Eugene Borowitz, who died on January 22 at the age of ninety-one, was one of the outstanding theologians of post-World War II Reform Judaism. In his post at Hebrew Union College (HUC), he mentored hundreds of future rabbis, and was much beloved by his students. One such student, David Ellenson, writes:

I first encountered Eugene Borowitz as many people have—through the words of his voluminous writings. In 1969, when I was twenty-one, I came across his book A Layman’s Guide to Religious Existentialism. . . . His words on [Søren] Kierkegaard, [Paul] Tillich, and other thinkers excited me and ignited a passion for the life of the mind and the life of the spirit that I had never previously felt. . . . .

Nearly five years later, . . . in [Borowitz’s classroom] as a second-year rabbinical student, . . . I was introduced to a vocabulary that helped me define and understand the religious struggle I was then experiencing.

In his initial lecture in the course, Rabbi Borowitz said clearly and simply, “The problem of modern Jewish thought is one of how we affirm the best of what the modern world has taught us while simultaneously maintaining our commitment to the covenantal tradition that is at the base of genuine Jewish belief and practice. How can we simultaneously be both modern and authentically Jewish?” . . .

Borowitz . . . always subordinated his academic role as professor to his vocation as a moreh derekh—a spiritual guide. He told me that even as he taught at Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton, he remained on the HUC faculty because there he could offer daily Jewish prayer in a Jewish community. I found this profoundly moving and indicative of his deepest commitments and values.

The Biden administration’s apparent abandonment of Israel is matched by the White House’s feckless handling of rising anti-Semitism. Seth Mandel explains:

On Thursday, May 2, Biden made public remarks condemning the campus pro-Hamas protests. The very next day, major Jewish groups pulled out of a White House meeting on anti-Semitism with [the domestic policy adviser Neera] Tanden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. The reason? Jewish activists who have spent their careers opposing Israel, attacking the Jewish community, and now supporting the very anti-Semitic demonstrations [the meeting was called to address] were added to the meeting after the mainstream groups had already accepted.

When Joe Biden speaks about anti-Semitism, he usually says the right words. But in charge of his deeds, he has put political incompetents manifestly unqualified for this responsibility. He should fix that immediately, because his speeches won’t much matter without a way to implement the ideas animating them.