The American Jewish Conversation about Israel

The American Jewish Conversation about Israel

Apr 30, 2015

Once a great source of unity and pride for American Jews, Israel now often leads to impassioned conflict, heated debate, and even alienation within our community. J.J. Goldberg, Jonathan Tobin, and Rabbi Melissa Weintraub  explore whether anything can and should be done to bridge our polarization; whether there should be any “red lines” in discussing Israel, either for individuals or for Jewish communal organizations; and how the way we talk to each other about Israel impacts the American Jewish community, especially among younger generations, and how it affects Israel.

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Defeating DOMA: The Changing Nature of Equality Under the US Constitution

Defeating DOMA: The Changing Nature of Equality Under the US Constitution

Mar 18, 2015

Roberta Kaplan, Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, who successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court the landmark U.S. V. Windsor marriage equality case, which struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), explores this groundbreaking ruling. Dozens of courts have relied explicitly on this case to accord gay couples equal rights under the law.

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Hanukkah Reignited! 1 Wondering Jew, Lab/Shul, and Friends Light Up JTS

Hanukkah Reignited! 1 Wondering Jew, Lab/Shul, and Friends Light Up JTS

Dec 2, 2014 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video | Hanukkah

A panel discussion with Jewish Daily Forward columnist Abigail Pogrebin and Lab/Shul founder Amichai Lau-Lavie (RS ’16) cohost this panel featuring Bruce Feiler, Rabba Sara Hurwitz, Rabbi David Ingber, Rabbi Jill Hammer, and Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, and a performance with students from JTS’s cantorial school, cantors and song leaders of New York City congregations, and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary.

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Gaza, the IDF Code of Ethics, and the Morality of War

Gaza, the IDF Code of Ethics, and the Morality of War

Nov 20, 2014

This summer, Israel faced a war with Gaza, but what are the moral implications involved in such a war? The Jewish Theological Seminary’s (JTS) Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen and Dr. Moshe Halbertal, Gruss Professor of Law at New York University School of Law discuss this complicated topic.

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Veterans Day at JTS: Honoring US Military, Veterans, and Chaplains with Admiral Michelle Howard

Veterans Day at JTS: Honoring US Military, Veterans, and Chaplains with Admiral Michelle Howard

Nov 10, 2014

What does the US Navy have to say about morals? Admiral Michelle Howard, the first female four-star admiral in the history of the US Navy, lectures on ethics and diversity.

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Women of Value: Is the Bible a Patriarchal Text?

Women of Value: Is the Bible a Patriarchal Text?

Oct 27, 2014 By Amy Kalmanofsky | Public Event video

Is the Bible a Patriarchal Text? Dr. Amy Kalmanofsky presents this topic at the opening plenary session of the Jewish Women’s University for a Day, an adult learning program hosted by JTS on Sunday, October 27, 2013 at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

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MK Dr. Ruth Calderon’s JTS Commencement Address 2014

MK Dr. Ruth Calderon’s JTS Commencement Address 2014

May 22, 2014

MK Dr. Ruth Calderon gives the 2014 JTS Commencement Address.

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Eisen on Covenant at the Rabbinical Assembly

Eisen on Covenant at the Rabbinical Assembly

May 12, 2014 By Arnold M. Eisen | Public Event video | Short Video

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The Future of Judaism and Islam on American Campuses

The Future of Judaism and Islam on American Campuses

Feb 18, 2014 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Judaism and Islam have quite a bit in common, so how can these two religions learn from each other, especially in the collegiate setting? This topic is discussed in this Annual John Paul II Center Lecture, including panelists Imam Abdullah Antepli of Duke University, Rabbi Gail Swedroe of the University of Florida Hillel, and Professor Mehnaz Afridi of Manhattan College, and moderated by Huffington Post Executive Religion Editor Rev. Paul Raushenbush.

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Patient Autonomy in the Dying Process: A Jewish Perspective

Patient Autonomy in the Dying Process: A Jewish Perspective

Feb 10, 2014

This lecture explores Rabbi Moses Feinstein’s approach to establishing an appropriate balance between the strong Jewish legal mandate to preserve life and the value of maximizing patient autonomy. Rabbi Feinstein’s biblical and talmudic sources, as well as the philosophical and ethical implications of his theory for end-of-life issues in Jewish and comparative law, were discussed.

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Questions with Answers and Questions Without Answers: Science and Religion

Questions with Answers and Questions Without Answers: Science and Religion

Jan 29, 2014

Dr. Alan Lightman and Rabbi Jack Moline discuss both how science and religion conflict, and how they can sometimes work harmoniously.

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Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence

Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence

Jan 23, 2014

Rabbi Shai Held discusses his book about Abraham Joshua Heschel with JTS Chancellor Arnold Eisen.

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Israel’s Safety, Israel’s Soul: Hopes and Fears in Contemporary Israel

Israel’s Safety, Israel’s Soul: Hopes and Fears in Contemporary Israel

Nov 21, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Yossi Klein Halevi and David Senesh have two very different views on Israeli society. Should Israeli society be more concerned about the price of being too weak or too strong? What are the responsibilities of a country under existential threat in terms of both morality and security? These questions are discussed in this provocative, illuminating, and critically important discussion moderated by Rabbi Julia Andelman.

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What Is Life Worth? Tailoring the Law to Meet the Challenges of Unique Catastrophes

What Is Life Worth? Tailoring the Law to Meet the Challenges of Unique Catastrophes

Nov 6, 2013

9/11. The BP oil spill. The Boston Marathon bombing. Major tragedies captivate the public and often galvanize officials into using unconventional strategies to help those most affected.

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Chancellor Eisen Discusses the Legacy of Rabbi David Hartman

Chancellor Eisen Discusses the Legacy of Rabbi David Hartman

Nov 4, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A discussion from “A Day of Study Celebrating the Impact of Rabbi Professor David Hartman,” held in New York City on May 5, 2013, featuring David Hartman’s onetime student and friend, Arnold Eisen, Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary, in conversation with Donniel Hartman (President, Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem). The program was recorded by Shalom TV.

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Living in Uncertain Times: Responses to Crisis in the Bible and in Our Own Lives

Living in Uncertain Times: Responses to Crisis in the Bible and in Our Own Lives

Jul 24, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Whether dealing with personal crisis or collective catastrophe, recovering from emotional and physical hurt is difficult. How do people in the Bible respond to disaster and suffering? And how, from an emotinal and psychological perspective, can these models guide us in coping with and recovering from trauma?

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Aging in America: Second Career/Post Career

Aging in America: Second Career/Post Career

Jun 25, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

As more baby boomers approach traditional retirement age, a seismic shift is taking place in our culture. The change is manifest in the graying of the workforce and in the current political debates on the future of Social Security and Medicare.

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“Get in Trouble.” Commencement Address by US Congressman John R. Lewis

“Get in Trouble.” Commencement Address by US Congressman John R. Lewis

May 29, 2013

The inspirational commencement address was given by US Congressman John R. Lewis at the 119th Commencement Exercises of The Jewish Theological Seminary

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Saul Bellow’s Spiritual Quest

Saul Bellow’s Spiritual Quest

May 8, 2013

Greg Bellow discussed with JTS Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen what it was like to grow up with legendary author Saul Bellow as a father, as well as the older Bellow’s personal, religious, and spiritual life.

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Yours? Mine? Ours? Economies for a Sustainable Earth

Yours? Mine? Ours? Economies for a Sustainable Earth

Apr 25, 2013 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A panel discussion sponsored by the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies of JTS. 

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