What Judaism Can, and Can’t, Learn from Postmodernism

The term postmodernism refers loosely to the ideas of various thinkers of the second half of the 20th century who critically interrogated the philosophical foundations of modernity. Included in this group are Jews such as Jacques Derrida and Emmanuel Levinas; the latter, in fact, received a traditional education and wrote works about the Talmud. But postmodernity also refers to a description of the present era. Thus, Miriam Feldmann-Kaye contends, even those who reject various arguments advanced by postmodern writers must contend with how Judaism can answer the questions they raise. In conversation with J.J. Kimche, she explores what these problems are, and how some postmodern ideas can be fruitfully applied to Jewish texts, citing the example of such thinkers as Rabbi Shimon Gershon Rosenberg. Feldmann-Kaye and Kimche conclude by discussing the thought of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who rejected postmodernism while sharing its criticism of the Enlightenment.