September 1, 2021
In 1922, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, a leader of the Zionist movement, established the Jewish Institute of Religion (JIR), a nondenominational rabbinical seminary in New York City. Wise believed main-stream American Jewish institutions had become outdated, and he championed a progressive Jewish nationalism that would ght alongside America’s leading proponents of social and economic justice.
We Shall Build Anew tells the little-known story of how Wise changed the trajectory of American Judaism for the next century. rough JIR, he trained a new cadre of young rabbis who shared his outlook, charged them with invigorating and reshaping Jewish life, and launched them into positions of leadership across the country.
We Shall Build Anew is the rst book dedicated exclusively to the history of the Jewish Institute of Religion. e story of Wise’s vision for American liberal Judaism is now more important than ever. As American Jewry becomes increasingly polarized around debates concerning religious doctrine as well as Zionism and Israel, the JIR model oers hope that progressives and conservatives, Zionists and non-Zionists, and Jews representing the full spectrum of religious life cannot only coexist but also work together in the name of a vibrant Judaism and a just and peaceful world.
We Shall Build Anew tells the little-known story of how Wise changed the trajectory of American Judaism for the next century. rough JIR, he trained a new cadre of young rabbis who shared his outlook, charged them with invigorating and reshaping Jewish life, and launched them into positions of leadership across the country.
We Shall Build Anew is the rst book dedicated exclusively to the history of the Jewish Institute of Religion. e story of Wise’s vision for American liberal Judaism is now more important than ever. As American Jewry becomes increasingly polarized around debates concerning religious doctrine as well as Zionism and Israel, the JIR model oers hope that progressives and conservatives, Zionists and non-Zionists, and Jews representing the full spectrum of religious life cannot only coexist but also work together in the name of a vibrant Judaism and a just and peaceful world.
