Mordecai Kaplan’ın Yahudi Dinî Hayatında Yaptığı Yenilikler

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 171 - 192, 31.12.2019

Mahmut Salihoglu Şefaat Bedir

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3582402

Abstract

Yeniden Yapılanmacı hareketin kurucusu olan Mordecai Kaplan, fikirleri ve eserleri ile Amerikan Yahudi toplumu üzerinde oldukça etkili olmuştur. Kaplan, modernizmin Yahudi yaşamında bir parçalanma meydana getirdiğini gözlemlemiş ve Yahudiliği yeniden yapılandırarak bu dini modern müntesipleri için daha anlamlı bir hale getirmeye çalışmıştır. Bu amaçla kaleme aldığı Judaism as a Civilization adlı kitabında, Amerikan Yahudi yaşamını canlandırmak için kapsamlı bir yeniden yapılanma programı önermekle kalmamış, aynı zamanda yeni nesil Yahudilerin karşılaştığı zorlukların etkileyici bir analizini de sunmuştur. Bu kitabında Kaplan, Yahudiliği gelişen bir medeniyet olarak yeniden tanımlamış ve Yahudilik içerisinde farklı bir din yorumu geliştirmiştir. Bu anlayış çerçevesinde geliştirdiği sinagog merkezi, bat mitzva töreni gibi birçok kavram, Amerikan Yahudilerinin büyük bir çoğunluğu tarafından kabul edilmiştir. Kaplan ayrıca Yeniden Yapılanmacı hareket aracılığıyla Amerikan Yahudi toplumu içerisinde kadın haklarına ve cinsiyet eşitliğine yönelik pek çok yeniliğe de öncülük etmiştir.

Keywords

Mordecai Kaplan, Yeniden Yapılanmacı Yahudilik, medeniyet, bat mitzva, Amerikan Yahudi Toplumu

Mordecai Kaplan’s Innovations in Jewish Religious Life

Abstract

Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of the  Reconstructionist movement, has been  highly influential on American Jewish society with his ideas and works. Kaplan observed that modernism caused a fragmentation in Jewish life and endeavored to make Judaism more meaningful for modern Jews by reconstructing it. To this end, in his book called Judaism as a Civilization, Kaplan not only offered a comprehensive reconstructing program to revive American Jewish life, but also provided an impressive analysis of the challenges which the new generation of Jews were facing. In this book, Kaplan redefined Judaism as an evolving civilization and developed a different interpretation of religion within Judaism. Many concepts of Kaplan such as synagogue center and bat mitzvah ceremony, have been accepted by the majority of American Jews. Kaplan has also pioneered many innovations within the American Jewish community that will take place towards women’s rights and gender equality, through the Restructuring movement.

Keywords

Mordecai Kaplan, Reconstructionist Judaism, civilization, bat mitzvah, American Jewish Society

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