Words of Appreciation

20 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 25 YEARS OF TIKKUN Bradley Shavit Artson AmericanJewishUniversitydeanand rabbi Tikkun is that rare oasis in the parched, partisan, war zone of modern life—an incubating womb for principled ideas, a passionate catalyst for justice and inclusion, and a brave voice challenging the timid stylized script that passes for public discourse. Rabbi Lerner has been a tireless shepherd, motivating and encouraging a motley band of sages who continue to aspire to the prophetic ideals that made ancient Israel great and may yet save our battered planet. Arik Ascherman GeneralSecretaryof Rabbis forHuman Rights I remember the excitement we all felt when the first issue of Tikkun came out. We were searching for where we could find a copy in Jerusalem. At the time there was not the plethora of public forums for thinking “out of the box” that exist today, and whatever existed was largely marginalized. Tikkun quickly became a platform for the open discussion of these ideas. While the times have changed, there are many additional platforms, and many ideas that were once “out of the box” have become relatively mainstream, Tikkun continues to offer readers a level of intellectual depth unparalleled in the progressive Jewish world. Richard Falk UNHuman Rights Rapporteur forOccupiedPalestine More than any other journal of opinion, Tikkun has succeeded in creating a congenial home for progressive thinking that brings together cultural, politics, and religion framed as an emergent spiritual community of all persons seeking a world of peace, justice, and love. Tirzah Firestone Rabbi andauthorofTheReceiving: ReclaimingJewishWomen’sWisdom I celebrate the idealism and endurance of our visionary friends at Tikkun who, twenty-five years ago, stationed themselves at the crossroads of an emerging era, and are still sounding a prophetic voice, despite the enormous cultural chaos and cacophony that would drown it out. All blessings for the next quarter-century! Matthew Fox Theologian andauthorofOriginalBlessing IcelebrateTikkunanditstwenty-fifthanniversary—twenty-five years of honest assessing of our political and community values ranging from science to politics, religion to education and the media. Tikkun is one of those all-too-rare places one can go to engage intellect and heart, values and commitment, with intelligent debate of real issues that count. Bravo! Happy Anniversary! Henry A. Giroux CriticalPedagogy scholar Iknowofnootherjournalthatprovidessoeffectivelyacritical public sphere in which the language of critique, compassion, and hope are so effectively conveyed and the necessity for a critical formative democratic and democratic global society so meaningfully communicated. Michael Lerner and Tikkun are a national treasure and so desperately needed in such dark times. Danny Goldberg Vicechairman of AirAmerica Radio and presidentof GoldVillageEntertainment Tikkun consistently has ideas and perspectives on both politics and spirituality that do not appear anywhere else. It is fearlessly progressive while rigorously questioning conventional wisdom, left, right, and center. It is cosmic without being preachy. There never has been a publication like it. David Korten Authorof AgendaforaNewEconomy andTheGreatTurning Tikkun fearlessly engages the most important issues of our time from a deep spiritual perspective. It transcends conventional religious chauvinism and calls us all to actualize the potentials of our higher nature. Irwin Kula Rabbiand authorofYearnings:Embracing theSacredMessinessofLife Twenty-five years is the perfect anniversary for Tikkun, for as anyone who has read Tikkun since that first issue knows, the magazinehasbeentwenty-fiveyearsaheadofitstimeonjust abouteveryissueithascovered:fromIsraelandthePalestinians to the Occupation and human rights, from the challenges facing the Jewish people and the Jewish establishment to the need Words of Appreciation Seethetableof contentsforarticlesby these authors. W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 W W W. T I K K U N . O R G T I K K U N 21 for a radical reimagining of Judaism as a religious and spiritual tradition, from the need for a new relationshipbetweenscience ,religion,andspirituality totheethical,psychological,andspiritual dimensions of the economic, political, social, and cultural structures of America and the global community. I actually still have my first issue of Tikkun and am proud to say that I have not missed an issue in its history, as Tikkun is the only magazine I know that—every time I read it—seriously gnaws...