Rooted Modernity by Terry Newman explores how Israel is learning to be ancient and modern at once. In the book, Newman examines how the lessons being learned are affecting different civilizations across the globe and, in the age of AI, the human species itself.
Newman is a former strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company and previously served as Chief of Staff to Lord Janner in the British Parliament. He is Chairman of BINA’s Public Council and a member of the World Jewish Congress. An Oxford graduate, he also holds a degree in Security and Diplomacy from Tel Aviv University. BINA is an Israeli organization focused on Jewish education and social action, including programs for students in the public school system. Newman views Israel as a significant contemporary example of what he describes as rooted modernity.
By every rule of the modern world, Israel shouldn’t work. A country small enough to drive across in two hours, shaped by conflict since its founding, speaking a language that was dead for two thousand years. Yet it ranks in the world’s top ten in happiness, is the only OECD country with a birth rate above the replacement level, and builds the technology in your pocket. The world says you must choose between your roots and your future. Israel is living proof that you don’t have to.
Why should the world care? Israel is the subject of intense debate, in the streets, online, and at the United Nations. Beneath that debate, every civilization is asking Israel’s question, which is how to be fully modern without erasing who you are. Israel’s answer runs from the foot of Mount Sinai to this very moment. Embrace the most transformative power in history, and honor your humanity by respecting your roots.
Inside Israel itself, a revolution is underway. The secular and traditional majority of Israeli Jewry is taking responsibility for Judaism itself, renewing the festivals of the year, the milestones of the lifecycle, and the treasures of the Jewish bookshelf. All in Hebrew, in public, as a living inheritance. This is Israeli Judaism, and it is not Israel’s alone. For Jews in America and across the Diaspora, it offers something long missing, a true partnership where inspiration flows in both directions. A living Judaism to carry forward together.
The book considers what Israel’s experience may mean for Jewish communities abroad and for societies facing similar questions. Rooted Modernity examines history, cultural questions, and themes of ancient covenant. It is scheduled for release on January 5th.
