Jewish Ideas to Change the World

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Mark Washofsky The event was co-sponsored by Temple Solel About The Event:  Reform Judaism has long taught and preached that our tradition permits us to participate fully in the life of the surrounding culture. But the sources of that tradition seem to communicate a very different message. In our session, we’ll read how two responsa—one Reform and one Orth...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Jack Moline The event was co-hosted by Congregation Beth Israel  About The Event:  We live in a time in which the acquisition and deployment of political power has overshadowed the values of civic engagement and public service. What is the essential message of the defining document of the United States, and how can it help us to restore a sense of au...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz interviews Rabbi Jack Moline about hope.  Jack Moline is President Emeritus of Interfaith Alliance and also Rabbi Emeritus of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia, where he served in the pulpit for 27 years. Rabbi Moline is the author of two collections of contemporary Torah commentary, Different Chapter, Same Verse (Amazon), Volume 1 (September 2024), and...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Dalia Marx The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About The Event:  Time is crucial for our self-perception, cultural orientation, and social structure: whoever controls time controls the conversation. We will examine ancient and more recent debates regarding the Jewish calendar and will ponder why there are few such controversies today—with one not...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Chaim Tureff The event was co-hosted by Temple Chai About The Event:  A book talk with Rabbi Chaim Tureff. A groundbreaking book that explores one aspect of each Torah portion to help readers find personal meaning and practical application in the realm of recovery from addiction. Recovery in the Torah offers guidance to those who have struggled with addictive...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz has a sit-down conversation with Marko Gasparovic.  Marko Gasparovic is an educator dedicated to advancing social justice through the lens of Jewish values. With over 10 years of experience teaching piano and a background in Musicology and Music Management from the Sorbonne University in Paris, Marko has redirected his focus towards a career in the rabbinate. Currently...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel, The Denver Kehillah, BMH-BJ About the event:  Orthodox Rabbi Dov Linzer and Reform Journalist Abigail Pogrebin will be in conversation with Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz about their unlikely journey together through the Five Books of Moses during two of the most turbulent years i...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel, The Denver Kehillah, and BMH-BJ. About the event:  Orthodox Rabbi Dov Linzer and Reform Journalist Abigail Pogrebin will be in conversation with Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz about their unlikely journey together through the Five Books of Moses during two of the most turbulent ye...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion & BMH-BJ About The Event:  Moshe grew up with many mothers; we will learn about each of them and discuss their impact on Moshe, the man, our greatest leader and teacher. *Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BpeHchB_qMoPzqoGkAp0RywuKFfxhSi5/view?usp=sharing A bout The Speaker:  R...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Stephen M. Felton Ph. D., M.D. The event was co-sponsored by the Bureau of Jewish Education and the Phoenix Holocaust Association. EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: About The Event:  Join us for a powerful event where Dr. Felton will share his story. He will discuss what it was like to be born into the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto and read excerpts from his mother’s...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Elias Sacks About The Event:  Ever since the nineteenth century, it has been common for thinkers to declare that “God is dead”—that it no longer makes sense to believe in a deity (and perhaps never did). However, even as critiques of belief in God have become increasingly prevalent, a wide range of thinkers have challenged this perspective, arguing not only that...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer About The Event: The climate crisis and its challenges need no introduction. But what of medieval kabbalists whose mystical contemplations may be more relevant in the age of the Anthropocene than ever before? Learning how specific kabbalists perceived inanimate objects as hopeful beings will forever change the way we view even a plastic bottle....

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Haim Ovadia The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About the Event:  Sephardic Halakha does not necessarily come from Spain – Sefarad, nor is it practiced solely or by all Sephardic rabbis. It is a way of life that balances religious behavior and knowledge with general sciences and with the necessities of life. It is the product of cross-cultural fertilization w...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Suzanne Singer The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About the Event:  Did Eve tempt Adam to eat the fruit of the tree? Was Hagar a victim or a prophet?  Who were the women warriors? Through biblical stories and midrash (rabbinic interpretations), we will uncover how these women challenged the patriarchy. About the Speaker:  Rabbi Suzanne Singer served...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz sits down with Rabbi Dov Linzer to explore Jewish laws grounded in core Jewish values. Rabbi Dov Linzer is the President and Rosh HaYeshiva (Rabbinic Head) of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, an Orthodox rabbinical school and Torah center, which promotes a more open and inclusive Orthodoxy. He has written for the Forward, Tablet, and The New York Times and hosted highly popular...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer The event was co-sponsored by Temple Solel About the event:  Orthodox Rabbi Dov Linzer and Reform Journalist Abigail Pogrebin will be in conversation with Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz about their unlikely journey together through the Five Books of Moses during two of the most turbulent years in American history. About the S...

A virtual event presentation by Professor Zvi Zohar The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About the Event:  In ancient times, some rabbis held that since one is commanded to study Torah day and night (Joshua 1:8), other intellectual realms could be acquired only ‘when it is neither day nor night.’ An exception could be made only for learning a practical profession, enabling one to ea...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Joel Gereboff About the Event:   Although most Jews know that it is traditional to fast on Yom Kippur, the latest Pew Study of American Jews shows that only half of American Jews do fast. In many ways, Jews seek to find reasons to fast or to make fasting a meaningful experience. This presentation will examine guidance provided in contemporary Machzorim (prayer b...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Zev Farber About The Event:  When Israel undergoes a famine, King David learns that the cause is Saul’s slaughter of the Gibeonites “out of zealotry for Israel and Judah” years earlier. This is not the only slaughter we hear about regarding Saul. And yet Saul was the first king of Israel, chosen by God and Samuel, and was the person most responsible for pu...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Gila Fine The event was co-sponsored by The New Shul and BMH-BJ About The Event:  “Women in the Talmud are generally marginal and almost always anonymous – the daughters, sisters, and wives of prominent rabbis. The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic explores the stories of the exceptions, the six named heroines of the Talmud: Yalta the shrew, Homa the femme fat...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Elias Sacks The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About The Event:  We live in an anti-intellectual age—a time of scientific skepticism, doubts about the value of higher education, and hostility toward many forms of expertise and advanced learning. But anti-intellectualism is not an exclusively modern development; on the contrary, it has a long history i...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz and esteemed scholar Dr. Mehnaz Afridi come together for a virtual conversation on Muslim-Jewish collaboration in support of democracy and tolerance. Dr. Afridi, a respected Muslim expert on genocide, has been a powerful ally to the Jewish community. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Steven Windmueller The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About The Event:  This session will examine the history of Jewish political engagement, explore the types of Jewish political actors, and analyze why American politics has such significant meaning and impact on the Jewish community. As we approach one of this nation’s most critical elections, what...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About the Event:  A Journey from Peshat to Derash Follow the story of Serach, the daughter of Asher. There is a mountain of Midrashim written about her, yet only six words are written in the Torah! We will follow the breadcrumbs and piece together the story of her life as imagined by our sages while finding...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer  The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion.  About The Event: We all know that way back when the Torah was given to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. But was it only given to the Israelites? Was it an event that already happened, or is it an event constantly in the making? Learning from texts spanning across geographies and historical perio...