Podcast Summary:

New Books Network – Leah Hochman and Stanley M. Davids, Re-forming Judaism: Moments of Disruption in Jewish Thought (CCAR Press, 2023)
Host: Rabbi Mark Katz
Guest: Professor Leah Hochman
Aired: September 7, 2025

Overview

This episode features Rabbi Mark Katz interviewing Professor Leah Hochman, editor (alongside the late Rabbi Stanley M. Davids) of Re-forming Judaism: Moments of Disruption in Jewish Thought. The book is an edited volume exploring pivotal disruptive moments across Jewish history—spanning the biblical era through contemporary times—and analyzing how these upheavals have shaped Jewish thought, identity, and survival. Hochman discusses the motivations, organization, editorial choices, and thematic conclusions of the book while reflecting on what change means for Jewish communities today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Genesis of the Book and Its Approach

• Project Origins:

  • The project began with Rabbi Davids envisioning a deep dive into Jewish disruptions, driven by "paths not taken" in Jewish ideas. Hochman joined as co-editor just before the COVID-19 pandemic, which itself became a metaphorical disruption mirroring the book’s theme.

    “The project was really Rabbi David's baby... it was disrupted as we were disrupting.” (Leah Hochman, 04:28)

  • The title “Re-forming Judaism”—with its almost inaudible hyphen—signals the continuity of both construction and ongoing reconfiguration in Jewish experience.

• Editorial Strategy and Scope:

  • The volume is structured as a "thought timeline" rather than a historical, geographic, or linguistic one. The editorial process was shaped as much by available contributors as by deliberate thematic choices.
  • Gaps in the book (e.g., no chapters on the Karaites, Zionism, or Israel) are acknowledged as partly accidental and partly due to manageable book length and contemporary disruptions (07:20).
  • Hochman emphasizes inclusivity and diversity among contributors—academic, rabbinic, lay, varied genders, and backgrounds.

Overlaying Secular and Jewish Timelines

• Interconnected Histories:
  • The discussion reflects on the frequent separation between secular and Jewish timelines in Jewish studies and the importance of integrating them to better understand Jewish history in context (09:55).

    “I could tell you in the 1860s who the big Jewish thinkers were, but it never occurred to me... how deeply I have separated out the Civil War era in America from Jewish history in the 1860s.” (Host, 09:55)

Favorite and Impactful Chapters

• Hochman describes “picking a favorite chapter” as choosing between children, yet names several standouts:
  • Rabbi Davids’ essay on Shabbetai Zvi: Explores detours in Jewish movements and the enduring impact of even "roads shut down."
  • Kristy Garraway on Prophets: Examines how the prophets reframed Judaism, impacting later thought.
  • Stephen Smith on Buber and Holocaust Testimony: Highlights new spiritual questions around memory and codification.
  • Or Feinstein on “Both-And” Judaism: Argues for openness and adaptability.
  • Tama Ross on Maimonides: Investigates how a former disruptor became a foundational figure.

    “What I love about this collection... they really come at their material with all their guns blazing.” (Leah Hochman, 11:21)

  • The host highlights Michael Meyer's essay on Holdheim, noting how radicalism from the margins can become mainstream centuries later (13:36).

    “I find myself... not realizing it often when I talk about Judaism today, channeling him [Holdheim] or quoting him.” (Host, 13:36)

On Simon Holdheim and Interpretive Diversity

• Who was Holdheim?
  • Early radical advocate of including secular scholarship in Jewish identity, moving away from halachic and divine authorship claims, advancing liberal religious reforms (16:56).
  • Holdheim’s radical ideas set the stage for future normalization of such reforms.

    “He wanted to include women... He didn't understand why the Sabbath had to be on Saturday. He was not someone who held by the ritual traditions.” (Leah Hochman, 16:56)

Structuring Jewish History – Periodization

• Five key periods in Jewish history are used to frame the book: biblical, rabbinic, medieval, modern, and contemporary (22:18).
• Rather than prioritizing one over another, Hochman suggests the transitions and intersections are the most “transformative”—the space between periods is where essential innovations arise (22:52).

Change as a Central Feature of Jewish History

• Change as a Constant:
  • Hochman and Katz agree that transformation is essential to Jewish survival and identity, paralleling broader historical processes.

    “All people’s experiences are ones of change… there’s no such thing as stasis in that regard.” (Leah Hochman, 26:06)

  • Hochman underscores how each period of disruption repeats similar rhythms, cycles, and anxieties across centuries.

Why Focus Heavily on the Contemporary?

• Unlike many histories, the book devotes an entire section to recent innovations: feminism, LGBTQ inclusion, post-Holocaust theology, and music. These have had outsized impact for many Jews today—even if they are only a “blip” on the historical timeline (28:15).

  “Feminism, of course, is a massive disruption. There’s not a single lick of Judaism that hasn’t been impacted by that.” (Leah Hochman, 30:13)

Looking Ahead: Future Disruptions

• Predictions:
  • Possible new chapters might focus on post-October 7th Israel, AI and technology (e.g., Sefaria’s impact), shifts in educational models, and potentially the split between differing Zionist positions in American Judaism (33:16–37:47).

    "What’s AI going to do for us? In what way is AI a huge disruption? … we’re going to be talking about this decade for a long time." (Leah Hochman, 33:16)

Theory of Historical Change: Great Person vs. Social Movement

• Hochman resists the “great man” theory, seeing both outstanding individuals and broad social forces as drivers of change—“both and, rather than either/or” (40:27).

  “Great people don’t develop in a vacuum and great ideas don’t develop in a vacuum…” (Leah Hochman, 40:27)

Mendelssohn, Storytelling, and Disruptions

• Hochman’s background as a Mendelssohn scholar informs her appreciation for both narrative construction and misattribution in Jewish history (43:32–46:03).
• Mendelssohn often serves as a screen for people’s anxieties and aspirations, regardless of the actual specifics of his thinking.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jewish History and Disruption:
  • “The story of Judaism is the story of change. Revolutionary events and subversive ideas have burst forth, repeatedly transforming Jewish experience.” (Host, 01:32)
• On Editorial Process:
  • “Some of it is just happenstance in a way... a constructed happenstance, I would say.” (Leah Hochman, 07:20)
• On Pedagogic Timelines:
  • “When I put that timeline up... my students [think] as if it were for me, Sinai.” (Leah Hochman, 07:20)
• On Impactful Innovations:
  • “The Judaisms that have developed are so wildly divergent from one another...” (Leah Hochman, 30:13)
• On Technology and the Future:
  • “I think the most important innovation in Judaism in the past 20 years is the website Sefaria.” (Host, 37:27)
• On Telling Jewish Stories:
  • “Most disruptions are responses to anxiety. Right now, we’re in a tremendous amount of anxiety... that is the most productive time.” (Leah Hochman, 46:16)

Important Timestamps

• 01:32 – Episode & Guest Introduction; Book Overview
• 04:28 – Origin of Book’s Title & Concept of Disruption
• 07:20 – Editorial Choices, Inclusions, Omissions
• 09:55 – Discussion: Overlaying Secular and Jewish Histories
• 11:21 – Favorite Chapters and Highlights
• 13:36 – Michael Meyer’s Essay on Holdheim and the Nature of Radical Ideas
• 16:56 – Explaining Simon Holdheim’s Approach
• 22:18 – The Book’s Structure of Five Key Historical Periods
• 26:06 – Change as a Pattern in Jewish (and all) History
• 28:15 – Focus on Contemporary Disruption: Feminism, LGBTQ, Post-Holocaust
• 33:16–37:47 – Predictions: Israel, AI, New Education Models
• 40:27 – Theories of Change: Great Person vs. Broader Movements
• 43:32 – Mendelssohn’s Legacy and the Construction of Disruptions
• 46:16 – Disruption as a Response to Collective Anxiety

Concluding Reflections

• Disruption as an Engine:
  The episode underscores that Jewish history and survival are built around disruption: tension, adaptation, and integration of revolutionary ideas or moments. Every generation encounters and negotiates change, even as communities tell comforting stories of continuity.

• Contemporary Relevance:
  The editors’ approach emphasizes that the challenges and innovations of our own era (feminism, technology, shifting communal boundaries) are as significant and disruptive as those of the past, holding lessons and uncertainties for Judaism’s future identity.

• Open Questions:
  The episode ends with reflection on what will count as major disruptions for the next generation and what new “norms” will emerge from our turbulent present.

Recommended for: Anyone interested in Jewish history, thought, or religious change; educators seeking to connect past and present; and readers looking to understand how upheaval and adaptation are central to Jewish identity.