“To be Jewish is to be modern, and vice versa.”
– R. José Faur z”l
Understood correctly, Jewish ideas are at the forefront of human development and are produced by a forward-thinking, pro-social outlook that sees law as an instrument of social perfection, both directly and by creating the conditions in which individual spiritual perfection can be obtained. Jewish civilization is nomocratic and egalitarian, based on reason and conscience, and founded upon the principles of social autonomy, rights, and responsibilities.
This naturally aligns with social progress and the concerns of political progressives.
There is also a strong conservative dimension to Jewish culture and society – after all, we are the people of tradition. But the essentially progressive nature of Judaism gets underplayed, misunderstood, and distorted in today’s discourse.