Identity/Crisis

Israel is experiencing a non-Orthodox religious renaissance that is redefining Judaism and secularism in Israel. Rabbi Noga Brenner Samia, Executive Director of Hillel Israel and alumna of Hartman's Beit Midrash for Israeli rabbis, speaks with Yehuda Kurtzer about what sparked this new brand of liberal Judaism, the role of religion in the public sphere in a diverse religious ecosystem, how to negotiate the balance between the Jewish and democratic character of the state, and what it means to be a "secular rabbi?"

Thomas R. Nides, United States Ambassador to Israel, joins Yehuda Kurtzer for this special Identity/Crisis to discuss the hopes and expectations from the Biden administration's trip to Israel, how this administration views the deteriorated relationship between the US government and the Palestinian leadership, and what the long term plans are for the embassy's residence in Jerusalem.

In an environment in which simple narratives prevail, what does it mean to tell Israel’s subtle and complicated stories? Why are these kinds of stories in particular so powerful? Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Matti Friedman about his new book, Who By Fire, about Leonard Cohen’s little-known concert tour to the front lines of the Yom Kippur War, and how the stories we tell define our relationships with one another.

What is Israel’s responsibility to other nations experiencing crisis or injustice? How does Israel balance its domestic and global agendas on the international stage? Dyonna Ginsburg, OLAM CEO joins Yehuda Kurtzer live from Jerusalem on this episode of Identity/Crisis.

Those who succeeded in shaping how we read our texts are among the most powerful Jews in our history. Max Strassfeld, author and assistant professor in Religious Studies and Classics at the University of Arizona, joins Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss their new book, which offers a way of rethinking human gender and sexuality in Jewish sources and pokes holes in trans-phobic interpretations. Trans Talmud: Androgynes and Eunuchs in Rabbinic Literature by Max Strassfeld can be purchased with the discount code 21W2240 https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520382053/trans-talmud  

Jews in America are deeply affected by gun violence, sometimes as direct and specific targets and sometimes as other Americans who find themselves victims in the wrong place at the wrong time. Author Jay Michaelson, a regular contributor to New York, Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, joins Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss, gun control, the Second Amendment and what it means for American Jews to participate in a political culture that cannot seem to make its citizens safe.

The revelation at Sinai unites the two big stories of the Jewish people: becoming a people and becoming a people wedded to God. It also sets the stage for a conversation about the difference between revelation as a personal and as a communal experience and allows us to ask about the difference between revelation as a historical and theological event. Rabbi, poet, scholar, blogger, and podcaster Zohar Atkins joins Yehuda Kurtzer for a Shavuot discussion that will open your mind and spirit.

On both the right and the left, Israel increasingly plays a disproportionate role in American politics, exceeding its geopolitical importance. How does this shift impact American policy toward Israel? Michael Koplow, Chief Policy Officer at Israel Policy Forum, returns to discuss AIPAC, the impact of the Trump presidency, Shireen Abu Akleh (the Al Jazeera reporter recently killed in Jenin) and the reality of a Two-State solution with host Yehuda Kurtzer.

Organized philanthropy has become the most powerful force in American Jewish communal life. As the culture of philanthropy has transformed, so has the allocation of power in the community. Felicia Herman, Chief Operating Officer of Maimonides Fund, joins Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss how the history of charitable giving has changed since the creation of the State of Israel, shifts in the Jewish institutional landscape with the rise of family foundations, and whether the power and impact of the Federation system remains today.

Last week’s leaked Supreme Court majority opinion draft which would overturn Roe v Wade, portends a seismic shift in abortion legislation. Six months ago, Michal Raucher, assistant professor of Jewish studies at Rutgers and an expert in Judaism and gender, joined Yehuda Kurtzer, to discuss how we should and shouldn't conduct the abortion debate as Jews, with an eye, not just to the American conversation, but also looking at reproductive rights and reproductive justice. We're proud of that episode. It's timely, and we're bringing it back today to help you think about the big Jewish ideas around this important issue.