Discussion Guide

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

TO OPEN THE CONVERSATION, BEGIN BY ASKING:

1. Why have so many Jewish Americans participated in progressive politics?

2. Why does Abraham Heschel loom so large in contemporary Judaism?

CHAPTER 1: WARSAW

1. How did the vibrant Hasidic world of Warsaw intersect with other strands of Jewish life in shaping

Heschel’s childhood?

2. What compelled Heschel to leave Warsaw?

CHAPTER 2: BERLIN

1. Why were contemporary Jewish scholars drawn to Eastern European Hasidic Jews such as Heschel?

2. What did Heschel take away from his studies at the University of Berlin and his time in the city?

3. Who were some of the figures who influenced him in Berlin?

CHAPTER 3: CINCINNATI

1. Which elements of Reform Judaism troubled Heschel at HUC?

2. What were some key moments in his introduction to political activism during these years?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 4: NEW YORK CITY

1. What were core ideas that could be found in Heschel’s different publications?

2. How did the Holocaust shape his writing?

3. What allowed Heschel to become so popular as a religious figure during the early Cold War?

4. What were some of the intellectual fault lines at JTS?

5. How did Heschel’s writing during these years create a foundation for his political activism in the 1960s?

CHAPTER 5: SELMA

1. What explains the strength of Heschel’s relationship with Dr. King?

2. How were Heschel’s involvement in Soviet Jewry, civil rights, and the fight against anti-Semitism in the

Catholic Church interconnected?

3. Why did the march in Selma have such a huge impact on Heschel’s life and legacy?

CHAPTER 6: WASHINGTON

1. What did the Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam achieve that proved more difficult for other parts of the anti-war movement?

2. Why did Vietnam consume Heschel’s attention?

3. How did Heschel handle the rifts that emerged with fellow anti-war activists over the Six Day War?

4. What was the purpose of the CALCAV mobilizations in Washington?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 7: LEGACY

1. What challenges arose after the 1960s to Heschel’s progressive religious politics?

2. How did synagogues and rabbis incorporate Heschel into the liturgy? Why did his work gain popularity among Conservative rabbis?

3. What parts of his legacy resonate most powerfully today?