Episode #2: Is Judaism a Religion? (Part I)
“The modern concept of religion was and is not a neutral category.”
- Leora Batnitzky (Professor of Jewish Studies & Religion, Princeton University
Turns out we actually aren’t entirely sure how to define “religion.” And we’re not even sure if Judaism fits the description to begin with. If we’re using the lens of “religion” to understand Judaism, what is the nature of that lens? How does its clarity and focus affect what we’re looking at? Is it magnifying or distorting things? When we use that lens, what are we seeing, and what are we not seeing? And who built that lens? Can we even call Judaism a religion?
In This Episode…
We learn about…
What the controversial ending of the TV show LOST clues us into about the nature of Judaism
How notoriously hard it is to define what is meant by “religion”
A thought experiment to help out with that problem
The relationship between Jewish ethnicity, law, philosophy, politics, culture, and religion
The social status of Jews in 1700s Germany and the eventual impact of the French Revolution
What happens to Judaism when a young Jew from the countryside is forced to enter Berlin through a city gate meant for cattle?
Felix Mendelssohn and German Romantic Classical Music (just a little bit)
Anger and the historical psychology of Jews
And why does all this matter for how we understand what it means to talk about or be Jewish today?
From this Episode…
A portrait of Moses Mendelssohn displayed in the Jewish Museum, Berlin, based on an oil portrait (1771) by Anton Graff in the collection of the University of Leipzig.
Medieval Europe wasn’t all persecution - there was a vibrancy and creativity to Jewish life. In certain places and times, Jews “grew in numbers, flourished economically, interacted vigorously with their creative non-Jewish milieu, fashioned major institutions of Jewish intellectual and spiritual activity, and produced great intellectual and spiritual leaders and works.” (Robert Chazan, The Public Medievalist)
Berlin’s Rosenthaler Gate (Rosenthaler Tor), circa 1800. This gate was one of the few through which Jews were allowed to enter until the 19th century. Mendelssohn would have entered Berlin through this gate, and paid a tax on his own head, similar to that of a cow being brought to market.
What the LOST Finale is Really About @ Religion Dispatches
“LOST is a postmodern pastiche of world religions, a mash-up of myths—which doesn’t make it any less significant to its receivers. Myths are always mash-ups...” (S. Brent Rodriguez, 2010)
Some argue that Felix Mendelssohn, despite having been baptized as a Christian, was still attached to his Jewish heritage. Others argue that his views changed radically over the course of his life. Jeffrey Sposato, author of The Price of Assimilation: Felix Mendelssohn and the Nineteenth Century Anti-Semitic Tradition, argues that “At first, while under his father’s watchful eye, he attempted to distance himself from Judaism, often by incorporating anti-Semitic imagery into his oratorio texts, but later, when his father was no longer in the picture, Mendelssohn worked to find ways in which he could celebrate his Christian faith in his works without denigrating the Jews in the process.” (Brandeis University)
Terms & Translations from the Episode
Magen David (מגן דוד): Literally means the “Shield of David,” even though its use is not actually historically attributed to King David. In early Medieval times, the symbol was known as the “Seal of Solomon,” and was popular in Middle Eastern Art. Around the same time, Jewish mystics adopted it for use in protective amulets. The change of name may have originated in either Muslim or Jewish mysticism. Its adoption as a distinctive symbol for the Jewish people and Judaism dates to 17th-century Prague, and in the 19th century, the symbol began to be widely used among the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. It has ultimately come to be widely used to represent Judaism, and appears on the flag of the State of Israel.
Hindu ōm: One of the most important spiritual symbols in Hinduism (as well as playing a role in Buddhism, Janism, and Sikhism. It represents the ultimate reality/truth of the entire universe, which is understood as consciousness. It is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts, and is used as a sacred spiritual incantation during the recitation of spiritual texts, prayer, in rite of passage ceremonies such as weddings, and during meditative and spiritual activities such as yoga.
Muslim Star and Crescent: The use of the crescent moon and star as symbols actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years. It was first used widely as a symbol of the Ottoman Empire before attaining more universally Muslim connotations. In antiquity, the symbol was the flag of the city of Byzantium (Constantinople and Istanbul). When the Ottoman Empire conquered the city, they adopted the flag, and its symbol became affiliated with the Muslim world. While there’s no specific link that connects the star and crescent symbol to the ideas of Islam, it is widely seen as one of its main symbols.
Yin and yang: Literally meaning “dark-light,” or “negative-positive” in Chinese; a Chinese philosophical concept that describes how opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world. The concept and its symbol plays a role in both Taoism and Confucianism.
Dharmachakra Eight-Spoked Wheel: Widely used in Buddhism to represent the Buddha's Dharma (teaching and moral path) - primarily understood as wisdom, knowledge, and insight. This wisdom has two aspects: the wisdom of self-realization of Truth, and the wisdom of proclamation of Truth. The dharmachakra symbol also points to the central Indian idea of “Dharma,” a complex and multivalent term which refers to the eternal cosmic law and universal moral order. In Buddhism, the symbol is also connected to the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, and is also a widespread symbol in other Indian traditions such as Hinduism and Jainism.
“Judeo-Christian:” A term - not of Jewish origin - used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity’s derivation from Judaism, Christianity’s borrowing of the Tanakh (Hebrew/Jewish Bible) to constitute the “Old Testament” of the Christian Bible, or due to perceived parallels or commonalities shared by the two religions. The term first appeared in the 19th century as a word for Jewish converts to Christianity, and became widely used in the United States during the Cold War to suggest a unified American identity opposed to communism. The Jewish attitude towards the concept has been mixed.
Ludwig Wittgenstein: Considered by some to be the greatest philosopher of the 20th century, Ludwig Wittgenstein played a central role in mid-20th-century analytic philosophy. He continues to influence philosophical thought in topics as diverse as logic and language, perception and intention, ethics and religion, aesthetics and culture, and even political thought. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Shtetl (שטעטל): A small town with a large Ashkenazi Jewish population. Shtetls existed in Central and Eastern Europe before the Holocaust - mainly in today’s Russia, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Romania, and Hungary.
Brit Milah / Bris (ברית מילה): The Jewish ritual in which a baby boy is circumcised. Brit Milah literally means “Covenant of Circumcision” (bris is the Yiddish pronunciation of “Brit,” and is commonly used among Ashkenazi Jews as a shorthand reference to the ritual). It is originally described in the Torah’s Book of Genesis, as God commands Abraham to circumcise himself and his offspring as a bodily sign of the covenant between Jews and God. Brit Milah ceremonies are performed by a Mohel (m.)/Mohelet (f.) - a specially trained professional (today it is not uncommon for them to have a related medical degree), and are accompanied by a celebratory meal.
[00:00 - Introduction: LOST and its portrayal of “Religion”]
[02:45 -Examples of Judaism portrayed as “religion”]
[03:30 - Opening Credits]
[04:00 - How Judaism Understands Itself]
[04:40 - Where to Find Definitions]
[05:02 - What Lenses can we use to Understand Judaism?]
[05:40 - Why this is a distinctly Modern Question]
[06:30 - Why it’s Notoriously Hard to Describe the Idea of Religion]
[07:48 - Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Thought Experiment]
[09:13 - Judaism Doesn’t Segment Religion & Other Things]
[10:40 - How the Word “Religion” is Broadly Used Today]
[11:20 - Judaism as an Oral, Holistic Tradition]
[12:32 - The Word “Judaism”]
[13:17 - The Origins of Modern “Religion”]
[15:06 - Things Begin to Change for the Jews of Europe…]
[15:53 - …But not Eastern Europe]
[16:33 - Break]
[17:39 - Berlin in the 1700s]
[18:48 - Introducing Moses Mendelssohn]
[19:22 - But Felix Mendelssohn is More Famous]
[21:22 - What You Have to Pay in order to Enter Berlin]
[23:10 - Moses Mendelssohn Arrives to Berlin, Gets Angry]
[26:25 - Moses Mendelssohn Thinks Some Revolutionary Thoughts]
[27:35 - Closing Credits]
Key Sources
Leora Batnitzky. How Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought. Princeton University Press (2011).
Brent Nongbri. Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept. Yale University Press (2013).
J.E. Barnhart. The Study of Religion and its Meaning: New Explorations in Light of Karl Popper and Emile Durkheim. De Gruyter (1977).
Peter Harrison. ‘Religion’ and the Religions in the English Enlightenment. Cambridge University Press (1990).
Daniel Dubuisson. The Western Construction of Religion. Johns Hopkins University Press (2003).
Elliot Cosgrove. Continuity Requires Religion. Sapir Journal (2021).
Clay Bonnyman Evans.Why Mendelssohn (Moses, not Felix) matters. Interview with Elias Sacks, Assistant Professor of Religious studies and Jewish Studies. Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine (2017).
R. Larry Todd. Mendelssohn – A Life in Music. Oxford; Oxford University (2003).
Eric Werner. Mendelssohn, A New Image of the Composer and his Age. London: Free Press of Glencoe (1963).
Ontario Human Rights Commission, Policy on Preventing Discrimination Based on Creed
Audio Credits
LOST, Bad Robot Productions, Touchstone Television, ABC Studios (2004-2010)
Fiddler on the Roof, The Mirisch Production Company (1971)
Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. La Marseillaise. Performed by the United States Navy Band (1987)
Mendelssohn, Felix. A Midsummer Night's Dream Op. 61 Wedding March. European Archive (2021)
Mendelssohn, Felix. Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Performed by the Concert Band of the United States Air Force Band (1993)