As part of their education and training to be Modern Orthodox leaders of the future, Straus Scholars are encouraged to take summer jobs, internships, and fellowships that allow them to build on their Straus Center studies. Many Scholars have spent this past summer participating in programs where they study aspects of public policy and philosophy relevant to their academic and personal interests. We continue to highlight Scholars who have taken advantage of such programming this past summer, many of whom have produced novel and important research and analysis in areas of particular concern to American Jews. In this installment, we spoke to Allie Orgen (SCW ‘24), who spent a week engaged in intensive philosophical study in Washington, DC. At the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a leading public-policy think tank, Orgen studied under Dr. Yuval Levin, an influential public intellectual. One of the themes of the course was the role of tradition in the modern world, and Orgen spoke glowingly about how Levin brought the topic to life, and what she as a Straus-trained observant Jew could bring to the seminar table.
How did you spend your summer?
I was a participant in the American Enterprise Institute’s Summer Honors Program, in a course led by National Affairs editor Yuval Levin called “Freedom, Liberty, and Tradition.”
How did you connect with AEI Summer Honors? What led you there?
Mostly the Straus Center! My exposure to AEI came from Straus faculty’s previous involvement, as well as my Straus peers, some of whom had participated in AEI-on-campus work. Dr. Levin in particular came highly recommended. I had read his work (among that of other AEI scholars) as part of my Straus education, and his course seemed to go hand-in-hand with the Straus Center’s mission.
Dr. Levin is a leading policy analyst and political philosopher, and he writes frequently using biblical terms and concepts from the Jewish tradition. What was it like learning from him?
Dr. Levin and the course were really fantastic -- I learned from him as a person and the material he brought to life. One theme that animated the course was the tension between being bound by tradition and living in a dynamic, forward-looking society. That certainly hit home for me as an observant Jew who confronts that tension in daily life. Dr. Levin often tied his questions and insights into religion, too, which was really interesting, and showed me that being religiously serious means I have more to contribute to our biggest social, cultural, and political questions -- not less. It also stood out that our teacher in this non-denominational course at a leading think tank was Jewish, and serious about being Jewish. Our perspective was well-represented, and it’s encouraging that tomorrow’s political and intellectual leaders will have learned from a Jewish teacher who takes freedom, liberty, and tradition seriously.
Let’s talk about the content of the seminar. What kinds of questions predominated?
There were a few fundamental questions that kept coming up: How we can be totally free if we’re bound by laws and traditions that were not set by us? What’s the role of consent in being free and self-determining? How important is being free relative to other good things?
Were there any surprising answers?
There were some ways in which religious tradition and political tradition relate that were novel. It’s easy to lose track of how things we take for granted as legitimate political goals are informed by traditional understandings of right and wrong. Another surprising insight was about how our traditions allow us to move forward by grounding us in ideals and principles. Dr. Levin said something about Martin Luther King, Jr., who we think of as one of the major forces of progressive change. Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, where he stood in front of the text of the Gettysburg Address. The symbolism is important. Dr. King believed, like President Lincoln before him, that our tradition and the American system is what drove and called for change. That you can be a proud American while wanting better and moving forward within the timeless ideals set by our shared heritage.
You mentioned that taking this course was only natural for a Straus Scholar. How did you bring your Straus training to bear on the seminars?
First, the seminar reinforced my Straus training by providing a new lens for me to see the role of tradition in our lives today and living in a tradition-bound society. I tried to bring a Straus perspective to our discussions, too. Among the students, I was the only Jewish voice in the room in a conversation that often turned to religion. Quoting Rabbi Sacks and Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi in a setting like that felt really special. It brought me back to an idea I spent a lot of time thinking about when I was applying to programs like AEI Summer Honors: my interest in politics doesn’t contradict my Jewish belief; they are inextricable. I can be a proud American and a proud Jew, active and involved in both. The concepts common to both a national and religious heritage really manifested in this class with the topic of tradition and the role it should play in our life.
