338 - The Search for God at Harvard

The Search for God at Harvard

By Ari L. Goldman

New York, Random House, 1991. 283 Pp. $20.00.

Ari Goldman is an observant Jew, both in the sense of "observant" that identifies a practicing Orthodox Jew and in the sense of "observant" that characterizes insightful journalism. That he is an observant Jew in both these senses is the distinctive confluence which makes The Search for God at Harvard possible. In the mid-80s, Goldman's journalistic career at The New York Times led him to the religion beat. Though thoroughly educated in the traditions of Orthodox Judaism, he realized that his knowledge of other religious traditions was inadequate. That recognition led to a proposal to his superiors for a sabbatical, the purpose of which would be to study world religions. When the proposal was accepted, Goldman enrolled in Harvard Divinity School for a year.

Though ostensibly about his divinity school experience of searching a variety of religious traditions to discern their particular ways of apprehending and manifesting the presence of God, the book is, in fact, about considerably more than just this one-year experience. One of its most poignant dimensions is its recounting of the struggles of a devout Orthodox Jew to live faithfully in the modern world while exercising a fully secular calling. Despite the presumed Jewish roots of the leadership at the Times, Goldman's story honestly details the inexorable pressures that make the journalistic vocation a threat to his Orthodox practice. At the same time, his tale also manifests a virtually indomitable faith that his practice of piety and vocation can be held in fruitful and productive tension.

The family traditions and conflicts that shape his approach to both his religious practice and his journalistic enterprise comprise another, somewhat surprising, aspect of the book. Perhaps the observant journalist cannot avoid candid reporting even on the painful parts of his own family experience. For whatever reason, this part of the narrative suffuses it with added authenticity, signaling that this story will not evade the real dilemmas of pain and sustenance as they are found in human families.

While all three parts of the narrative are compelling, the ultimate importance of the volume-especially for its non-Jewish readers-is that it furnishes an utterly believable case study of how interreligious awareness and understanding may engender a larger sense of human

339 - The Search for God at Harvard

community and a more intense, integral identity with one's own community of faith. Recent theological construction among Christians has advocated understandings of God that are fully compatible with global ecology and the nuclear horizon. It may be equally important for our theological convictions to be framed with a sympathetic eye for the religious vision of others. Though religious hostility rendered as violence has been a perennial blight on the human experience, its potential for doing massive damage is now unparalleled. Thus, the importance of case studies such as this one.

"I am sitting in a black Baptist church and feel swept away by the incredible combination of pain, joy and music ricochetting through the building. I am sitting in a Russian Orthodox church surrounded by statues and icons, and feel a sense of mystery and transcendence. I am sitting among Quakers at a Friends' meeting and feel a serenity I have never before known. In each case I leave as a Jew, rooted in the richness of my own faith but nourished by the faith of others."

Goldman-as-journalist reports on such experiences without analyzing what makes them possible, or even what contributes to their occurrence. But in an age in which religious rivalries fan human conflict on micro- and macro-cosmic scales, the living story that demonstrates interreligious enrichment can happen is encouragement to the devout of every faith. The straightforward appeal is for willingness to confront, to be challenged by, and to learn from one another.

The dynamics of such journeys into deeper appreciation of traditions other than one's own are not simplistically represented by Goldman. A kind of alter-ego in the image of Rabbi Siegel appears repeatedly throughout Goldman's account, warning him of the threat of contamination by that which is non-Jewish. Nor is Goldman's resolution of the tensions seamless. There may even be a question of whether he abandons something of the Jewish sense of community by the decision he makes through his pilgrimage to become his own rabbi. Nonetheless, his story is noteworthy, promising, and perhaps even paradigmatic.

For Christians, reading this book may serve as a start in encountering other religious realities. Though the reports on other world religions are instructive, the most profound encounter one will have is with the very religious tradition of Orthodox Judaism which Goldman so fully and generously embodies. His work also makes plain that serious encounter with other faiths requires an equally serious encounter with one's own, including a willingness to re-examine, criticize, and reaffirm at a more profound and adequate level.

D. CAMERON MURCHISON, JR.

Blacksburg Presbyterian Church
Blacksburg, Virginia