Jewish Ideas to Change the World

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Letty Cottin Pogrebin Event Co-Sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About The Event: Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz in conversation with Letty Cottin Pogrebin, writer, activist, and co-founding editor of Ms. Magazine, about her new book, Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy. About The Speaker: Letty Cottin Pogrebin, a writer, activist, and national lecturer, is a...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz Event Co-Hosted by Temple Solel  About The Event: In this class, Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz talks about her upcoming book, designed to help parents engage in relevant, difficult, and meaningful conversations with their children, based on the weekly portions in the book of Vayikra.   About The Speaker: Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz is the chair of the Tanakh de...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer About The Event: Some of the best-kept secrets in kabbalistic literature deal with understanding what it means to be human and the interconnectedness between mankind, flora, fauna, and even the pebbles by a lake. Secrets of a previous aquatic world and a future one in which the natural hierarchy changes offer a unique perspective of ourselves an...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Michael Marmur Event Co-Sponsored by Rodef Shalom About The Event: In this class we will consider a debate in the Talmud concerning the limits of responsibility for the deeds of our fellow human beings, and how one of the greatest Jews of the twentieth century read and related to this debate. At stake is the question: when is it intrusive and disrespectful to...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi Event Co-Hosted by Temple Emanuel About The Event: This session will focus on two Talmudic stories about rabbinic power and gender. They share two elements that we’ll study closely: the role of the body and the emotion of anger. We’ll ask: How are each portrayed in each of the Talmudic narratives and how do we understand them an...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Joseph Ozarowski Event Co-Hosted by Hebrew Education Alliance  About The Event: We will take an in-depth look at a tragic Biblical narrative for its contextual, halachic, and pastoral value.   About The Speaker: Rabbi Dr. Joseph S. Ozarowski is Rabbinic Counselor and Chaplain for JCFS Chicago and Jewish Chaplain for the North Shore Health Care System. He is al...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi David Wolpe Event Co-Hosted by Temple Solel About The Event: This talk surveys antisemitism and its impact on Jews in America, religiosity and its decline, and looks at the question of the future of the American Jewish community. About The Speaker: Named The Most Influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek and one of the 50 Most Influential Jews in the...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz of Valley Beit Midrash interviews Rabbi David Wolpe - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Stay Connected with Valley Beit Midrash: •  Website: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org   •  Donate: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/donate   •  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValleyBeitMidrash   •  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiLYSyEus7DcWMhyEZ_CQFQ   •  Become a...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein Event Co-Hosted by Temple Chai About The Event: Developmental trauma occurs when a child’s earliest needs go unmet and they develop unconscious patterns that cause life-long psychological and wellness challenges, as well as interpersonal difficulties.  Fortunately, the field of trauma healing is developing new and effective treatments, some of w...

Alix Cramer of Valley Beit Midrash interviews Doug Seserman, CEO of Americans for Ben-Gurion University. • Americans for Ben-Gurion University Website: https://americansforbgu.org/ • Contact Doug Seserman: https://americansforbgu.org/americans-for-ben-gurion-university-a4bgu-2/contact-us/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Stay Connected with Valley Beit Midrash: •  Website: https://www.valleybei...

A Virtual Event Presentation by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz Event Co-Sponsored by Hebrew Education Alliance About The Event: Halakha has certain mechanisms which allow people to perform mitzvot vicariously. One of those mechanisms is Shomea K'oneh; hearing equals reciting. We will explore how this “legal fiction” can be utilized to create a Halakha that is inclusive of people with certain disabilities, pa...

A Virtual Event presentation by Rabbanit Leah Sarna Event Co-Sponsored by BMH-BJ About The Event: Join Rabbanit Leah Sarna for a transformative exploration of the thirteen attributes of divine mercy which make up the backbone of our Selihot and Yom Kippur prayer services   About The Speaker: Rabbanit Leah Sarna is the Associate Director of Education and Director of High School Programs at Drisha....

A Virtual Event Presentation by Harris Bor Event Co-Sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About The Event: AI raises innumerable questions about our desires for the future and what it means to be human. Can Judaism speak to these questions? Technology shows us what is possible. Can Jewish theology show us what is wise? Harris Bor explores these questions and other themes from his new book “Staying Hu...

A Virtual Event Presentation by Dr. Elana Stein Hain Event Co-Hosted by Temple Solel About The Event: Are nature and revelation in competition with one another if God is the author of both? In this session, we will examine how Jewish responses to this question are reflected throughout our High Holiday liturgy, with an emphasis on what this means for life today. About The Speaker: Dr. Elana Stein H...

A Virtual Event Presentation by Dr. Tanya White Event Co-Sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About The Event: How much can the individual transform without the role of an outside call? How do we navigate the fine line between rebuke and shaming? Appropriating a plethora of voices from the Biblical text to modern psychologists and philosophers, this lecture explores the role of the individual and society...

A Virtual Event Presentation by Rabbanit Sharona Halickman About the Event: Shofar, Tashlich, Fasting, Prayer…Where do these laws and customs originate from and what is the deeper meaning behind the unique Mitzvot of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur? About the Speaker: Sharona holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Stern College and an MS in Jewish Education from Azrieli Graduate School, Yeshiva University....

A Virtual Event Presentation by Samuel Lebens Event Co-Sponsored by Hebrew Education Alliance ABOUT THE EVENT: Is there any way for the Jew to make sense of our belief in an all-powerful, all-loving, and all-knowing God, in the face of all the pain and suffering that we see around us? How might philosophical acrobatics conducted in the ivory tower, regarding the problem of evil, have any impact on...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. James Baskind Event Co-Sponsored By: Congregation Or Tzion ABOUT THE EVENT: The story of the Kaifeng Jews is a little-known episode of the Diaspora, but its existence caught the imagination of both European missionaries and prominent Jews, with far-reaching effects. An investigation of this isolated yet enduring enclave will highlight the dynamic tension between...

A virtual event presentation by Jonnie Schnytzer EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Emanuel ABOUT THE EVENT: What was it that the Biblical prophets sought out to achieve? And how did the term prophecy evolve from outcries for social justice to individualistic concepts of cleaving to God and mystical methods of saving the world? In an attempt to understand prophecy in our day and age, we begin our journ...

A virtual event presentation by Joel Poremba EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Congregation Or Tzion ABOUT THE EVENT: A memoir that explores the stories of survival, tragedy, and hope against the backdrop of the resilience of a nine-year-old Polish Jew between 1939 and 1945. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Joel Poremba is a business attorney with twenty-three years of litigation experience in both state and federal court...

A virtual event presentation by Professor Shai Secunda ABOUT THE EVENT: The hit Israeli television series about an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalemite family, Shtisel, has become an unexpected international hit. In this discussion, we take a close look at Shtisel, which turns out to be brimming with Jewish insight and Jewish learning. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Shai Secunda is the Jacob Neusner Professor of Judai...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Edward Bernstein EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Emanuel ABOUT THE EVENT: Introverts and extroverts in Jewish leadership possess different gifts and leadership styles. Rabbi Bernstein explores key differences between the two and reflects, from an introvert’s perspective, how both will be key to revitalizing Jewish communal life as we rebuild from the COVID-19 lo...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: BMH-BJ ABOUT THE EVENT: The unique core teaching of Jewish religion is that the human mission is to fill this world (planet) with life. Judaism predicts that  In partnership with God, humanity can vanquish all the enemies of life in this world -poverty, hunger, oppression/discrimination/unjust inequality, war, sickness...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Matt Reingold  ABOUT THE EVENT: Over the course of the Coronavirus pandemic, Israeli cartoonists across the religious and political spectrums produced a treasure trove of visual materials about their own society. In this session, we will examine a select offering of cartoons about Jewish holidays and explore how cartoonists used their craft to offer commentary o...

A virtual event presentation by Professor Joshua Shanes EVENT CO-HOSTED BY: Temple Solel ABOUT THE EVENT: This class will be a conversation/talk about the competing definitions of antisemitism, what led to their foundation, the differences between them, and what’s at stake. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Joshua Shanes is an Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, and Director of the Arnold Center for Israel St...