In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

C H A P T E R 3 Ben Halpern : "A t Hom e i n Exile " Arthur A. Goren From 1936 , when h e entere d Jewis h "communa l civi l service, " a s Halpern himself put it, until his death in 1990, an emeritus professor of modern Jewish histor y a t Brandei s University , Be n Halper n de voted a majo r par t o f hi s intellectua l energie s t o examinin g th e American Jewish condition. H e approached th e task with th e skills of the professional historia n an d sociologist. Bu t he was no less the socialist Zionist ideologue, duty-bound t o link intellectualism wit h activism: ideologica l discourse , conducte d wit h rigo r an d intellec tual integrity, was a requisite for furthering th e cause. Analysis was meant to lead to deeds.1 From 1943 to 1949, he was managing editor of th e Jewish Frontier, a membe r o f th e Labo r Zionis t Organiza tion 's executiv e committee , an d fro m 194 9 to 1956 , th e associat e director o f th e Jewish Agency' s Departmen t o f Educatio n i n Ne w York. After enterin g academic life—in 1956 , as a research associat e at Harvar d University' s Cente r fo r Middl e Easter n Studies , an d then, i n 1961 , moving to Brandeis—Halpern continue d hi s communal activit y a s a Zionis t publicis t an d lecture r and , i n 196 8 for a term, a s a membe r o f th e executiv e o f th e Worl d Zionis t Organi zation .2 His inquiries into contemporary Jewish affairs , lik e his scholarly work, flowed fro m a classica l Zionis t readin g o f Jewis h history . Galut, th e millennia l experienc e o f exile an d distinguishin g mar k of the Jews, was the key for understanding Jewish survival. "I n th e system of Jewish ideas," Halpern wrote in 1956, 71 72 ARTHU R A . GORE N "Exile" is the inalienably Jewis h idea, th e most intimate creation of the Jewish people , th e symbol in which our whole historical experi ence i s sublimate d an d summe d up . Al l th e meanin g "Exile " ha s flows straight from Jewish history, and it gives our history, our being, and ou r identit y a s a peopl e it s meaning . Liv e unde r th e sig n o f Exile—your lif e a s a Jew i s a n ever-presen t tension . Cu t th e ide a out—and you cut out memory, identification, an d drive, substituting a dull adjustment." 3 Zionism was the secular revolt agains t Galut. I t replaced th e mythi cal hop e o f messiani c redemptio n wit h th e actua l rebuildin g o f a sovereign nation . (Halpern , i t should b e noted, recognize d th e para dox of the anti-historica l attitud e o f secular Zionist s who were ben t on expungin g th e Galut experienc e fro m th e "authentic " histor y o f the Jews. ) Th e revol t agains t Galut als o demanded , Halper n de clared , a n individua l commitmen t t o participat e personall y i n th e collective effor t t o rebuild th e homeland . For Halpern , America , too , wa s Exile . True , i t wa s th e mos t benign o f al l th e diasporas . Unlik e Europea n Jewry, America n Jew s never wrestle d wit h th e questio n o f emancipation . The y di d no t have t o wi n i t b y provin g tha t the y deserve d it . Politica l equality , separation o f churc h an d state , an d acceptanc e o f th e newcome r were establishe d principle s o f th e Republi c befor e Jew s arrive d i n any numbers . Nevertheless , Halper n argued , ther e wa s a n ideologi cal and historical barrier that prevente d an d prevents the full accep tance o f the Jew. Culturally , Americ...

Share