Rabbi with a Cause: Israel and Identity

This book is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and David J. Goldberg (1939-2019), former Senior Rabbi Emeritus of London’s Liberal Jewish Synagogue and author and columnist. This wide-ranging conversation is based on Goldberg’s book, This Is Not The Way: Jews, Judaism and Israel, which boldly explores a number of themes that interweave religion, politics, culture and identity in a way that is relevant to all of us, regardless of our cultural background or religious orientation. For many of us, caught as we are between love of tradition and the allure of contemporary liberal values, maintaining a coherent sense of personal identity is a highly delicate task indeed but Rabbi Goldberg has consistently been willing to meet the challenge head-on as explored in this thought-provoking discussion. 


This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, Chasing Ourselves, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

I. This Is Not The Way - Motivations and responses
II. Jewish Values - Freedom and Justice
III. Who is a Jew? -  The logic of self-identification
IV. Cultural Judaism - Beyond religious sentiments
V. Ever Striving - Multiculturalism, tolerance and losing interfaith



About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:


This book is part of an expanding series of 100+ Ideas Roadshow conversations, each one presenting a wealth of candid insights from a leading expert through a focused yet informal setting to give non-specialists a uniquely accessible window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be encountered through standard lectures and textbooks.