have been socialized to see certain forms of Judaism — and Jewish families — as “more Jewish” than others. [3]
(20:05 - 39:51): Hahn Tapper reflects on a question that has come up in a number of past Judaism Unbound episodes: does he feel more connected to Jews whose values and lives are drastically different from his own (such as Ultra-Orthodox Jews) or to those who aren’t Jewish, but have values that more closely align with his? [4] Continuing threads from earlier in the episode, regarding whether there is (or where to draw) a line separating Judaism from that which isn’t Jewish, Hahn Tapper looks at the evolving historic relationship between Jesus’s followers and Judaism (such followers, in the first few centuries C.E, where firmly recognized as Jews, but today they are not). [5] He also lays out different ways in which the Jewishness of a ritual, or an object, can be conceptualized, arguing that objects ultimately hold the statuses that people assign to them [6] — as opposed to possessing an inherent kind of Jewish “essence.”
(39:52 - 56:56): Dan asks Hahn Tapper about the relationship between Jewish Education, on the one hand, and Jewish Studies (on university campuses), on the other. He argues that — even as the vast majority of his students are not themselves Jews — his classes should be understood as a form of Jewish education. To close, Hahn Tapper offers up a few reasons why the idea of Judaisms should be understood more as a liberating reality than as a dangerous threat, and reflects on a memorable experience in his life that helped expand his consciousness regarding the expansive possibilities of what Judaism(s) are and could be. [7]
[1] Check out Aaron Hahn Tapper’s full bio here, and purchase Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities at this link.
[2] For another conversation that looks at the distinction between statements of “Jews do X” and “Some Jews do X,” see Episode 106: Cohere - Ari Moffic.
[3] Hahn Tapper makes a compelling argument regarding how people who were not Jewish can still be seen as part of the “Jewish story.” For another piece that looks at that question, see Lila Corwin Berman’s essay, entitled “Jewish History beyond the Jewish people.”
[4] Think through this question with another Judaism Unbound guest, Yehuda Kurtzer, who lays out his “B’nei B’rak Test” in Episode 41: History and Memory - Yehuda Kurtzer.
[5] Hahn Tapper references the work of Daniel Boyarin in this section of the episode. Boyarin’s appearance on Judaism Unbound touches on many of the same questions as this one — so much so that we chose titles for each that tie the two to one another. You can listen to it here: Episode 149: Judaism? - Daniel Boyarin
[6] For two episodes that look at the ways in which sacredness (and Jewishness) can be assigned to objects and rituals, see Episode 5: Leviticus - Vanessa Ochs and Episode 171: Digesting Judaism - Rachel B. Gross.
[7] Juan Mejia shares some of Hahn Tapper’s excitement at the prospect of expanding our mindset of what Judaisms have consisted of and could contain in the future. Hear from him in Episode 57: Becoming Jewish…On the Web - Juan Mejia.