No Religion Is an Island

Book excerpt: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel remains one of the most important figures in American Jewish-Christian relations nearly twenty years after his death. He had a penetrating mind that was never arrogant and a moral passion that never moralized. Together, the thirteen essays of this book testify to his enduring legacy. Beginning with Rabbi Heschel's own "No Religion Is An Island," these writings--by men and women who knew him, studied under him, and struggled with him, people from South Asian, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian traditions--reveal the humble yet soaring spirit of a person who know God transcended the barriers of nation, culture, religion, and historical enmity. As these essays demonstrate, Heschel was spiritual guide to people of many faiths. He won the admiration of men and women in many lands and traditions. Firmly rooted in his own Jewishness, he evoked the genius of other traditions, inspiring believers of all kinds to labor toward a more humane world. Contributors: the editors, Heschel's daughter Susannah, Jacob Y. Teshima, Daniel Berrigan, John C. Merkle, Eugene J. Fisher, John C. Bennett, Fredrick C. Holmgren, Riffat Hassan, Arvind Sharma, Antony Fernando, and Kenneth B. Smith.