JTS Torah Commentary

Genetic Engineering, Jewish Law, and the Remaking of Life

Jun 18, 2018 By Daniel Nevins | Public Event video | Video Lecture

An exploration of genetic engineering through the lens of Jewish law and values. Under what circumstances should the DNA modification of new and already living plants, animals, and humans be permitted?

Is it Time to Rethink the Israel-Diaspora Relationship?

Apr 19, 2018 By Arnold M. Eisen | Public Event video | Video Lecture | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut

A provocative discussion with Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen and Dr. Hillel Ben Sasson about how Israel and Diaspora Jewry influence each other—and how we can develop a new vision for working together.

Art, Artists, and Activism

Apr 16, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody in conversation with Ruth W. Messinger: What are the most responsible and effective ways for actors, singers, directors, and other artists to use the power of their public platforms on behalf of social causes?

Supreme Court Cases and Jewish Values

Apr 10, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Seth P. Waxman, former Solicitor General of the United States and leading Supreme Court advocate, discusses three high-profile, momentous cases are currently before the US Supreme Court.

Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz

Jan 29, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews coexisted in Buczacz for 400 years. Then, during WWII, the town descended into intergroup violence and ethnic cleansing. Why? Anatomy of a Genocide profoundly changes our understanding of the social dynamics of mass killing and the nature of the Holocaust. It is also a warning of how it could happen again, in our own towns and cities—much more easily than we might think.

Forest Dark: A Novel

Jan 17, 2018 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A discussion with New York Times best-selling author Nicole Krauss on Forest Dark: A Novel.

Breaking the Bank: The High Cost of Low-Income Living

Dec 6, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Why does it cost so much to be poor? NYC is an expensive place to live—and it’s the most expensive for New Yorkers living from paycheck to paycheck.

A discussion about how low-income New Yorkers manage their financial lives and the challenges they face, exploring how diverse resources, from loan funds to check cashers to fintech startups, are responding to the financial needs of struggling New Yorkers

Can the Tribes of Modern Israel Dwell Together?

Nov 29, 2017 By Arnold M. Eisen | Public Event video

On the 70th anniversary of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine, a major step in the creation of Israel, the partitions within Israeli society threaten the very future of the State. Can the divisions be bridged between Israel’s secular, national religious, ultra-Orthodox, and Arab citizens? Can they talk to each other and work together to forge a new partnership? And what is the role of caring Diaspora Jews in achieving this goal?

Listening, Love, and Citizenship: Healing the Fractures in American Society

Nov 8, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A panel discussion exploring what it means to be a citizen of the United States in today’s fractured society. What are the basic skills of citizenship that have eroded in our country? How can we learn to listen to and love one another to become responsible citizens?

Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul

Oct 31, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Rabbi Naomi Levy (JTS ’89) takes us on a journey into the world of our souls, inspired by correspondence between Albert Einstein and a grieving rabbi. We often get so distracted by life’s surface demands and pressures that we rarely take the time to see what’s planted deep inside us. By listening to our souls we can uncover our true goodness, our calling, our yearnings, our gifts, yes, and even our greatness. Once we begin listening to our own souls we begin seeing the souls of others, seeing beyond our differences, to the truth that unites us and unites all things.

Dinner at the Center of the Earth

Oct 18, 2017 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Dinner at the Center of the Earth, a new political thriller from Pulitzer finalist and best-selling author Nathan Englander, unfolds in the highly charged territory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Remembering Alan Mintz (z”l)

Jun 7, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A celebration of the life and work of JTS’s Chana Kekst Professor of Jewish Literature Alan Mintz z”l, with remarks from colleagues and dramatic readings from S. Y. Agnon’s Buczacz stories.

Mighty Be Our Powers: Standing Together to Confront Tyranny

May 10, 2017 By Ruth Messinger | Public Event video

Renowned peace activist Leymah Gbowee delivers the annual John Paul II Lecture on Interfaith Understanding. Gbowee won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work leading a women’s peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War.

The Criminal Justice System: Honoring Tradition, Championing Reform

Apr 4, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Flaws in the criminal justice system threaten the social fabric of our country. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. shares new approaches to criminal justice reform, including initiatives to promote alternatives to incarceration, address implicit bias, and enhance relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve. He also addresses contemporary public safety issues like human trafficking and cybercrime.

Wondering Jews: Abigail Pogrebin and Joseph Telushkin in Conversation

Mar 27, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

The Pew Research Center study “A Portrait of Jewish Americans” revealed that most US Jews locate their Jewishness in their ancestry and culture—not in religion. Abigail Pogrebin wondered if perhaps that’s because we haven’t all looked at religious ritual closely enough. Her new book, My Jewish Year, is the result of a deep spiritual and scholarly exploration of every festival and fast, coming at an ancient tradition with fresh eyes.

Global Refugee Crisis: Time for New Thinking

Mar 16, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

David Milliband, president of the International Rescue Committee and former UK Foreign Secretary, discusses ways to address one of the most pressing political and moral issues of our time. 

The US Health Care System: What Does the Future Hold?

Feb 14, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 took a giant step toward universal health insurance coverage in the United States. Although it has been quite successful in accomplishing that goal, it has remained highly controversial. The new Administration is intent on repealing the law and replacing it with an alternative model.  

Why is health care reform so challenging? Why does “Obamacare” look as it does? Could alternative plans under consideration achieve the same gains? And what are the political prospects of those alternatives? Prominent health policy expert Dr. Sherry Glied describes the past, present, and possible future of health reform efforts in the US.

Teaching Mahshevet Yisrael: The Universalist / Particularist Issue

Feb 14, 2017

Elie Holzer: “Jews, Non-Jews, and Teaching the Hasidic Homily: Hermeneutic Approaches and Pedagogical Deliberations”

Avinoam Rosenak: “Machshevet Yisrael as an Encounter: Jewish Philosophy or Judaism as a Philosophy—Educational Implications”

Teaching Jews about the “Other” and Teaching the “Other” about Jews

Feb 13, 2017 By Sarah Tauber (z”l) | Public Event video

Sarah Tauber: “A Jewish Professor and Christian Students Meet: Teaching and Learning in an Introduction to Judaism Course at a Christian Seminary”

Michael Gillis: “Teaching About Other Religions in Jewish Education”

Seeing the “Other” in Jewish Canonical Texts

Feb 13, 2017

Adriane Leveen: “Biblical Narratives of Israelites and their Neighbors”

Matt Goldish: “Reading the Gospel through Talmudic Eyes: John Lightfoot’s Revolution”