Israel Programming This Spring
May 15, 2025
Over the spring, JTS organized and participated in numerous events highlighting our love of Israel and the Jewish state.
Professor Suzanne Last Stone, Avihai Mandelblit, and Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz
On April 1–2, we hosted our spring convening, Israel at a Crossroads: Navigating Religion, Democracy, and Justice. Engaged audience members gathered to hear from experts in their fields, Israeli citizens, and spiritual leaders. Our many distinguished speakers included Avihai Mandelblit, Former Attorney General of Israel, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Academic Center for Law and Business, who presented on the topic “Legal Reform or Regime Revolution? Defending Israel’s Separation of Powers and Democracy” for the Segal Memorial Lecture. Watch the recordings of all the convening sessions here.
Building on discussions from the convening, our follow-up online webinar series, Israel at a Crossroads—Expanding the Conversation, brings JTS alumni into conversation about the evolving challenges of Israeli identity, culture, and collective resilience. Sessions meet Mondays, April 28–May 19, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. ET. Click here to register for our upcoming sessions and to watch recordings of sessions you may have missed.
The convening generated fascinating conversations which didn’t end after the in-person event. Our upcoming podcast series features convening guests such as Seth Farber, Rakefet Ginsberg, Dahlia Scheindlin, and Raquel Ukeles. These hour-long podcast conversations provide deeper insight and in-depth explorations of selected topics related to Israel. We look forward to sharing them at a later date.
Between Yom HaShoah and Yom Ha’atzmaut, JTS proudly joined the World Zionist Organization, along with many organizations, rabbis, public figures, and community leaders, for a festive event of reading Megillat Ha’atzmaut at the Egalitarian Kotel. This event was broadcast live in different languages to the whole Jewish world, strengthening our sense of Jewish peoplehood in Israel and abroad. Watch a recording here. JTS was also a co-sponsor of the 20th Israeli Palestinian Joint Memorial Ceremony, one of the largest Israeli-Palestinian jointly organized peace events in history.
On April 30, we observed Yom Hazikkaron, and prayed together for the lives of the fallen. In addition to our daily prayers for the hostages, Tzahal, and the victims of war that we’ve been chanting at our service throughout the year, Rabbi Gordon Tucker led the JTS community in a special and moving memorial. He shared Dorit Tzameret’s iconic poem, החיטה צומחת שוב, “The Wheat Still Grows Again.” In the afternoon, Rabbinical and Cantorial School students gathered offsite for a special minhah service and commemoration. One student shared a personal story about a family member who fell in battle.
While keeping all those impacted by the dangerous fires which broke out in Israel in our hearts and minds, JTS celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut on May 1. Students, staff, faculty, and all those working at 3080 gathered in our courtyard for Israeli food and folk dancing, led by List College students Zack Singerman and Noa Wacholder. It was a joyous occasion for the community to come together, and we were lucky to have such wonderful weather for the day.
Throughout the spring, the JTS community also supported the World Zionist Elections. Several JTS community members are on the Conservative Movement/Mercaz slate including Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz; Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership; Rabbi Joel Seltzer, Vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement; and JTS students Christopher Penello and Micah Symons. Several videos were shared on social media encouraging people to vote in this important election.
On Sunday, May 11, Chancellor Schwartz attended a special and festive event at The Consulate General of Israel in New York to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut.
Earlier in the week, even as we celebrated the release of Edan Alexander, we were aware that the horrors of war continue. Thus, our daily prayers in the Women’s League Seminary Synagogue still include pleas for the hostages, and for the innocent victims in both Israel and Gaza, and the IDF.
