Letter from R. Sidney Shulman about Halachic Discussion of "Who Is a Jew?"

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Correspondence

Letter from R. Sidney Shulman about Halachic Discussion of "Who Is a Jew?"

Who Is a Jew?

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Exchange with R. Klavan about Signed Statement on "Who Is a Jew?" (1970)

Dear Issy: I enclose a draft copy of a Proclamation which ought to be circulated, signed, and published as quickly and expeditiously as possible. I talked with the Rav about it, and he is very much in favor of the idea. Please show him the copy for possible revision. I have no pride of authorship; as long as it is done in time for maximum effect I’ll be happy. Perhaps you can contact a number of people, in different areas in public and academic life and ask them to obtain consent for the use of their names. Dr. Seymour Lachman, the Board of Education (who first proposed the idea to me) might know of others in his field. In city government you might try Marvin Schick and Drell Greer. Marvin may have recommendations for other academic too. Milton Furst of Y.U. may have a list of people. Offhand, I might mention Marvin Fox of Ohio State, Paul Rosenberg of Columbia, and Abraham Tennenbaum of Columbia. The petition should be sent to Golda Meir and published in the Jerusalem Post, in Haaretz (in Hebrew) — and how about the New York Times? My secretary is typing this up while I’m off to California, but you can contact me at any time. I’ll be at the Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs — she has my phone number. I’m sorry to burden you with this, but if the issue has not been settled by the time you get this letter, it is simply too important to delay.

Correspondence

Letter to R. Peli about "Who Is a Jew?" Article (1970)

מעטפה מיוחדת שלחתי לך – העתק דרשה שדרשתי בבהכנ״ס בפרשה שעברה. מתוך דבריך בפא״פ אני משער שאתה רוצה לבטל את השיקולים והדיונים על הנקודות הטכניות, ולהעביר את השיחה אל היסודות האמיתיים של העניין. כפי שתראה – ניסיתי לעשות כן, אף על פי שאינני יודע אם תסכים לדברי. דברי מיועדים לפסק הדין כלפי אלה (ואנוכי הקטן בתוכם) שהגידו לפסק הדין כפי שהיה ב-New York Times. ואף על פי שנאמרו בנחת ושקט – ואולי מנביאים בדורך – מכל מקום מדרשה זו אברר לפחות את עמידתי אני.

Correspondence

Letter to Saul Bernstein Enclosing "Who Is a Jew?" Revision for Jewish Life (1970)

Dear Saul: In keeping with my promise, I am sending you my revised copy of "Who Is A Jew?" for publication in Jewish Life. Please be in contact with me as to any questions. My very best wishes for a Gut Shabbos and a happy Passover. Cordially yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm. P.S.: Because I would like reprints to be distributed widely, I strongly urge you to keep transliterations and Biblical references the way I have them. "WHO IS A JEW?"; The Supreme Court & The Supreme Judge, Norman Lamm:One of the grand old men of Hebrew letters in Israel, Eliezer Steinman, has written, "Who is a Jew? One who doesn’t ask, ‘Who is a Jew?’”The very raising of the question in our days is a troubling phenomenon. It means that our very identity, our Jewishness, has become problematical. It indicates that all of Jewish continuity has been brought under a question mark.This issue has plagued the State almost since its very inception. Actually, the groundwork for it was laid in the Emancipation, at the end of the 18th century, when the Haskalah bequeathed to posterity one of its less luminous teachings: that one ought to be a “Jew” indoors and a “man” outside. This obfuscation of Jewish identity now has returned to monopolize public attention and stir public controversy both in Israel and in the Diaspora.The problem does not concern Israeli citizenship. A political state comprises many different ethnic, racial, and religious groups. Even in ancient Israel, a non-Jew (*ger toshav*) was accepted as a citizen. What is at issue is Jewish nationality. Here the *Halakhah* is quite clear: a Jew is one born to a Jewish mother (regardless of his commitments or conduct) or properly converted to Judaism (in which case the conversion must be performed in a prescribed manner, and the convert must be genuinely committed to Torah). The Jewish tradition recognizes no other yardstick for entering Jewish peoplehood. Hence, any decision by the State concerning nationality (as opposed to citizenship) is of i…