| By :
Mark Etinger
Can literature be Jewish if the author is not Jewish? What makes a book a "Jewish book"? Does a book become a Jewish book simply by having a Jewish author? Can a book written by someone who is not of the Jewish faith become Jewish literature simply by telling a Jewish story? Is it even advisable for Jewish stories to be recounted by folks who are not of the Jewish faith? Are these questions even important at all? A lot of people have very specific views on what constitutes a fundamentally Jewish piece of work. They feel that with no formal blood ties to the Jewish faith that a piece is fundamentally not Jewish. Others have more elasticity in their views finding Jewish themes and ideas that can reinforce the Jewish faith in pieces of art, films, and other sorts of expression that may have no direct connection with the Jewish people. These two views have existed concurrently for many years in many circles. For some the very nature of art is to simply acknowledge undercurrent truths in our world, in that sense if you are a person of any faith and a piece of work speaks to that part of you it becomes fundamentally a piece of art at one with your faith. This is a fairly progressive view but not an uncommon one. If a song by a rock band or an episode of a cartoon show reminds you of an important philosophical element inherent in the Jewish faith, should we not just assume that it is imbued with the same spirit it stirs in us? For others the ownership of the idea of a story being Jewish has more to do with the author and intent rather than the reader and interpretation. It is not that stories and art by folks who are not Jewish have no value to the spirituality of someone who practices Judaism, but they are not in fact Jewish works. You can certainly reflect Jewish views even if you are of another faith. Even many Christian preachers incorporate very positive views of Jewish people's culture and stories into their sermons, and while we might be able to find certain truths to agree on in those words, they, as a result of coming from someone of another faith, are instantly sapped of Judaism. By this same token, if a non-Jewish author makes the decision to incorporate common shared Jewish and Christian ideas into a story they are not immediately adopted into a world of Jewish literature. Both of these views have their points of course. I have no intention of making a judgment in either direction but I think the conversation is healthy to have.
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