Orly Erez Likhovski

I was inspired by the Jewish concept of working for social change.

Israel Religious Action Center
Israel
A Jewish Perspective

How did Heschel and his thinking inspire your work, religious life, or civic engagement?

I was inspired by the Jewish concept of working for social change, promoting equality and dignity in the name of the Judaism. This is especially vital these days when the Israeli government is espousing a very narrow version of Judaism that is completely opposite to what Heschel believed in.

What of Heschel lives in you?

The image of Heschel marching in Selma together with Martin Luther King, Jr., is powerful and is on my mind when we march for peace and coexistence in Jerusalem or when we march with Torah scrolls at the entrance to the Western Wall.

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The Prophets The first Jewish text included on our syllabus was a chapter from Heschel’s God in Search of Man, and I was entranced by it. Rabbi Geoffrey Claussen, PhD Heschel’s emphasis on the need for “text-people,” prompted me to know that his life of learning, inspiration, and activism was Torah. Rabbi Elie Spitz