Rabbis Sharon Brous & David Ingber (Part 2)
PART 2: Dueling Rabbis with Sharon Brous & David Ingber
Rabbis Sharon Brous and David Ingber return to Being Jewish with Jonah Platt for part two of a conversation that feels increasingly urgent in the aftermath of October 7. What unfolds is not a debate for the sake of winning, but a deeply Jewish argument about responsibility, truth, and the future of Jewish life.
Ingber challenges what he sees as a dangerous imbalance within progressive Jewish spaces. He points to an overemphasis on public self criticism of Israel paired with a reluctance to confront antisemitism and extremism from ideological allies. He argues that modern anti Zionism has evolved into a movement that increasingly erases Jewish self determination and that Jewish leaders must name that clearly. Brous pushes back, grounding her perspective in the Jewish tradition of teshuvah, moral accountability and self reflection. She insists that confronting issues like West Bank settler violence and occupation is not a betrayal of Jewish values, but an expression of them. At the same time, she warns that labeling all criticism of Israel as antisemitic risks weakening the fight against real hatred. Together, they wrestle with the hardest questions facing the Jewish community today. What is the responsibility of rabbis in a polarized world. Where is the line between critique and delegitimization. And how do Jews maintain unity while engaging in profound disagreement. This conversation is a powerful example of machloket l’shem shamayim, disagreement for the sake of heaven, and a reminder that the future of Jewish life may depend not on consensus, but on the ability to argue with integrity while staying in relationship.
-
Rabbi Sharon Brous ikar.org/
Rabbi David Ingber romemu.org/rabbi-david-ingber/
