Main content

05/09/2011

Ernie Rea and guests discuss the vexed question of Jewish identity.

A controversial High Court ruling on the admission policy of the Jewish Free School in London two years ago has led to heated and ongoing discussion among Jews in this country about what constitutes Jewishness. With the number of Jews in Britain declining, the question of how to preserve and pass on Judaism is a major preoccupation of members the community, be they Orthodox, Reform or secular. So what should be the test for determining who is and isnt Jewish? How important is religious practice, observing a kosher table or male circumcision? And how important is it for the preservation of Jewishness that a Jew should marry another Jew?

Joining Ernie to discuss Jewish identity are Laura Janner Klausner, Rabbi of the Alyth Reform Synagogue in London; Natan Levy, the Orthodox Rabbi of Shenley United Jewish Congregation; and Dr Brian Klug Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy at St Benet's Hall, University of Oxford, and author of "Being Jewish and Doing Justice.".

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Mon 5 Sep 2011 16:30

Broadcast

  • Mon 5 Sep 2011 16:30

Six things you might not know about chanting

Here are six things we learned from Beyond Belief鈥檚 exploration of the power of chanting.

Podcast