Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972

by Edward K. Kaplan

Born in Warsaw, raised in a Hasidic community, and reaching maturity in secular Jewish Vilna and cosmopolitan Berlin, Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) escaped Nazism and immigrated to the United States in 1940. This lively and readable book tells the comprehensive story of his life and work in America, his politics and personality, and how he came to influence not only Jewish debate but also wider religious and cultural debates in the postwar decades. A worthy sequel to his widely praised biography of Heschel’s early years, Edward Kaplan’s new volume draws on previously unseen archives, FBI files, interviews with people who knew Heschel, and analyses of his extensive writings. Kaplan explores Heschel’s shy and private side, his spiritual radicalism, and his vehement defense of the Hebrew prophets’ ideal of absolute integrity and truth in ethical and political life. Of special interest are Heschel’s interfaith activities, including a secret meeting with Pope Paul VI during Vatican II, his commitment to civil rights with Martin Luther King, Jr., his views on the state of Israel, and his opposition to the Vietnam War. A tireless challenger to spiritual and religious complacency, Heschel stands as a dramatically important witness.

Genres: Judaism, Religion, Biography, History, Philosophy, Jewish, Theology

544 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jean Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book that goes in detail into the life and impact of Abraham Joshua Herschel on American life - particularly efforts to revitalize the Jewish faith in America by presenting over and again the voice of the prophets and the need to keep those voices alive. This 'radical' approach lead him to be active in the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement as well.

[Jasonlylescampbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heschel was saved from death camps in Germany by a liberal Jewish university in Cincinnati with several other scholars-"College in Exile". Julian Morgenstern, the college president was a life-long friend to Heschel for this, but Heschel did not fit at the university.

So part of my interest in reading this biography is that I knew, from reading his books, that he was a conservative when it came to studying the tradition, treating scripture as sacred, prayer, etc. Yet, I also knew that (unlike conservative christians) he marched with Martin Luther King, even challenged his own followers by saying that King was a living prophet of the Hebrew tradition. I also knew that he invited his daughter to have a Bar Mitsva if she wanted (traditionally for boys); that he was encouraging if she wanted to become a rabbi. I learned that he worked with others, including Berrigan brothers and Neuhaus to protest Vietnam. So I was curious about this person who walked in different spheres.

Here is what I see: A) Human life and humans being in the image of God were of the greatest value. Although Heschel observed many rituals of prayer, food rituals, observing the sabbath and other holy days (even when it conflicted with meeting the Pope, etc though not without exception); he did not value these things over human life. At various times, I remember at a conference on Race where he spoke with other keynotes including Martin Luther King, Jr, he quoted from his tradition that to humiliate another person, because of their great value, is like committing murder. He saw this action all around and stood out against it. B) Although he spent his life accruing a deep, deep knowledge of his tradition, he was comfortable/sought out/ended up conversing and spending time with so many other traditions. I will go further and hazard this--because he felt somewhat out of place in his own tradition (even at the end of his life he couldn't get the administration to move him to an adequate office for his books and manuscripts); because he asked his tradition and his people extremely hard questions (In the only TV interview he says the only people who don't have extremely difficult puzzling questions to grapple with are idiots); he found it easy to converse and meet people outside of his tradition. When he died some of his closest friends were Catholic and Protestant Christians, even someone from Japan who studied under him and wrote about the parallels between Judaism and Buddhism.

So: A) Valued all human life in a deep and real way; B) Comfortable conversing with people of other traditions.

There is a beautiful moment where he speaks at a conference where there are Muslim scholars. Heschel and Seyyed Hossein Nasr were the last to leave and Nasr "took his hand and said, "This is an unforgettable moment for me. I have read everything you have written I could find. God give you strength." Kaplin goes on to say that they had been sitting together at the conference and that Heschel was familiar with Nasr's books on Sufism and Islamic mysticism. "Returning to New York, Heschel shared his enthusiasm for the conference with his students" and asked that his latest book be airmailed to Nsr in Tehran. Then he wrote to Archbishop Appleton saying he hoped to have the book translated into Arabic. AND he found translators and immediately sent $250 check to help pay for it. Heschel was a step closer to his lifelong dream of ultimate reconciliation: "The God of Israel is also the God of Syria, the God of Egypt. The enmity between the nations will turn into friendship."

[Daniel Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up not knowing anything about Rabbi Dr Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Then I discovered that he was very deeply involved in the civil rights movement in the 60's.
The, and after Rabbi Jonathan Sacks passed away, I saw a debate on Facebook that suggested that in some ways Rabbi Sacks follows in a similar Rabbinic tradition to Rabbi Heschel.
I am very happy that I saw that debate. I discovered one of the great spiritual leaders of the Jewish people in the 20th Century.
Heschel was almost a last Mohican from pre-war Hasidic Europe within a non-Hasidic world which tragically meant that whilst he was gaining fame and adoration outside the Jewish world, he was constantly battling for status within it. Even to the point that he had the same office with woefully insufficient space for this books and papers at the JTS were he was a Professor. even in the last months of his life, he was denied a larger room.
The irony that the Hasidic vs Mitnaged argument of Orthodox never left him in liberal America.
His achievements in bringing a spiritual message to Jewish and non-Jewish America amd building ecumenical bridges with other religions remain huge, but it was his fight, on religious grounds, for civil rights and against the Vietnam war that he will be most remembered for.
This is a shame given the huge body of writing about the relationship between man and God as the central message of his religious teachings.
I have a thirst to read more.

[Larkin Tackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a Jewish educator and civil rights leader who marched with Dr. King, has always fascinated me and this book made him even more interesting. It's easy to understand why, as a person who escaped the Holocaust for the US while his mother and sister perished, and who was consistently frustrated by the US government and US Jewish community's inability to come together sooner to intervene in WWII, that he committed his personal life to activism and social justice. When he wasn't advocating for the rights of Black Americans or opposing the Vietnam War, Rabbi Heschel was a leading writer and speaker about spirituality and piety, about "the recentering of human thought from the self to God as subject." These are themes that appealed to Christians and with which many of his traditional rabbinic colleagues disagreed. He connected deeply with Israel and the relationship between Jess a God. "The very existence of a Jew is a spiritual act," he wrote. "The fact that we have survived, despite the suffering and persecution, is itself a sanctification of God's name."

His most powerful statement, which I think about often as we consistently fail to repair the legacy of isms, is the following: "In regard to the cruelties committed in the name of a free society, some are guilty, all are responsible."

[Matthew Katz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very linear writing style that plots every single one of Heschel’s movements over a 32 year period. This biography reads more like a doctoral dissertation than a traditional biography. The author chose the inclusion of EVERY detail of the man’s life at the expense of providing deeper insights into the most important moments, questions, and conflicts.

[Steven Volk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abraham Joshua Heschel is one of the most important Jewish thinkers, philosophers, theologians of the 20th century - which means he had a huge amount to tell us in the 21st. An excellent intellectual biography of Heschel.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this was very dry and contained lots of unnecessary details. I finished it because I really wanted to know more about Heschel, but it was not a well-written biography.

[Michael Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this biography. On the one hand, it provided remarkable insights into the complexity of Heschel's life, his links to the civil rights and anti-war movements, and by integrating the story of his Hasidic background and personal theology, a claritying context to his remarkable written work. On the other hand, it undermined my romanticized image of Heschel as a modern day mystic and prophet of a Jewish ethical living. Of course, it is not unusual for us to mythologize and idealize historic figures. In fact, I don't believe that the reality of historical figures is ever as perfect or as flawed as biographers portray.

Nonetheless, I believe that the trend of historians and biographers searching deeply for human flaws to de-mythologize their subjects has gone too far. Here for example, the author takes significant space to highlight Heschel's personal flaws - in particular his ego and tendency to enhance the importance of his role in public events. For one who was perceived as a public conscience for the Jewish people and for America, this is a particularly painful revelation. And yet, do we really believe that our groundbreaking intellectual giants, our brilliant political or religious leaders or those that led social movements that changed the course of our country are without ego? I would argue that a certain egotism, a certain intense confidence in self is necessary to lead human thinking in radically new directions.

I'm not arguing that we should ignore human flaws. Indeed, noting humanity (both strengths and weaknesses) in historical or biographical subjects can add to the depth of our understanding. I just think that it should be noted without malice (in fact with some understanding) or in ways that do not reduce the subject's contributions. With Heschel in particular, I believe that the author should have let Heschel's writing speak for itself.

Having stepped down from my soapbox, I would note that I learned a great deal from this biography. I did not know the scope of Heschel's involvement in the civil rights and anti-war movements. I also also not aware of his significant involvement in interfaith dialogue or the depth of criticism he received from all corners for much of his strongly expressed opinions. He was revered by the Reform movement for his strong moral stands on important ethical issues of the day and by the Orthodox for his traditionalism and his place as the descendant of Hasidic dynasty. In some ways he was more appreciated by his Christian colleagues than his own Orthodox community. Yet, he took issue with the moral laxity of all American Jews and was often harshly critical of those who were less observant.

In the end, this book focused too little on his theological and philosphical viewpoints (other than his commitment to equality) and too much on his academic and personal failings for my taste. But it was educational.

[Ronen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written biography in my opinion.
The author comes off as balanced, not afraid to criticize as well as praise. The book as a whole has a ring of truth.

Recommended for anyone interested in Heschel's life.