The Week That Was: September 2-8

Last week’s most read content includes an insightful article by long-time educator Avraham Infeld titled, Who is a Jew? Peoplehood Versus Religion and two articles on the upcoming transition at Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School to new leadership.

Here – in alphabetical order – is last week’s most read content:

Lessons Learned from Building a Succession Plan Together
by Rabbi Avi Weiss and Chip Edelsberg

After years of conceptualizing, creating and developing anything – a business, nonprofit, or, in this case, an educational institution – leaving one’s position often brings mixed emotions. The excitement of a new endeavor is tempered with a concern: “What will happen after I leave?”

Response to What Can We Really Learn From Chabad: A Conservative Perspective
by Wendy Grinberg

If Judaism is to be relevant to the “Jew on the street,” we have to start with the questions that people are asking, not of a movement, and not even of Judaism, but of life.

Who is a Jew? Peoplehood Versus Religion
by Avraham Infeld

This concept of Peoplehood that is so fashionable these days, wasn’t invented by Mordecai Kapalan in the 20th century. It is, in fact, the oldest phrase in Jewish history. We were always known as am Israel, the People of Israel. Even Pharaoh in Egypt spoke about the Jews as an am, as a People.

And yet, to my mind, the most serious danger facing the Jewish people today is that Jews of all kinds have forgotten that word: People.

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School Begins Transition to New President

Orthodox Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (YCT) has announced that Founder and President Rav Avi Weiss will be handing over the Presidency of the yeshiva to Rav Asher Lopatin of Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel Congregation, effective July 2013.