Jewish Ideas to Change the World

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. David Harbater Co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion & BMH-BJ  About the Event:  Throughout history, billions of people worldwide have studied the biblical account of creation without realizing that there is not one account but rather two separate and competing accounts. Through a careful reading of the text, we will explore these two accounts and the...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller Beth El Phoenix co-hosted the event About the Event:  The current conflict that has seen a revival of the discussion regarding the Jewish right to establish a state in the Land of Israel has occasioned a renewed focus on the dynamics of sovereignty. Beyond a doubt, implementing Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael is the essential dimension...

A virtual event presentation by Melanie Gruenwald About the Event:  Be fully present to what is present, and integrate past and future into this moment - Kabbalah Experience Awareness Practice Impermanence is a principle of harmony. When we don’t struggle against it we are in harmony with reality -  Pema Chodron These constantly changing times can be disorienting. How might we embrace grounding pr...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. David Sanders About the event:  Have you been curious about your relationship with time? What makes today Wednesday, or 5 o’clock? While we acknowledge that time never stands still, what has made us feel time dragging on or moving quickly? The Counting of the Omer contains many insights about our relationship to and with time. We will discover that we are not pa...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Edward Bernstein The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About the Event:  The fifth of the Ten Commandments is “Honor your father and mother.” It is one of the few commandments in the Torah that attaches a reward for its successful performance: “that your days may be long.” We might think that if we follow the command in our youth, clean our rooms, and do other...

A hybrid event by Rabbi Mike Feuer The event was co-hosted by Temple Chai About the event:  American Jewry stands at a crossroads. Facing such great risks and real opportunities requires clarity of vision, confidence in identity, and readiness for action. All of these are elements of a heroic stance. Join Rav Mike Feuer in an exploration of what Jewish heroism is, how it can be cultivated in our l...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz sat down with Rabbi Mike Feuer to discuss what victory looks like in today’s Israel-Gaza War. Rav Mike Feuer is an educator, content creator, and spiritual counselor. He teaches and inspires people around the world through his Jewish Story History podcast and the Jewish Heroism Project. Whether working through teaching, content, or narrative therapy Rav Mike’s mission i...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Gil Gershon Tivon and Dr. Shirli Regev The event was co-sponsored by Beth El Phoeni x About the Event:  Compassion, kindness & dignity are the three key ingredients needed in most human communications and relationships. They underline emotional intelligence and imply the presence of our soul and heart in human interactions. About the Speakers:  Rabbi D...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About the Event:  In this seminar, we will consider how we’ve arrived at this moment of an outpouring of anti-Jewish venom on campus and what can be done to reintroduce civility and mutual respect between the alienated and offended groups. What is the underlying cause of this explosion of hosti...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbanit Sharona Halickman The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About The Event:  How were women the heroines of the Passover story and what rituals have we taken on to honor them?  Do women traditionally recline at the Seder? What is a Miriam’s cup? Are women obliged to drink the four cups of wine? About the Speaker:  Sharona holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Stern...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Boris Draznin The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About the Event:  Dr. Draznin will discuss How History and Genetics Define Jewish Diversity and Identity , the book he published (Cambridge Scholar Publishing) in 2023. The book and his presentation will reveal current answers to old questions as to how Jewish people might be genetically related....

A virtual event presentation by Noam Zion About the Event:  In this class, we will address the question: How will you celebrate your seder in a time in which so much is lo b’seder (not in order), in a time of war, collateral damage to civilians, endangered hostages, and various kinds of worldwide antisemitism? The problems will not be resolved by Seder night, but we must celebrate as Jews have cel...

A virtual event presentation by Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About The Event:  American Jewish Women have made enormous strides over the past century, opening up new avenues for women to engage meaningfully with Judaism and Jewish life. In so doing, they have enriched not only their own lives but also American Jewry and the Jewish tradition as a who...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz interviews Rabbi Yehuda Albin on the importance of Jewish learning.  As the founder of The Ember Foundation and TORAHUB, Yehuda has “built” a synagogue and school without walls. Since moving to Chicago in 1994, he has personally touched hundreds of people with his engaging educational style. Raised in Scarsdale, NY, in a Reform home, and educated at Bowdoin College, he...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Gitler About the Event:  From Jesus to Shabtai Zevi to the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe, over the past 2000 years, numerous people, or at least their followers, have fashioned themselves the long sought-after Messiah. But how does one prove that he or she is the true Messiah? While the messianic figures of the past pointed to various events, wonders, and symbols...

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Nadav Shifman Berman About the Event:  In this class, which would take place just before Purim 5784, we shall focus on one important term in the Scroll of Esther, namely “ Dat “, and ask: Is Judaism a “Religion”? What are the main modern currents, mainly in Protestantism, which arguably pushed toward defining Judaism as a religion? And what exactly is at stake,...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz has a conversation with Tara Strong. A renowned actress known for her talented voice work in animation & now for her powerful voice for justice for Israeli hostages. Tara Strong began her acting career at the age of 13 in Toronto, Canada. She landed several TV, film, and musical theater roles as well as, her first lead in an animated series as the title role of "Hel...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Jonathan Spira-Savett About the Event:  The Talmud proposes that on Purim we enter a state of mind in which we no longer know the difference between the goodness of Mordechai and the evil of Haman. At a key moment in the Megillah, when the fate of the Jews seems to lie in the balance, Mordechai proclaims to Esther not-so-emphatically “Who knows? Perhaps it’s f...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Mirsky The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel  About the Event:  Liberalism is in crisis everywhere, and everywhere the crises bear similarities and real differences. We will look at what has been going on in Israel, to understand it on its terms, as a Jewish and Democratic state, and about liberalism’s vicissitudes around the world. About the...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz sits down with Dara Horn to talk about the rising anti-semitism on American campuses. Dara Horn is the award-winning author of six books, including the novels In the Image (Norton 2002), The World to Come (Norton 2006), All Other Nights (Norton 2009), A Guide for the Perplexed (Norton 2013), and Eternal Life (Norton 2018), and the essay collection People Love Dead Jews...

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Dara Horn The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About the Event:  In her latest book, acclaimed author Dara Horn explores a pointed question: Why do far too many people seem to love dead Jews, but ignore the living ones? In 2022, the Holocaust continues to make headlines, fill our films and fiction, and generate extraordinary interest far bey...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz has a conversation with former professional basketball player Dan Grunfeld about the book he published in 2022, By the Grace of the Game about his multi-generational family journey from Auschwitz to the NBA. Dan Grunfeld is a former professional basketball player, an accomplished writer, and a proud graduate of Stanford University. An Academic All-American and All-Confe...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Martin Lockshin The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ About the Event:  The Bible is full of commandments that say “do x” or “don’t do y,” almost always without specifying who is being addressed.  When the Bible says not to mistreat widows and orphans, was it addressing judges? Or the wealthy? Or all of us? About the Speaker:  Martin Lockshin is a Universit...

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Jeremiah Unterman About the Event:  The polytheism of the ancient Near East conceived of the gods as natural beings who needed sacrifices and libations to physically sustain them. The ethical monotheism of the Torah created a revolution against paganism which would ultimately change forever the concept of religion. One of the key ways in which the Jewish p...

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yankolwiz interviews Rabbi Sharon Brous, founding and Senior Rabbi of IKAR  Sharon Brous is the founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a trail-blazing Jewish community based in Los Angeles. Built in 2004, IKAR has grown into a diverse, dynamic, multi-generational community, one of the fastest-growing and most influential in the country. Brous has been named #1 Most Influential Rabbi i...