Turning Inward: The Retribalization of the Jews
The New Ethnicity and Its Limits
Sociologist Samuel Norich moderates a conversation with Irving Levine, Director of the Institute for Pluralism and Group Identity at the American Jewish Committee, and political scientist Harold Isaacs about the conceptual and practical limitations of ethnicity. This is the second of four discussions about the “unique and universal” characteristics of the Jewish tradition. This series was organized by the 92nd Street Y in collaboration with the Radius Institute. Rabbi Steve Shaw, founder of the Radius Institute, introduces the discussion. Levine centers his remarks around the previous 15 years of Jewish life in the United States, and the emergence of white ethnicity. Isaacs responds with a critical reflection on the political consequences of ethnicity, arguing that the defensive power of ethnic subdivision can become “power that is corrupt.” The discussion is followed with questions from the audience.
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