Judaism as an identity has aspects of a religion, but it also has aspects of a national identity.

In this course, we will begin by exploring two models of Jewish collectivity: one based on the ideas of family and ethnicity, the other based on ideology and common aspirations.

Then we will look at the question, "What is the relationship between the ideal of Jewish peoplehood and other ideals of Jewish life?" In other words, what is the relationship between the Judaism of Being and the Judaism of Becoming?

The concept of Jewish peoplehood is built on a balance between the commitments of universalism and particularism. In the last session, we will explore several models of the relationship between particularism and universalism.