America at 250: Jewish Ideas and the American Experiment
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, this series explores the rich and surprising intersections between Jewish thought and American life. From baseball and youth culture to constitutional law, storytelling, and democratic theory, leading scholars reveal how Jewish ideas, texts, and experiences have shaped—and been shaped by—the American experiment.
Sources for each session will be shared here.
May 4, 2026
Baseball (A Jewish American Pastime)
With Dr. Robert A. Harris, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, JTS
May 11, 2026
Youth in the Making of American Jewish History
With Dr. Sandra Fox, Robert S. Rifkind Chair in American Jewish History, JTS
May 18, 2026
The Talented Dr. Finkelstein:
His Initiatives, Allies and Critics
With Dr. Jack Wertheimer, Joseph and Martha Mendelson Emeritus Professor of American Jewish History, JTS
June 1, 2026
Hard Cases: Facing Law’s Challenges in American Legal Theory and Rabbinic Literature
With Dr. Sarah Wolf, Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS
June 8, 2026
Jewish Storytelling and American Law in
Post-WWII America
With Dr. Shira Billet, Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS
June 15, 2026
The Changing Landscape of Jewish American Literature
With Rabbi Benjamin Resnick, Author of Next Stop, Rabbi Pelham Jewish Center,
Rabbinical School Alum
June 22, 2026
One Nation Under God?
Heschel, Niebuhr, King and the Intersection of Religion and Politics in America
With Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus; Professor of Jewish Thought, JTS, and
E.J. Dionne, Journalist, Harriman Chair in American Governance, Brookings Institute
June 29, 2026
Deuteronomy and the Separation of Powers
With Dr. Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, JTS
