PunkTorah is independent Jewish spirituality.
First of all, the question we most often receive:
Why “Punk” Torah?
Because the term “punk”, like “rebel”, “renegade” or “revolutionary”, is at the heart of the Jewish experience. “Punk” as a mindset, not a musical style.
Because the term “punk”, like “rebel”, “renegade” or “revolutionary”, is at the heart of the Jewish experience. “Punk” as a mindset, not a musical style.
Avraham Avinu, Abraham, our father, was the original punk. Abraham smashed idols like Jimi Hendrix smashed guitars. Abraham completely rebelled against the mainstream culture of his time, spreading a message that was hated and feared by many. He taught those willing to be taught, and stood firm against the tide of social blindness running rampant in his day. Like our ancestors, we are a tribe of people who don’t take “no” for an answer. We survive and flourish because of our individuality, but also our collective responsibility for each other. When you dig into your heart, and pull out a Jewish answer to the issues that confront you, that is “as PunkTorah as it gets”.
A non-profit organization (501c3 pending), PunkTorah is committed to the idea that you can approach “doing Jewish” without undoing yourself. You don’t have to be someone that you are not. It’s not about taking stuff away from your life, or taking things away from you. It’s about adding to your life.
Our full time staff and volunteers organize programs in synagogues and independent Jewish communities, write for Jewish publications and websites, and actively participate in Jewish life across the country.
We experience Judaism not as a means to an end, we see Judaism as a process. As Abraham Joshua Heschel put it, “My problem is not whether my soul has attained salvation. My problem is what is the next mitzvah that G-d wants me to do.”
That is the future of Judaism.
Who is PunkTorah? You are PunkTorah!
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