Jewish Ideas to Change the World

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Steven Windmueller  The Event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ.  About The Event: The Gaza Conflict has no doubt changed the landscape of the Middle East, redefined Israeli society and culture, and impacted American Jewry. In this presentation, we will be examining these key transformative factors, evaluating the long-term implications of this moment on Zionism, Jewis...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Jonah Pesner The event was co-hosted by Temple Chai and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix  About The Event:  Kol Kolot – Every Voice, Every Vote – Why the American Jewish Community and our society more broadly needs to work for an Inclusive Democracy, in which all voices are heard and every vote is counted – and what you can d...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz interviews Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner serves as the Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism.  Named one of the most influential rabbis in America by Newsweek magazine, he is dedicated to building bridges to collective...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz has a conversation with Rabbis Elie Feder and Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the "Physics to God" podcast. Elie Feder earned a PhD in mathematics from the CUNY Graduate Center and received Rabbinic ordination from his rebbe, Rabbi Yisrael Chait. Since 2004, Elie has been a mathematics professor at Kingsborough Community College and a maggid shiur at Yeshiva Bnei Torah. He has p...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Josh Feigelson, PhD The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel and BMH-BJ About The Event:  Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Jewish spiritual practices like Jewish meditation, Jewish yoga, and contemplative Torah study were becoming increasingly mainstream. The pandemic only accelerated these trends, as record numbers of people sought meaningful Jewish spi...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Avidan Freedman About The Event:  The ideology espoused by the elected representatives of the party called “Religious Zionism” is, understandably, seen to represent Religious Zionist philosophy and the philosophy of the Religious Zionist community. But this is far from accurate, both from an ideological perspective and a historical sociological perspective. In...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Ariel Evan Mayse The event was co-hosted by Temple Solel About The Event:  Explore the full range of Jewish literature connected to environmental consciousness and action, from Tanakh, Talmud, and halakhah to mysticism, poetry, and philosophy. We aim to grapple with some of the pressing ecological, social, and theological issues facing us today. Please joi...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Elias Sacks The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About The Event:  For centuries, it has been common for Jews to tell the following story about ancient Jewish and Christian history: while Jesus was a Jew who never intended to break from Judaism, one of his followers, the apostle Paul, was born Jewish but had a conversion experience, abandoned Judaism, and create...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz interviews Rabbi Dov Linzer & his Co-Author Abigail Pogrebin about their new book together "It Takes Two to Torah" published by Fig Tree Books. Their book discusses 52 weekly readings of the Torah in this adaptation of their Parsha in Progress podcast. Rabbi Linzer studied for many years at Yeshivat Har Etzion, was a member of Yeshiva University’s Gruss Kollel Elyon...

A virtual event presentation by Rabba Shani Gross The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About the Event:  In this class, we will explore what, if anything, Jewish tradition has to say about why we gather. What is the unique potential that can take place in Jewish communal gatherings, and what might be the dangers or pitfalls? Together we will explore the relationship and tensions that surr...

Community member and attorney Judy Schaffert talks about judicial integrity, its appearance on this year's ballot, what’s at stake, and what it entails. Judy Schaffert, a longtime member of Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, studied as a member of the Wexner Foundation Heritage Program, mentors with the Women’s Leadership Institute, and has taught at Arizona Limmud and the Arizona Bar Foundation. A...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Sarah Bunin Benor The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About the Event:  Over the past two centuries, migrations and other historical events have led to major changes in the linguistic profile of Jewish communities around the world. Yiddish is thriving in Hasidic communities, even as its use is diminishing elsewhere. Several longstanding Jewish la...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg The event was co-sponsored by Arizona State University Jewish Studies About the Event:  Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, will interview Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg about his latest book, The Triumph of Life: A Narrative Theology of Judaism. The Triumph of Life is Rabbi Greenberg’s magnum opus—a narrative...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Yisroel Juskowicz The event was co-hosted By Beth El Phoenix About the Event:  In this class, we will focus on exploring each person’s unique potential, and learn some inspiring Torah ideas about potential. About the Speaker:  Rabbi Yisroel Juskowitz is a noted artist, musician, author, and speaker. He has performed for Jews across the country from all walks o...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Micah Streiffer The event was co-hosted by Temple Chai  About the Event:  The solemn fast of Tisha B’Av (the Ninth of Av) commemorates the destruction of the ancient Temple. In this session, we will explore its meaning for modern Jews. What are the lessons to be learned from this ancient Jewish tragedy? How does it relate to our Jewish lives today – especially...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Marc Gitler The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About the Event:  Each year at the Pesach Seder we state that in every generation our people have experienced hatred. But when did it all start? We will investigate the earliest story of Anti-Semitism in the Torah, and hopefully learn some vital lessons. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/...

A virtual event presentation by Rabba Sara Hurwitz The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About the Event:  Is anger ever a useful tool to bring about change? Or is anger destructive and unbecoming for leaders? Does gender bias inherently affect the way we experience angry male or female leaders? Finally, can Yalta, one of the few named women in the Talmud, teach us anything about the...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Marc Gitler The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About the Event:  As a small people, Jews have always been at the whim of larger empires. We know of the kings who oppressed our people, so let’s spend time familiarizing ourselves with kings who restored our people’s fortunes. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14dBke91wnSdl5WfWkl6cRY7Z...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Russ Linden The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About the Event:  January 6. Our polarized society. Oct. 7. The war in Gaza. The impact of climate change. Chaos at our Southern Border … The problems are everywhere, and they seem overwhelming. We Jews are a people of hope. Indeed, Israel’s national anthem – Hatikva – means “the hope.” But many of us fin...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz sits with Rav Gavriel Reiss to talk about Rav Yehuda Ashkenazi. Rav Gavriel Reiss was born and raised in Los Angeles but moved to Israel as a teenager. He served in elite IDF units before dedicating himself to Jewish education. In 2017, he embarked on a trailblazing initiative to break out of the security fence of Pnei Kedem in southern Judea to create a farm that would...

Rav Gavriel Reiss was born and raised in Los Angeles but moved to Israel as a teenager. He served in elite IDF units before dedicating himself to Jewish education. In 2017, he embarked on a trailblazing initiative to break out of the security fence of Pnei Kedem in southern Judea to create a farm that would not only serve to help Jews learn to live more authentically on the land but also prevent t...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Avidan Freedman About the Event:  Maimonides writes that one who looks at past tragedies as mere happenstance is acting “cruelly”. Rather, the events of the past must goad us to introspection. Using the writing of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik as a model, we will explore how to suggest directions of introspection that Israeli society needs to consider, and how to...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Jacob Siegel Temple Solel co-hosted the event About the event:  “Business as usual” is leading us to rising economic suffering, societal division, and climate crisis. A new approach promises socially responsible investing by looking at “environmental, social, and governance (ESG)” concerns. Amid the new buzzwords and their ensuing controversy, the question rem...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi Yonatan Neril About the Event:  Rabbi Yonatan Neril will explore Jewish teachings that relate to ecology and why it’s so critical that Jewish communities mobilize to address the climate crisis. We are facing the greatest challenge we have ever faced and Jewish wisdom has a critical role in informing values and environmental behavior. Religion is a fu...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Elaine Leeder The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel About the event:  For the last twenty-eight years Elaine Leeder has been working in prisons, first at Elmira Correctional Facility, then San Quentin, and now in prisons all over California. Her teaching, then running self-help groups and now doing Victim/Offender Dialogues, has shown her that there is re...