A 21st century rabbi
Jewish communities in Germany launch educational programs to help young people foster their identity as Jews, make Judaism a tangible part of everyday life
Video courtesy of jn1.tv
In a Frankfurt-based educational program called Jewish Experience, Jewish millennials are learning that the major challenge for the Jewish community in the 21st century will be whether or not it can translate its rich tradition and holy law to speak to the most pressing contemporary moral problems of our time.
Rabbi Jonathan Konits is reaching out to the Jewish generation of millennials to provide them with compelling experiences of Jewish community and Jewish tradition, and he wants to do it using new media that did not exist only a few years ago.
Rabbi Konits wants to communicate a Judaism that can compete in a globalized world in which identities and communal boundaries are increasingly permeable, and he wants his students to learn how to use Jewish wisdom to speak to contemporary global issues.
As a 21st century rabbi, Konits must be prepared to work with real people, with real concerns, trying their hardest to live meaningful lives under circumstances that are often less than optimal.
