Identity/Crisis

Hartman Director of Faculty Elana Stein Hain and Scholar-in-Residence Mijal Bitton discuss the Pew 2020 study, and the conversations Jews are - and aren't - having about it. What about our conversations have changed since the last major survey in 2013, and what's at stake when we guide our communities by the numbers? This conversation was recorded as part of Hartman's summer of learning and is being released here in an edited version.

Shuly Rubin Schwartz (JTS) joins Yehuda Kurtzer to reflect on her new role as Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary and the integrative learning that happens there. Together they discuss the ideals of the institution, the challenges of leading in a polarized era, and the value of history as context for profound and long-lasting learning.

Elana Stein Hain (Shalom Hartman Institute) joins Yehuda Kurtzer to introduce Hartman's newest curricular offering, Foundations for a Thoughtful Judaism, a sophisticated yet accessible introduction to Jewish thought for educators and students of all backgrounds. Featured here is an episode of the companion podcast, Conversations for a Thoughtful Judaism, where Hartman scholars Sara Labaton and Tomer Persico speak about the role of Jewish practice in their lives. Learn more at shalomhartman.org/foundations

Shaul Magid (Dartmouth College) and Pamela Nadell (American University) join Yehuda Kurtzer to take a broad view of the academic field of Jewish Studies: its origins, its uneasy relationship with the community and philanthropy that enable it, and its problematics.

Eitan Hersh (Tufts University) recently published two sociological papers on antisemitism and sentiment about Israel in America's young adults. He joins Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss what the data says, the pitfalls of analyzing communal problems with anecdotal evidence, and the way individuals can actually effect political change. Referenced in this episode: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/political-hobbyists-are-ruining-politics/605212/

Yehuda Kurtzer and David Koffman (York University) chart out the unique questions that face Canadian Jews as citizens of a binational, bilingual, self-described settler state, and the way those questions inform their communal Zionism, continuity, and scholarship.

Joel Braunold (S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace) joins Yehuda Kurtzer to talk about peace-making in the Middle East: its preconditions, the person-to-person work that might enable it, and the uncomfortable truth that "peace" might mean - for everyone - " to agree to lose non-violently."

Yona Shem-Tov and Leah Solomon of Encounter join Yehuda Kurtzer to talk about what Israeli and American Jews aren't seeing, what is simple and what is complicated about the ongoing conflict, and how to listen and speak more courageously.

In this episode, Ethan Tucker (Hadar Institute) joins host Yehuda Kurtzer to reflect on American Zionism’s long-term development and generational differences in the response to this moment of crisis. What are they grounded in? What has changed? And, what is the way forward for the American Jewish community?

Hannah Dreyfus is a freelance reporter with an unusual but essential beat: reporting allegations of sexual misconduct in Jewish organizations. In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Dreyfus about her recent story on a former senior rabbi at Central Synagogue and the process of reporting out allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior in Jewish communal settings.

In the wake of the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, Hartman Research Fellows Ginna Green (political strategist and writer) and Rivka Press Schwartz (SAR) join host Yehuda Kurtzer to reflect on the impact of the moment and to take a broader view at the American Jewish community's relationship to white supremacy and policing.

Bernie Madoff died in prison last week. In this week’s episode, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Felix Salmon (Axios, Slate Money) and Ben Sales (JTA) about his crimes and victims, and with Alicia Jo Rabins about her recent film, A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff.

Shayna Weiss (Brandeis University) and Joe Schwartz (Asif) join Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss Israeli music for this special Yom Ha'atzmaut episode, charting the 20th century greats, the journey of Mizrahi artists from margins to mainstream, and the great piyyut revival in popular music.

James Loeffler joins host Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the development of the term "genocide," and the nuances of three newly-articulated, potentially competing, definitions of antisemitism. IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism: https://www.state.gov/defining-anti-semitism/ The Nexus Document: https://israelandantisemitism.com/the-nexus-document/ The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism: https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/

Host Yehuda Kurtzer convenes a panel of guests to discuss the past and present of American Jewish religious music, from Mordechai Ben David to Nissim Black to Debbie Friedman. Featuring Dovid Bashevkin (1840 Podcast), Yardaena Osband (Talking Talmud Podcast), Miri Miller (SHI NA), and Shira Hanau (JTA). Episode playlist: https://spoti.fi/3vLFbMQ Other Songs Discussed:Im Hashem Lo Yivneh Bayis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckVYO9oI8vcLmaancha with Ben Shapiro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ-Km7RfBEs

Guest host David Zvi Kalman asks Meredith Lewis (PJ Library) about how PJ Library works, how the organization is responding to criticism, and what the future of Jewish children's literature might look like.

Felicia Herman (Natan Fund, Jewish Commmunity Response and Impact Fund), Hindy Poupko (UJA Federation of New York), and Andres Spokoiny (Jewish Funders Network) join Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the lessons of 2008, the role of Jewish philanthropy in the pandemic, and why we haven't seen the dire institutional turbulence many predicted one year ago.

Yehuda Kurtzer gathers Rabbi Barry Dov Katz (Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale), Tilly Shemer (Hillel at University of Michigan), and Stephanie Ives (Beit Rabban Day School) to look back at one year of the pandemic: how COVID has impacted their institutions and changed their leadership in ways both temporary and permanent.

During the Truth, Difference, and Loyalty interfaith symposium, Ross Douthat (The New York Times) joined Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the role of faith in presidential politics, the possibility of political but not partisan religion, and what if anything remains at the religious center of America.

Stacy Burdett joins host Yehuda Kurtzer to dig deep into the IHRA definition of antisemitism she helped craft, which is currently causing waves in the American Jewish community - what it is, what it isn't, and where it came from.

Sarah Levin (JIMENA) and Tye Gregory (JCRC of San Francisco) join Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the years of work that their organizations have done on the California Ethnic Studies model curriculum, and the controversy that erupted in the national Jewish press last week.

Rachel B. Gross (San Francisco State University) joins Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss her new book, Beyond the Synagogue: Jewish Nostalgia as Religious Practice, and its central argument: that foodways, children's literature, and Jewish nostalgia represent a defining feature of American Jewish religion today - and that that's not a bad thing.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt joins host Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss Jewish perspectives on the emerging Biden administration, what was “good for the Jews” and what was “bad for the Jews” about the Trump administration, and most importantly, how American Jews can strengthen the precious “software” of the American government.

Journalists Isabel Kershner (The New York Times) and Ben Sales (JTA) join host Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the successes and failures to date of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Israel, Palestine, and the global Haredi community. Articles mentioned in this episode: I attended an Orthodox anti-vaccine rally. Here’s what I saw. by Ben Sales in the Jewish Telagraphic Agency Netanyahu's Two Israels by Yossi Klein Halevi the Times of Israel Identity/Crisis is produced by the Shalom Hartman Institute in association with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Host Yehuda Kurtzer and Yoni Appelbaum (The Atlantic) come together the morning after a mob breached the US Capitol for a conversation on the roots of the chaos of January 6, 2021, the youthfulness and fragility of American multiracial democracy, and the core idea of America that we can return to and build upon. You can find a link to Yoni Applebaum's December 2019 essay, "How America Ends," here.

Shalom Hartman Institute Research Fellow Micah Goodman joins Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss Israeli secularism's renewed engagement with Jewish tradition, the different dynamics of change in Israel and the diaspora, and his new book, The Wondering Jew.

Congressman-Elect Jamaal Bowman joins host and constituent Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss his campaign against 30-year incumbent Eliot Engel, the values he brings to the 117th Congress, and his message to the diverse communities he represents in the Bronx and Westchester County.

Host Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by Muslim Leadership Initiative alumnae Inas Younis and Rabia Chaudry to discuss Muslim-Jewish relations during and after the Trump presidency, the nature of the Israel-Palestine conflict's impact on American interfaith cooperation, and the risks and rewards of speaking across difference. Referenced in this episode: Muslims Not Only Survived, We Thrived by Zaid Jilani - https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/muslims-survived-and-thrived

Guest host David Zvi Kalman (Shalom Hartman Institute) and Dovid Lichtenstein (The Lightstone Group, Headlines) discuss podcasting, politics, the pandemic, and halacha in the modern world.

Hartman Fellow in Residence Mijal Bitton speaks to Yehuda Kurtzer about diverse American Jews, politics, and the goals and problematics of the project of diversity. Mijal's article can be found here: https://www.jta.org/2020/11/19/opinion/many-jews-of-color-and-diverse-jews-are-politically-conservative-and-many-voted-for-trump

Lila Corwin Berman (Temple University) joins host Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the ways in which America has shaped philanthropy, and the ways in which philanthropy has shaped the American Jewish community, over the last thirty years. This episode was recorded live as part of the Judaism, Citizenship, and Democracy symposium hosted by the Hartman Institute from October 19-30, 2020.

Host Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by Daniel Kurtzer (Princeton), a former US Ambassador to Egypt and Israel and longtime American negotiator in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. They remember Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, and reflect on the humanity and necessity of the peace process. Identity/Crisis is partnering with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. A full transcript of this episode can be found at:

In the liminal space between the US election and the declaration of a result, Yehuda Kurtzer and Shalom Hartman Institute Director of Faculty Elana Stein Hain discuss the right relationship between religion and politics, the necessity and limits of political pluralism, and what Torah they're learning for this moment.

On the eve of the 2020 US election, Yehuda Kurtzer talks about the future of America, Judaism, and American Judaism with Dahlia, Leah, and Tyler - three teenage alumni of Hartman's Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Thought Leaders from around the country.

Featuring Jeffrey Goldberg (The Atlantic) and Yehuda Kurtzer (Hartman) Mentioned in this episode: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/07/trumps-collaborators/612250/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/09/coronavirus-american-failure/614191/

In episode #30 of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Arielle Angel and Jacob Plitman of Jewish Currents about the history and future of Jewish progressive movements and the relationship between liberalism and Jewish tradition. Articles referenced in the episode: https://jewishcurrents.org/justice-you-shall-pursue/ https://jewishcurrents.org/a-pickle-shaped-void/

In episode #29 of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer talks with Rabbi Sharon Brous (IKAR) and Rabbi Elie Kaunfer (Hadar) about whether and how one should pray for the welfare of a government and president to which one is opposed. Mentioned in the episode: - Jewish Prayers for the United States Government: A Study in the Liturgy of Politics and the Politics of Liturgy by Jonathan Sarna (https://bit.ly/2Idue2f) - Identity/Crisis #7: https://www.hartman.org.il/identity-crisis-7-no-mosque-no-church-no-shul-now-what/

Malka Simkovitch (Catholic Theological Union) and Zev Eleff (Hebrew Theological College) join host Yehuda Kurtzer to explore the history and present of the relationship between Jews and Catholics through the lens of the Supreme Court and their respective communal roles in American politics.

Hartman Senior Fellow and Senior Editor at Slate Dahlia Lithwick joins Yehuda Kurtzer to talk about the Jewish life and legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, z"l. Find Dahlia's piece for the Jewish Women's Archive here.

Featuring Jill Stauffer (Associate Professor of Peace, Justice, and Human Rights; Haverford College) and Aaron Koller (Professor of Near Eastern Studies; Yeshiva University).

Featuring Abby Pogrebin and Yehuda Kurtzer. For more on the Still Small Voice Series, see: https://forward.com/tag/still-small-voice/

This week's guests are Sheila Katz (National Council of Jewish Women) and Shira Berkovits (Sacred Spaces). The episode was guest-hosted by Sarah Mulhern (Shalom Hartman Institute).

Featuring Jeffrey Goldberg (The Atlantic) and Yehuda Kurtzer (Hartman) Mentioned in this episode: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/07/trumps-collaborators/612250/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/09/coronavirus-american-failure/614191/

To watch classes from All Together Now, go to summer.hartman.org.il

Featuring Yehuda Kurtzer, Rachel Jacoby-Rosenfield, Lauren Berkun, Justus Baird, and Justin Pines. To watch classes from All Together Now, go to summer.hartman.org.il

Featuring Rivka Press Schwartz (SAR / Hartman), Anshel Pfeffer (Haaretz), and Yehuda Kurtzer (Hartman). Mentioned in this episode: Yehuda Kurtzer, "Memory Malpractice:" https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/memory-malpractice-beinart Anshel Pfeffer, "Peter Beinart's One State Solution Sounds So Perfect It's Practically Utopian:" https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-peter-beinart-s-one-state-solution-sounds-so-perfect-it-s-practically-utopian-1.8983601

Featuring Benay Lappe (Svara), Arielle Korman (Ammud), and Yehuda Kurtzer (Hartman)

Featuring Julie Cooper (Tel Aviv University) Shaul Magid (Shalom Hartman Institute / Dartmouth University), Daniel Kurtzer (School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University), Sara Hirschhorn (Northwestern University), and Yehuda Kurtzer (Shalom Hartman Institute). To purchase The New Jewish Canon: https://www.amazon.com/New-Jewish-Canon-Emunot-Philosophy/dp/1644693607

Featuring Ruth Balinsky Friedman (Ohev Sholom), Carrie Bornstein (Mayyim Hayyim), Rachel Rosenthal (JTS), and Yehuda Kurtzer (Shalom Hartman Institute) To register for Hartman's summer programming, go to https://www.hartman.org.il/

This episode features Jodi Rudoren (Forward), Philissa Cramer (JTA), and Yehuda Kurtzer.