In this course, we will explore some of the pivotal moments of 20th-century history in which Jewish history and Jewish destiny were shaped by war. How did Jewish leaders—thinkers and soldiers, rabbis and generals—begin to tackle the novel political opportunities and moral challenges of warfare? We will focus on some of the key ethical and strategic dilemmas of war—including questions of patriotism and dual loyalty, revolutionary movements and actions, and the ethics of killing non-combatants. We’ll study major figures like Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog, Vladimir Jabotinsky, David Ben-Gurion, and Menachem Begin, while debating concepts like an “eye for an eye” and “holy war.” The course will also look at challenging case studies—including Jewish participation on both sides during World War I, the Etzel attacks against Arabs in 1939, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and Israel’s remarkable War of Independence.
Rabbi Shlomo Brody
Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the executive director of Ematai and the Jewish Law Live columnist for the Jerusalem Post. He previously served as the founding director of the Tikvah Overseas Student Institute and co-dean of Tikvah Online Academy, a senior instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel, and as a junior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. Rabbi Brody’s career has focused on making Jewish texts accessible to broader audiences while applying them to contemporary social and ethical dilemmas. His writings have been cited in Israeli Supreme Court decisions and have appeared in Mosaic, First Things, Tradition, The Federalist, Tablet, Tzohar, The Forward, Hakirah, Jewish Review of Books, and other popular publications. His first book, A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates (Maggid), received a National Jewish Book Award. His next book, Judaism Confronts War: Jewish Military Ethics for the 21st Century, is scheduled to be published in both Hebrew and English in early 2024. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, he received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, an MA in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University, and his PhD from Bar Ilan University Law School, where he continues to serve as a post-doctoral fellow. Rabbi Brody has been an invited scholar-in-residence at over 40 distinguished congregations and campuses in the United States, Canada, England, and Israel.