Yom Hazikkaron and Yom Ha'atzma'ut at JTS

Chancellor Eisen Talks About Israel

Read the chancellor’s New Yom Ha’atzma’ut Blog Post, “What Israel Means to Us.”

Chancellor Eisen's Special Yom Ha'atzma'ut 2012 Address at JTS

Today, April 26, in honor of Yom Ha'atzma'ut (State of Israel Independence Day), Chancellor Arnold Eisen gave a passionate and moving address to the JTS community:

Watch "Israel and Us: Responsibilities, Commitments, and Opportunities " Now

The event was preceded and followed by performances from the H. L. Miller Cantorial School Chorus, after which members of the community engaged in faculty- and student-led conversations about Israel over lunch in the JTS Dining Hall.

Special Shaharit and Minhah Services at JTS

Special holiday services for Shaharit (7:30 a.m.) and Minhah (3:15 p.m.) will be held on April 25 (Yom Hazikkaron [State of Israel Memorial Day]) and April 26 (Yom Ha'atzma'ut).

The special Minhah service to commemorate Yom Hazikkaron on Wednesday, April 25, will be held at 3:15 p.m. on the Library terrace. All other services will be held in the Women's League Seminary Synagogue.

The Jewish Theological Seminary will incorporate special commemorative readings, poems, and music—led by current rabbinical and cantorial students—after Shaharit and Minhah services.

JTS services are free and open to the public; we hope to see you there (3080 Broadway).

JTS Learning for Yom Ha'atzma'ut

Enjoy these resources, lecture,s and teachings about Israel and Zionism from JTS faculty and students.

The Jewish People and Isreal—Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen outlines the relationship between the Jewish people, the Land of Israel, and the State of Israel in his Conservative Judaism blog.

Zionism and Jewish Philosophy—In this video recording of a 2011 JTS lecture delivered by David Novak of the University of Toronto, the relationship between Zionism, Jewish philosophy, and Jewish theology is discussed.

Hebrew at the Heart—Watch this panel discussion from the 100th anniversary celebration of the Teachers Institute of The Jewish Theological Seminary, which examines the role of Hebrew in Jewish education.

Celebrating Israel in the American Synagogue—This 2009 undergradute senior thesis of Jacob Taber analyzes the development of liturgical responses to Yom Ha'atzma'ut in the Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist movements.