CABS: Amy E. Schwartz “Can Robots Be Jewish and Other Pressing Matters of Modern Life”
10 January 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
When Moment Magazine arrives every other month, loyal readers turn to its long-running “Ask the Rabbis” feature. In this column rabbis of different denominations — Independent, Humanist, Jewish Renewal, Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Sephardic, and Chabad — consider some of the most provocative questions of the day. Their responses span the range of modern Jewish thought. Sometimes they agree but not often. In these Solomon-like deliberations, the rabbis answer some of modernity’s pressing questions: Does Jewish anxiety have a theological basis? Do science and Judaism conflict? Is whistleblowing a Jewish obligation? Are there things that cannot be forgiven? Is Judaism good for women? Is there a Jewish way to parent? Is it kosher to tell a white lie? Should we edit our children’s genes? Can a robot be Jewish? Is democracy Jewish? Does Jewish law forbid racism? Do Jews believe in an afterlife? Should there be an eleventh commandment and if so what should it be? Are Jews still expecting a Messiah?
No charge
You can purchase Can Robots Be Jewish through online retailers (Amazon) and in person at Barnes and Noble on 725, across from the Dayton Mall.
Amy E. Schwartz, a longtime editorial writer and op-ed columnist at The Washington Post, is editor of Moment Magazine’s “Ask the Rabbis” section. Schwartz, who has worked at Harper’s, The New Republic, and The Wilson Quarterly is also the president of the multi-denominational Jewish Studies Center in Washington, DC.