CLAL Special Features

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Jewish Public Forum Seminar: “What Is Religion For?”
November 19, 2001 

Key Societal Challenges after 9/11

(a partial list of the challenges identified by seminar participants)

·        How can we prepare ourselves, and our society, for living in a more dangerous world without panic or xenophobia?

·        How do we move beyond a clash of world-views in which each side views the other as an enemy or as lacking in humanity?

·        How do we defend liberal society in a time of war?

·        How do we deal with the new political challenges without ignoring existing ones such as poverty, both at home and abroad?

·        How do we widen our understanding of national defense in an era of global interdependency?

·        The global capitalist system is based on movement of people, goods, capital & information. How can these be deployed for the benefit of all peoples?

·        How do we ensure that our public conversations about issues such as race, religion and globalization are not polarized into a conflict between “us” and “them”?  

·        The attack on 9/11 has produced a new sense of community. Can we sustain a sense of community like this without relying on crisis?

·        How do we capitalize on the current surge of interest in volunteering? Can it be sustained?

·        How do we talk about mortality and the meaning of life without lapsing into easy answers?

·        What are the ethical and spiritual steps that are needed to help break the cycle of trauma and violence?

·        How do we talk about the complex issues raised by 9/11 with our children?

·        If 9/11 marks the end of relativism, how do we distinguish between “good” and “bad” religion?

·        Fundamentalism is not unique to Islam but poses a challenge for Jews and Christians as well. How do we embrace our religious traditions when they conflict with deeply felt Western ethical values?

·        How can we create a dialogue of equals between the Islamic world and the West?

·        How can we find ways to gather into communities of faith that are both open and rooted, and create practices that both strengthen community and deepen exchange between communities?


    

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