Israel at a Crossroads—Expanding the Conversation
Israel at a Crossroads—Expanding the Conversation
Spring 2025 Learning Series
Mondays, April 28–May 19, 2025
1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
This series builds on the discussions from JTS’s Israel at a Crossroads convening, bringing JTS alumni into conversation about the evolving challenges of Israeli identity, culture, and collective resilience. Through explorations of art, spirituality, and national memory, we will consider how Israeli society navigates questions of belonging, pluralism, and meaning in this complex moment. By engaging voices from across disciplines, Expanding the Conversation seeks to illuminate the ways individuals and communities are shaping Israel’s cultural and spiritual landscape today.
Session Topics and Faculty
April 28
The “Art” of Zionist Thought and Israeli Identity
With Rabbi Matt Berkowitz, President-elect, The Schechter Institutes, Inc.
May 5
Israeli Society: Between Cohesion and Fragmentation
Implications for Jewish Peoplehood and American Jewry
With Dr. Elan Ezrahi (Kekst Graduate School, ’94)
May 12
Healing Together: How Those in Trauma Provide Care for Others
With Rabbi Naomi Kalish, Harold and Carole Wolfe Director of the Center for Pastoral Education, JTS, and Rabbi Annabelle Tenzer, Chaplain at Hadassah Hospital-Ein Kerem
May 19
Meeting the Moment: Urgent Questions for Israel and American Jews
With Dr. Arnold M. Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought; Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership; and Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement
Note: Each Monday series has its own Zoom link. Please register for the series in order to receive the correct Zoom link for the spring 2025 series.
