The December Dilemma

By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Collected Resources | Hanukkah

Despite its status as a minor festival, the celebration of Hanukkah is elevated in the United States, partially due to its proximity to Christmas. These resources focus on the seasonal challenges of fitting in and the pressure to compete with the excitement of “the most wonderful time of the year.”

Whose Law? Christians and Jews Rethink the Pharisees

Throughout the centuries, in Christian writings and homilies, the Pharisees have been called legalistic, money-loving, self-righteous hypocrites. That definition has become a label applied to Jews in general as well as any persons or groups the speaker or writer despised. For Jews, however, the Pharisees are respected teachers of the past who are in some way the predecessors of all forms of modern Judaism.
Who were the Pharisees, really? And why does this question matter today?

Does Faith Matter? The Ancient Jewish Debate About Faith and Mitzvot

May 9, 2022 By David C. Kraemer | Video Lecture

One often hears it said that “Judaism cares what one does, not what one believes.” But this is a distortion, an oversimplification. When one looks at sources from the period of the birth of Rabbinic Judaism (including early “Christian” writings), one finds that there was an active debate about this matter. In this session, we will begin by considering the arguments of those ancient Jews—Paul and James—who raised the important question of faith vs. mitzvot. We will then examine echoes of the same debate in early rabbinic sources.

The Future of Catholic-Jewish Relations

Catholic-Jewish dialogue has flourished since the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 Decree on non-Christian religions, Nostra Aetate. His Eminence Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the first African American cardinal in the Catholic Church, discusses the history of that dialogue and to explore how current discussions might guide Catholic-Jewish relations in the future.

Dangerous Religious Ideas: The Deep Roots of Self-Critical Faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Apr 20, 2021 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

In Dangerous Religious Ideas, Rabbi Mikva argues all religious ideas are dangerous—not only those we might consider extremist, but even those that stand at the heart of faith. Because most religious traditions have always understood this peril, they have transmitted tools of self-critique as essential to their teachings.

The Relentless Pursuit of Racial Justice

Jan 15, 2021 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

For Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, the Rev. John Vaughn of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta joins us to discuss renewing the Black-Jewish coalition for social Justice.

A Dialogue of Love: Interreligious Cooperation and Global Well-Being

Nov 16, 2020 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Professor Azza Karam, secretary general of Religions for Peace International, discusses how multifaith alliances can further peace and well-being in our fractured world.

Isaac Unbound: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam read the Offering of Abraham’s Beloved Son

Aug 31, 2020 By Burton L. Visotzky | Public Event video | Video Lecture

By reading texts from the New Testament, Church Fathers, and Quran we can see how Christians and Muslims read this seminal story. A medieval midrash shows how Rabbis responded to the interpretations of the other “Abrahamic religions.” The class concludes with a discussion of the problem with the ideology of martyrdom that all three religions read in the harrowing tale of Genesis 22.