Upholding Human Dignity in Turbulent Times: An Interreligous Convening

November 20, 2025

JTS hosted an engaging, interactive two-day convening last week titled “Upholding Human Dignity in Turbulent Times.” Throughout the program, prominent speakers—including religious leaders, activists, scholars, lawyers, medical practitioners, public health specialists, and NGO executives—led panels and workshops addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time. Attendees listened to experts discuss topics such as immigration reform, equality for all gender and sexual orientations, healthcare access, emerging technologies, and the importance of interfaith cooperation, gaining timely insights, and practical ways of implementing these new ideas.

Our keynote speaker, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, emphasized the vital role of dialogue, especially the importance of listening, and highlighted the value of both intra- and interfaith engagement. During the Henry N. and Selma S. Rapaport Memorial Lecture, Bill McKibben, author, activist, and educator, delivered a stirring and inspiring talk on climate change and the transition to renewable energy.

If you weren’t able to join us in-person, you can now watch these must-see conversations.

DAY ONE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2025

Frameworks in Conversation: Jewish and Interfaith Perspectives

  • Moderator: Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement, JTS
  • Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, Interfaith Center New York
  • Rabbi Dr. Shai Held, President and Dean, Hadar Institute
  • Dr. Jerusha Rhodes, Associate Professor of Islam & Interreligious Engagement
    Director, Islam-Focused Degree Programs
  • Dr. Heather Miller Rubens, Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar, Institute for Islamic Christian and Jewish Studies

Fostering a Just Democracy through Belief and Interreligious Engagement: A Talk

  • Senator Chris Coons of Delaware
  • Introduction by Rabbi Jack Moline

Borders Within: The Human Impact of Detention, Raids, and Deportation

  • Moderator: Dr. Tamara Neuman, Director of Convenings, JTS
  • Dr. Ulla Berg, Associate Professor of Latino and Caribbean Studies and Anthropology, Rutgers University-New Brunswick
  • Kyle Elizabeth Barron JD, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Immigrant Rights Clinic/Community Equity Lab at New York University Law School
  • Michelle Dibblee, Missioner for Equity and Justice, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
  • Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador, AJWS and Co-Chair, Interfaith Center of NY

The Henry N. and Selma S. Rapaport Memorial Lecture

  • Special guest Bill McKibben, the founder of Third Act, speaking on climate change, emerging technology, and other threats to human well-being
  • Moderator: Dr. Adriane Leveen, Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible Emerita, Hebrew Union College, and Co-Founder of Jewish Climate Action Network NYC

 Gender, Sexuality, and Inclusion

  • Moderator: Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership, JTS
  • Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi Emerita, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
  • Rev. Dr. Eric Thomas, Assistant Professor of Bible, The General Theological Seminary and Pastor at Siloam Presbyterian Church
  • Dr. Paisley Currah, Professor of Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies at Brooklyn College and of Political Science, Women’s & Gender Studies, and English at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York

DAY TWO: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2025

Hunger, Displacement, and Civilian Suffering

  • Moderator: Dr. Shira Billet, Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics and Academic Director of JTS’s Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice, JTS
  • Menachem Z. Rosensaft, Adjunct Professor of Law, Cornell Law School, and Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School
  • Rev. Adam Phillips, CEO, Interfaith America, former Executive Director, Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships Hub, USAID
  • Ven. Bhikku Bodhi, President, Buddhist Association of the United States

Healthcare Access as a Human Right

  • Moderator: Rabbi Dr. Naomi Kalish, Harold and Carole Wolfe Director of the Center for Pastoral Education and assistant professor of Pastoral Education, JTS
  • Dr. Diana Romero, Professor, Dept. of Community Health and Social Sciences and Director of Maternal, Child, Reproductive and Sexual Health, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health
  • Dr. Paul Root Wolpe, Jewish Bioethics, Professor in Medicine, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Biological Behavior, Emory University
  • Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, President and Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, Scottsdale, Arizona
  • Dr. Amanda Alladin, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Miami/ Jackson Memorial Medical Center

Religious Ethics and the Dehumanizing Potential of Emerging Technologies

  • Moderator: Dr. David Zvi Kalman, Research Fellow, Kogod Research Center, Shalom Hartman Institute
  • Dr. Nadav S. Berman, Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Jewish Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University, and at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Yeshiva University
  • Dr. Timothy Beal, Distinguished University Professor and Florence Harkness Professor of Religion, Department of Religious Studies, Case Western Reserve University
  • Dr. Peter Hershock, Adjunct Senior Fellow and coordinator of Human AI initiative, East/West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

Fostering Dialogue and Unity for Dignity and Democratic Preservation

  • Moderator: Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought, JTS
  • Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President, Union Theological Seminary
  • Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor and Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, JTS