What do you think?
Rate this book
Embracing Exile: The Case for Jewish Diaspora
Embracing Exile analyzes biblical and rabbinic texts, philosophical treatises, studies of Kabbalah, Hasidism, and a multiplicity of modern expressions for a comprehensive history of Jewish responses to and justifications of their diasporas. It shows that Diaspora Jews through the ages insisted that God joined them in their exiles, that "Zion" was found in Babylon and Eastern Europe, and that, as citizens of the world, Jews could only live throughout the world. The result is a convincing assertion that lament has not been the most common Jewish response to diaspora and that Zionism is not the natural outcome of either Jewish ideology or history.
Jewish people have always wandered. According to their origin story, they wandered from Ur of Chaldees to Canaan, then Egypt, and then back to Canaan. From there, they were exiled to Babylon, where they lived for centuries. They also settled in Persia, Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, England, the United States, among many other places. Diaspora became normal to Jews, and though they may have hoped for a return to their "Promised Land" at the "End of Days," they made sense of their many homes, defending diaspora as the realm where Jewish life could grow, and they could fulfil their obligations to God.
Embracing Exile analyzes biblical and rabbinic texts, philosophical treatises, studies of Kabbalah, Hasidism, and a multiplicity of modern expressions. It offers revised readings of the Bible's book of Esther, a survey of Talmudic treatments of exile, an in-depth analysis of the thought of the early modern master, the Maharal of Prague, as well as the work of novelist Philip Roth, among other modern authors. David Kraemer shows that Diaspora Jews through the ages insisted that God joined them in their exiles, that "Zion" was found in Babylon and Eastern Europe, and that, as citizens of the world, Jews could only live throughout the world. The result is a convincing assertion that lament has not been the most common Jewish response to diaspora and that Zionism is not the natural outcome of either Jewish ideology or history. Kraemer also argues that as the world's most experienced surviving refugees, Jews also offer a model to more contemporary refugees, demonstrating how they may not only survive but thrive and endure.
Jewish people have always wandered. According to their origin story, they wandered from Ur of Chaldees to Canaan, then Egypt, and then back to Canaan. From there, they were exiled to Babylon, where they lived for centuries. They also settled in Persia, Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, England, the United States, among many other places. Diaspora became normal to Jews, and though they may have hoped for a return to their "Promised Land" at the "End of Days," they made sense of their many homes, defending diaspora as the realm where Jewish life could grow, and they could fulfil their obligations to God.
Embracing Exile analyzes biblical and rabbinic texts, philosophical treatises, studies of Kabbalah, Hasidism, and a multiplicity of modern expressions. It offers revised readings of the Bible's book of Esther, a survey of Talmudic treatments of exile, an in-depth analysis of the thought of the early modern master, the Maharal of Prague, as well as the work of novelist Philip Roth, among other modern authors. David Kraemer shows that Diaspora Jews through the ages insisted that God joined them in their exiles, that "Zion" was found in Babylon and Eastern Europe, and that, as citizens of the world, Jews could only live throughout the world. The result is a convincing assertion that lament has not been the most common Jewish response to diaspora and that Zionism is not the natural outcome of either Jewish ideology or history. Kraemer also argues that as the world's most experienced surviving refugees, Jews also offer a model to more contemporary refugees, demonstrating how they may not only survive but thrive and endure.
248 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2025
9 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 28, 2025
Embracing Exile: The Case for Jewish Diaspora by David Kraemer
In this book, Kraemer examines Jewish life both in the Land of Israel and in the many countries where Jews were exiled or chose to live throughout history. He emphasizes that God remains with the Jewish people whether they are in Israel or in the diaspora, as reflected in biblical examples such as Joseph, Daniel, and Mordechai. The idea that dispersion provides a kind of safeguard—ensuring Jewish survival even if the community in one land is threatened—is discussed, though this notion seems to overlook the devastating concentration of Jews in Europe during the Holocaust.
Kraemer also addresses the dynamic between the Babylonian and Palestinian rabbinic centers. The claim that Babylonian rabbinic rulings held authority not only in Babylonia but also in Palestine can appear somewhat self-serving.
Much of the Amidah prayer expresses the hope of returning to Jerusalem, yet this yearning is framed at the beginning and end of the service with Psalm 105:5–15, which recounts God’s protection of Israel in foreign lands. The closing Kedushah also evokes the image of God carrying Ezekiel to Babylonia—suggesting that God’s spirit accompanies the people into exile.
In the eighth century, the rise of the Muslim empire with Baghdad as its center coincided with the shift of Jewish intellectual life to that same city, diminishing the influence of the Palestinian center. Kraemer recounts the origins of the Golden Age of Iberian Jewry, noting the episode in which Babylonian Talmudic scholars, en route from Italy to Baghdad, were captured by pirates and sold in Córdoba, where they went on to establish new Jewish centers.
Some traditions argue that because living in the Land of Israel entails more religious obligations—and therefore more potential transgressions—it may be preferable to live outside the land. The life of Rashi in medieval Christian Europe illustrates that, despite hardships such as the Crusades, Jewish life in France could still flourish.
In the Zohar, the divine presence—the Shekhinah—accompanies the Jewish people in exile, and their redemption is tied to God’s salvation of His people. Although exile is understood as a consequence of sin, the presence of the Shekhinah mitigates its severity. The Torah itself becomes a kind of portable homeland. Abrabanel, reflecting on the expulsions from Spain and Portugal, observed that the cruelty of one ruler might be offset by the compassion of another elsewhere, giving purpose to Jewish dispersion. The global Jewish network that emerged also facilitated economic success, particularly in trade and communication.
The Maharal of Prague argues that Israel’s dispersion is evidence of its unique spiritual status, with the world depending on Israel. For him, exile becomes Israel’s natural state and even necessary for its survival. Communal prayer, by uniting Jews, symbolically lifts them out of exile.
Hasidic teaching—such as from Rabbi Elimelekh—holds that one who prays outside Israel but directs his intention toward the Land is spiritually as if standing in the Holy of Holies. In this view, being “in the Land” is fundamentally a spiritual condition.
The European Enlightenment opened new cultural and intellectual opportunities for Jews such as Moses Mendelssohn, allowing them to engage deeply with contemporary philosophy and society. When Napoleon questioned Jewish loyalty to France, Jews answered affirmatively, echoing Jeremiah’s message to build and plant roots even in foreign lands. Historian Heinrich Graetz noted that there is hardly any field—science, art, or the life of the spirit—in which Jews have not participated. The Jewish people, he wrote, have become universal; “being nowhere at home, it is at home everywhere.”
Reform Jews, particularly in Germany, often removed references to the return to Zion from their prayers. In the United States, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations opposed political Zionism and declared, “America is our Zion.”
In the post-Holocaust era—especially in America—questions arose about whether Jewish flourishing would lead to assimilation and the erosion of Jewish identity. Beyond intermarriage, even cultural absorption could blur distinctiveness. Although Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War inspired increased aliyah and strengthened Israel’s global centrality, the country’s religious politics grew increasingly challenging for non-Orthodox Jews. Kraemer asserts that “religion is land-centered but not land-bound”: both the diaspora and the State of Israel enrich and sustain Jewish life.
As Yerushalmi writes in Exile and Domicile, “It is simultaneously possible to be ideologically in exile and existentially at home.” Jews may long for a spiritual homeland while still creating a stable home where they live. They can maintain a distinct identity while also participating fully in broader society.
In this book, Kraemer examines Jewish life both in the Land of Israel and in the many countries where Jews were exiled or chose to live throughout history. He emphasizes that God remains with the Jewish people whether they are in Israel or in the diaspora, as reflected in biblical examples such as Joseph, Daniel, and Mordechai. The idea that dispersion provides a kind of safeguard—ensuring Jewish survival even if the community in one land is threatened—is discussed, though this notion seems to overlook the devastating concentration of Jews in Europe during the Holocaust.
Kraemer also addresses the dynamic between the Babylonian and Palestinian rabbinic centers. The claim that Babylonian rabbinic rulings held authority not only in Babylonia but also in Palestine can appear somewhat self-serving.
Much of the Amidah prayer expresses the hope of returning to Jerusalem, yet this yearning is framed at the beginning and end of the service with Psalm 105:5–15, which recounts God’s protection of Israel in foreign lands. The closing Kedushah also evokes the image of God carrying Ezekiel to Babylonia—suggesting that God’s spirit accompanies the people into exile.
In the eighth century, the rise of the Muslim empire with Baghdad as its center coincided with the shift of Jewish intellectual life to that same city, diminishing the influence of the Palestinian center. Kraemer recounts the origins of the Golden Age of Iberian Jewry, noting the episode in which Babylonian Talmudic scholars, en route from Italy to Baghdad, were captured by pirates and sold in Córdoba, where they went on to establish new Jewish centers.
Some traditions argue that because living in the Land of Israel entails more religious obligations—and therefore more potential transgressions—it may be preferable to live outside the land. The life of Rashi in medieval Christian Europe illustrates that, despite hardships such as the Crusades, Jewish life in France could still flourish.
In the Zohar, the divine presence—the Shekhinah—accompanies the Jewish people in exile, and their redemption is tied to God’s salvation of His people. Although exile is understood as a consequence of sin, the presence of the Shekhinah mitigates its severity. The Torah itself becomes a kind of portable homeland. Abrabanel, reflecting on the expulsions from Spain and Portugal, observed that the cruelty of one ruler might be offset by the compassion of another elsewhere, giving purpose to Jewish dispersion. The global Jewish network that emerged also facilitated economic success, particularly in trade and communication.
The Maharal of Prague argues that Israel’s dispersion is evidence of its unique spiritual status, with the world depending on Israel. For him, exile becomes Israel’s natural state and even necessary for its survival. Communal prayer, by uniting Jews, symbolically lifts them out of exile.
Hasidic teaching—such as from Rabbi Elimelekh—holds that one who prays outside Israel but directs his intention toward the Land is spiritually as if standing in the Holy of Holies. In this view, being “in the Land” is fundamentally a spiritual condition.
The European Enlightenment opened new cultural and intellectual opportunities for Jews such as Moses Mendelssohn, allowing them to engage deeply with contemporary philosophy and society. When Napoleon questioned Jewish loyalty to France, Jews answered affirmatively, echoing Jeremiah’s message to build and plant roots even in foreign lands. Historian Heinrich Graetz noted that there is hardly any field—science, art, or the life of the spirit—in which Jews have not participated. The Jewish people, he wrote, have become universal; “being nowhere at home, it is at home everywhere.”
Reform Jews, particularly in Germany, often removed references to the return to Zion from their prayers. In the United States, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations opposed political Zionism and declared, “America is our Zion.”
In the post-Holocaust era—especially in America—questions arose about whether Jewish flourishing would lead to assimilation and the erosion of Jewish identity. Beyond intermarriage, even cultural absorption could blur distinctiveness. Although Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War inspired increased aliyah and strengthened Israel’s global centrality, the country’s religious politics grew increasingly challenging for non-Orthodox Jews. Kraemer asserts that “religion is land-centered but not land-bound”: both the diaspora and the State of Israel enrich and sustain Jewish life.
As Yerushalmi writes in Exile and Domicile, “It is simultaneously possible to be ideologically in exile and existentially at home.” Jews may long for a spiritual homeland while still creating a stable home where they live. They can maintain a distinct identity while also participating fully in broader society.
December 12, 2025
Incredibly important, uplifting, intellectually stimulating read. Essential reading in these problematic times.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews