))
In a frenzied media cycle, Identity/Crisis delves into the big ideas behind the news from a uniquely Jewish perspective. From the Shalom Hartman Institute, host Yehuda Kurtzer invites leading thinkers to unpack current events effecting Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and around the world, revealing the core Jewish values underlying the issues that matter to you. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
…
continue reading
America has a fascination with Hasidic Jews; they show up frequently in memoirs, in newspapers, and even on Netflix. But these popular depictions don’t tell the whole story; they just tell the story the public wants to hear. What they hide is a complicated dance between Orthodox Judaism and those who leave the community, and a web of stereotypes that trap Hassidim, rebels, and the public alike. In this limited four-part series, Professor Naomi Seidman takes us on a deeply moving journey with ...
…
continue reading
November is rapidly approaching, and with it the end of the tumultuous U.S. presidential election cycle. In this week's episode, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Aaron Dorfman, Founder and Executive Director of A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy, about his efforts to mobilize the American Jewish community to strengthen U.S. democr…
…
continue reading
At a time when society feels more divided than ever, Yair Zivan, diplomatic advisor to Yair Lapid and author of the new book, The Centre Must Hold, is advocating for centrism. On this week’s episode, Yair chats with guest host and Shalom Hartman Institute Vice President Justus Baird about topics ranging from the politics around hostage deals to the…
…
continue reading
The recovery of the bodies of six hostages over the weekend, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l, brought with it a fresh round of mourning in the ongoing collective grief for Israelis and Jews around the world since October 7. In this week’s episode, Yehuda Kurtzer explores the personal, political, and ethical questions that emerge during this pain…
…
continue reading
This episode was originally released on January 16, 2024. The relationship of many Jews to top tier American universities has recently undergone a transformation from an aspiration to study at an ivy league institution to a desire to join more hospitable campuses. On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by Mark Oppenheimer to e…
…
continue reading
With the fall academic semester just around the corner, guest host Claire Sufrin, Editor of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, shares two of the winning essays from the first student writing contest in the summer issue, Jewish on Campus. In the first essay, Princeton University senior Stephen Bartell rejects the claim that the Israel-Hamas War can…
…
continue reading
This year on Tisha b’Av—the ninth of the Jewish month of Av—we’re bringing you an episode from our podcast TEXTing featuring Hartman fellows Elana Stein Hain and Leora Batnitzky: Living through crisis propels us to reflect on historical crises and consider the consequences of our behavior on future generations. As Tisha B’av approaches, Elana and L…
…
continue reading
This episode was originally released on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. The whole world is watching Israel’s next moves in Gaza, particularly on the amplified information battleground of social media where images of civilian suffering and desolation abound. What is the ethical calculus at play for the IDF in continuing to conduct this war? In this episode, …
…
continue reading
This episode was originally released on May 28th, 2024. October 7th and its unfolding aftermath have triggered a seismic shift in Jewish communal life. In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Mimi Kravetz, Chief Impact and Growth Officer for the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), to talk about JFNA’s recent surveys on Jewish communi…
…
continue reading
With elections top of mind for Jews in the U.S, Israel, and around the world, growing threats to liberalism and the rise of religious fundamentalism, populism, and identitarianism beg the question – are we going back in time? This week on Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer and Tomer Persico discuss the current challenges to liberalism as a Jewish valu…
…
continue reading
At a time when it can be easy to focus on the threats to North American Jewish life, it’s important to remember that the current generation of American Jews benefits from more affluence, influence, power, and privilege than any other Jewish community in history. In this episode recorded in front of a live audience, Yehuda Kurtzer argues that we are…
…
continue reading
The Democratic congressional primary in New York’s 16th District was one of the most closely watched this year and ended with Representative Jamaal Bowman losing to George Latimer. Yehuda Kurtzer and J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami discuss Bowman’s visit to Israel with J Street and the shift in Bowman’s politics and strategy during his time in of…
…
continue reading
With looming threats and escalating violence from Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel is being forced to shift its gaze to the North. In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with journalist and author Matti Friedman about the rising tensions with Lebanon, Hezbollah’s history and ethos, and the ideological and geopolitical challenges currently faced by Isra…
…
continue reading
The latest issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, centers around Jewish life on university campuses, where anti-Zionism and antisemitism have become frighteningly visible. In this week’s episode, guest host Claire Sufrin, editor of the award-winning Journal, speaks with Adena Kirstein, Executive Director of Hillel at the George Washington Uni…
…
continue reading
This episode was originally released on November 7, 2023. Organizations and individuals throughout the world are responding to the October 7th massacre by Hamas, and Israel’s military response, in sharp and vociferous contrast with one another. While one camp mourns the atrocities by Hamas and pools resources to aid the IDF, the other rallies to de…
…
continue reading
Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and is traditionally a holiday of immersive text study. Reflecting on the spirit of the holiday, this week's episode is a recording of an interview with Yehuda Kurtzer on “Jewish Insights” on Jewish Broadcasting Service. Yehuda and JBS host Justin Pines share how they each relate to the Tora…
…
continue reading
The whole world is watching Israel’s next moves in Gaza, particularly on the amplified information battleground of social media where images of civilian suffering and desolation abound. What is the ethical calculus at play for the IDF in continuing to conduct this war? In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks to writer and philosopher Rabbi Shlomo Br…
…
continue reading
October 7th and its unfolding aftermath have triggered a seismic shift in Jewish communal life. In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Mimi Kravetz, Chief Impact and Growth Officer for the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), to talk about JFNA’s recent surveys on Jewish community engagement, vulnerability, and solidarity with Israel…
…
continue reading
In honor of Memorial Day next week and the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, Yehuda Kurtzer brings together members of his family, all of whom have served in some capacity in public service, to share the story of his grandfather, a decorated United States military veteran who served during WWII. Yehuda, Daniel Kurtzer, David Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, …
…
continue reading
In a special crossover this week, Yehuda Kurtzer takes the guest seat for a change, as he is interviewed for the Fearless Interventions podcast by Hartman Teen Fellow, Max Alperstein and his co-host Jacob Finkel. Together they tackle a range of issues at the top of their minds, including navigating political polarization, exploring the boundaries o…
…
continue reading
As university life becomes increasingly volatile for Jewish students, Jewish leaders and institutions on campus are faced with the challenge of supporting and empowering students in navigating tumultuous times. This week, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Jason Rubenstein, chaplain at Yale University and future executive director of Harvard Hillel, about …
…
continue reading
Celebrating Jewish redemption on Passover this year feels nearly impossible, while the Israel-Hamas war rages on and so many hostages remain in captivity. Can the Exodus story and the raw pain of the current moment exist together at the seder table? In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer turns to president of Hebrew College, Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, t…
…
continue reading
As we mark 6 months since October 7 and approach the holiday of Passover, questions of communal memory feel more critical than ever. This week, guest host Sara Labaton speaks with Raquel Ukeles, Head of Collections at the National Library of Israel, about how the library is grappling with preservation, ownership, stewardship, and accessibility whil…
…
continue reading
The organizations that constitute the Jewish world—schools, synagogues, social service agencies, philanthropic institutions, and more—keep Judaism alive, yet not everyone who works in that world is Jewish. In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Darin McKeever, CEO of the William Davidson Foundation, about his experience leading a Jewish organi…
…
continue reading
Jewish organizations are finding it increasingly challenging to represent the wide diversity of North American perspectives on Zionism. On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with David Matlow about his lawsuit against the Toronto Zionist Council and the responsibilities of Zionist organizations in their representation of the voi…
…
continue reading
Antisemitism on college campuses has seen a dramatic uptick in recent months. In an attempt to pressure U.C. Berkeley’s administration to address this issue, Ron Hassner, a professor of political science and the Helen Diller Family Chair in Israel Studies, is staging a sleep-in protest. In this week’s episode, Yehuda Kurtzer talks with Ron about hi…
…
continue reading
