Jewish Ideas to Change the World

About The Event: Through the lens of the biblical figure Daniel—a Jerusalem noble taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar II who rose to prominence while staying true to his Jewish identity—we’ll examine what it means to live as Jews in the diaspora today. This class will delve into the complexities of balancing integration with authenticity, navigating pressure to conform, and discovering spiritual resilience in foreign or secular environments. Together, we’ll uncover timeless lessons from Daniel’s life that speak powerfully to our modern Jewish experience.About The Speaker: Marc Gitler is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Sarah, and their four children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Jade Sank RossThe event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJAbout The Event: Year after year, as we read and re-read the same portions of Torah, it does not change, but we do. The Psalms have been part of Jewish ritual and liturgy for centuries, and generation after generation they have sung to us in moments of awe, sorrow, longing, and much more. Together, we will explore how the ancient words of Psalms can be part of our daily lives today and how we might forge deep and personal connections with the words of the Psalmist.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RV5qCB0ylWmWYELYtUYhU644aNVNd5eSznPJNzYgZ24/edit?tab=t.0About the Speaker: Rabbi Jade Sank Ross grew up in Kinnelon, New Jersey. She received her BA in Anthropology and International and Global Studies from Brandeis University. She was ordained as a rabbi in 2018 by the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). Rabbi Sank Ross currently serves as the Associate Rabbi at The Community Synagogue in Port Washington, New York. She is married to Rabbi Daniel Ross, and together they are most proud to be raising their children, Adina and Bella. Rabbi Jade Sank Ross is the author of To You I Call: Psalms Throughout Our Lives, new from CCAR Press. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dvir CahanaAbout The Event: What happens when a Rabbi and an Artist study Torah together? … Chidushim!!! The Amen Institute has provided an incubator to empower artists with the charge of being wisdom disseminators. Join Rabbi Dvir Cahana in a unique program describing the discoveries of these artist meaning seekers.About The Speaker: Rabbi Dvir is our Base Rabbi for Miami. He has taught Torah, led tefillah, and built community in his hometown of Montreal, then New York City, and now Miami. Dvir was a winner of the Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36” award for launching The Amen Institute, an international space where professional artists and rabbis unite to inspire each other in the creation of Torah-art. Himself a hip hop and rap artist, Dvir is the rabbinic educator for the Jewish rap collective Rappers and Rabbis. Under his guidance, the group has made a Hip Hop Haggadah and The MC-DUR, performed in front of thousands of teens nationwide. Dvir’s 15 studio albums show a love of Yiddishkeit and wordplay. He received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in 2024 and holds a master’s in Jewish studies from McGill University. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Nolan LebovitzThe event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or TzionAbout The Event: Following October 7, Rabbi Lebovitz synthesizes the Jewish turning point in history with lessons from the past, arguing that it is a moral imperative to radically change the way we engage with both Israel and the United States. Proudly declaring Jewish loyalty forges a new path forward imbued with pride in peoplehood and collective destiny. Challenging the trope commonly cast against the Jewish people in diaspora, Lebovitz argues that affirming dual loyalty serves as our best hope to shape a brighter tomorrow here in the United States and for our sense of Jewish peoplehood.About The Speaker: Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz, PhD, is the Senior Rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom, one of the largest Conservative synagogues in North America. Shaped by a proud Zionist upbringing and as the grandchild of four Holocaust survivors, he has endeavored to instill a strong relationship with Israel in all of his congregants. As a prominent Jewish thought leader, his work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Jewish Journal, and Jerusalem Post. Rabbi Lebovitz is an adjunct fellow at the Z3 Institute, sits on the Executive Board of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition, and serves as a national board member of MERCAZ. The horrific massacre of October 7 and its aftermath around the world prompted Rabbi Lebovitz to begin speaking out about the next chapter of Jewish life. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Michael MeyerThe event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel About The Event: This lecture, based on my book “Above All, We Are Jews,” A Biography of Rabbi Alexander Schindler, will cover the career of a German Jew of East European extraction who redirected American Reform Judaism so that it would more realistically address the nature of American Jewry.  Innovating in multiple areas, Schindler came to grips with the increasing rate of interfaith marriage even as he expanded the vision of a liberal Jewish faith.  While chairing the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations, his deep personal friendship with Prime Minister Menachem Begin prevented a crisis between American Jewry and Israel.  Using citations from his speeches and writings, this lecture will illustrate the importance of Rabbi Schindler within American Jewry of the 1970s and 1980s and his legacy for Reform Judaism today.About The Speaker: Michael A. Meyer was born in Berlin, Germany, and grew up in Los Angeles, where he graduated from UCLA with highest honors. His doctorate in Jewish history is from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, where he served as Professor of Jewish History for fifty years. He has also been a guest professor at three Israeli universities and served as president of the Association for Jewish Studies and international president of the Leo Baeck Institute. He is the recipient of three Jewish Book Awards and has published more than 200 scholarly articles and longer reviews. His books include The Origins of the Modern Jew, Response to Modernity: A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism, and Rabbi Leo Baeck: Living a Religious Imperative in Troubled Times. He is the recipient of an honorary degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Cross of Merit from the German Federal Republic. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Richard AddressThe Event was co-sponsored by Temple EmanuelAbout The Event: In this session, we will discuss the new life stage of Caregiving and how Jewish texts and tradition have approached this issue. Based on the 5th Commandment, we will examine how our tradition has looked at this life stage from the Talmud through contemporary commentaries. We will look at what it means to “honor” and “respect”, the issue of who and how an adult child “pays”, as well as when it may be permissible to cede care to a third party. We will look at difficult questions, such as do we need a new vocabulary for caregiving in light of technology and the challenges of “quality of life” and the emerging issue of Medical Aid in Dying.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OiZfmzcc-ywctGm64SGIQN7R2_TA0ZP7/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=trueAbout The Speaker: Rabbi Richard F Address, D.Min.: ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (1972), is the founder and director of Jewish Sacred Aging®, the website jewishsacredaging.com, and hosts the weekly “Seekers of Meaning podcast/tv show.  Rabbi Address served congregations in California and New Jersey for over 25 years and also served on the staff of the Union for Reform Judaism for over three decades as the regional director for the Pennsylvania Council and then as founding director of the URJ’s Department of Family Concerns. He continues to teach and consult with congregations in areas related to the impact of longevity on congregations, families, and organizations. He has edited numerous articles and books dealing with issues of aging and is the author of “Seekers of Meaning: Baby Boomers, Judaism and the Pursuit of Healthy Aging”. Rabbi Address continues to teach at a variety of locations and is an adjunct at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Wurzweiler Social Work at Yeshiva University, and the Aleph Seminary. In addition, Rabbi Address serves on the board of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Southern N.J., co-chairs their Senior Services Committee, and co-chairs the Jewish Advisory Group for Samaritan Hospice/Healthcare in southern New Jersey.  In January 2024, he was honored to receive the Isaac Mayer Wise award for lifetime service from the Reform Jewish community of Denver, CO. He is married to Jane Travis-Address and lives in Gloucester County.  ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower About The Event: The cry, “Why Should We Be Excluded,” made by those individuals who were not able to bring the Paschal sacrifice is echoed by so many disabled Jews who have been left out of our community – our shuls, our schools, our communal programming due to inaccessibility and to invisibility in the community. The laws of the megillah were designed by our Sages to make the reading of the Book of Esther accessible. In this shiur, we will learn that the halakha places a major value on comprehension of the story and allows for a megillah to be written in all languages. This serves as a model for ensuring that all Jews are full and equal members of our communities. *Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16fjiAIl4H416EJuwA628LOMzA7Qk6qGcCVGGFftJQq8/edit?usp=sharingAbout The Speaker: Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower is Senior Scholar and Mashgichah Ruchanit at YCT Rabbinical School. Previously, she served as Academic Dean and Rosh Kollel at Yeshivat Maharat and as Rosh Beit Midrash and Director of the Full-time Programs of Drisha Institute. Devorah has taught Talmud and Jewish Law for 3 decades at Drisha, SAR High School, Hadar, YCT, and Maharat. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Reuven FirestoneThe event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJAbout The Event: What does the Qur’an say about Jews? “Israelites,” “Jews,” “People of the Book.” Even “rabbis.” These are all terms found in the Qur’an. Some have claimed that the Qur’an is antisemitic, while others have argued that it values Jews. What does the Qur’an say? This text study will examine the range of Qur’anic writings about Jews to gain a solid understanding of the status of Jews in the Qur’an. We will then consider how these verses have been interpreted in Muslim tradition.About The Speaker: Reuven Firestone is Regenstein Professor in medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, and affiliate professor of religion at the University of Southern California. Author of eight books and over one hundred scholarly articles on Judaism, Islam, their relationship with one another, and with Christianity, Professor Firestone lectures at universities in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East as well as throughout North America. His books include Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam, Who Are the Real Chosen People, Introduction to Islam for Jews, Introduction to Judaism for Muslims, and Holy War in Judaism. Active on the boards of numerous scholarly journals and boards and commissions treating interreligious relations and dialogue, Firestone is an ordained rabbi, received his Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from New York University, and served as Vice President of the Association for Jewish Studies and President of the International Qur’anic Studies Association. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Avi OrlowThe event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion About The Event: The challenge of expressing our feelings is not just an issue for children. From the Pentateuch to Pixar, we will explore how we might better deal with complex emotions.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sfbgWHSQKsNE7Gv7YM6Y2uWYN67IkEEZwFJFVbLJmoQ/edit?tab=t.0About The Speaker: Rabbi Avi Orlow is the Scholar-in-Residence at Foundation for Jewish Camp. He has a deep love of irreverent, relevant, and revealing Torah and blogs religiously at saidtomyself.com. ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi David KasherThe event was co-hosted by Temple ChaiAbout The Event: We sometimes speak of holiness as if it were entirely ethereal, having nothing to do with our physical selves. But Leviticus, the book of the Torah most focused on holiness, is also profoundly interested in the human body. Beginning with sacred dietary practices and then moving to rituals that deal with health, sex, birth, and death, Leviticus offers a rich framework for understanding how the body can serve as a vessel for sacred living. This ancient holiness code invites us to integrate the physical and spiritual dimensions of life, challenging modern assumptions about the separation between body and spirit.*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13UcLDLcCO6X0PXsFv7UVPaPIIOEFDq__2orn-oOPkyk/edit?usp=sharingAbout the Speaker: Rabbi David Kasher is the Director of Hadar West, based in Los Angeles. He grew up bouncing back and forth between the Bay Area and Brooklyn, hippies and Hassidim – and has been trying to synthesize these two worlds ever since. He received rabbinic ordination at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and a doctorate in legal studies from Berkeley Law. He has served as Senior Jewish Educator at Berkeley Hillel, Director of Education at Kevah, and Associate Rabbi at IKAR. He is the author of ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary, and the host of the Torah podcast, Best Book Ever. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz in conversation with Rabbi David Kasher. Rabbi David Kasher is the Director of Hadar West, based in Los Angeles. He grew up bouncing back and forth between the Bay Area and Brooklyn, hippies and Hassidim – and has been trying to synthesize these two worlds ever since. He received rabbinic ordination at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and a doctorate in legal studies from Berkeley Law. He has served as Senior Jewish Educator at Berkeley Hillel, Director of Education at Kevah, and Associate Rabbi at IKAR. He is the author of ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary, and the host of the Torah podcast, Best Book Ever. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Or RoseAbout The Event: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) was a gifted Jewish theologian and scholar, and an impassioned social activist. His reputation has grown significantly since his death over fifty years ago. What can we learn from the unflagging efforts of this revered twentieth-century figure today? How can we share key elements of his call for “moral grandeur and spiritual audacity” with younger people seeking to engage in spirituality-grounded activism? What might Heschel have to say to the next generation?About The Speaker: Rabbi Or N. Rose is the founding Director of the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College. Before assuming this position in 2016, he worked at Hebrew College for over a decade, as a founding faculty member and Associate Dean for Informal Education of the Rabbinical School. Rabbi Rose was also one of the creators of CIRCLE, The Center for Interreligious & Community Leadership Education, cosponsored by Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School (2007-2017). Rabbi Rose is the senior publisher of The Journal of Interreligious Studies and the co-editor of the award-winning anthology, My Neighbor’s Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation (Orbis, 2012). In 2020, he co-edited the volume Rabbi Zalman Schachter: Essential Teachings (Orbis), and recently published With the Best of Intentions: Interreligious Missteps & Mistakes (Orbis, 2023). He is currently completing two book projects: a contemporary multifaith commentary on the Psalms entitled The Book of Psalms Here & Now (Paraclete Press, 2024), and a revised version of his very first book (JPS, 2003), Abraham Joshua Heschel: Man of Spirit, Man of Action, a biography for middle school readers, which is due to appear in the winter of 2024 with Monkfish. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Yair SilvermanThe event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJAbout The Event: The Israeli Declaration of Independence opens with “The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped”. However, in the Jewish Tradition, the people of Israel are fashioned as freed slaves emerging from Egyptian bondage. How do our natives impact the vision of a shared future?About The Speaker: Rabbi Yair Silverman is co-founder and Rabbi of Moed in Zichron Yaakov, Israel. Moed brings together secular and religious Israelis in the Carmel region in Torah study and social action to reimagine and generate passionate and shared Jewish life in modern Israel. He also serves as a judge on the Rabbinic court of Giyur K’halacha for conversions. Before making aliyah in 2006, R. Yair served as the Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley, CA. R. Yair is ordained by Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University, studied at Yeshivat Birkat Moshe, and served in a combat unit of the IDF and the reserves. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this powerful conversation, renowned author and speaker Yossi Klein Halevi joins us for an in-depth conversation exploring the evolving perspectives on Jewish survival, from the Shoah to the profound impact of October 7th.About The Speaker: Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is co-host, together with Donniel Hartman, of the Hartman Institute’s podcast, “For Heaven’s Sake” – the number one Jewish podcast in the English-speaking world.Halevi’s 2013 book, “Like Dreamers,” won the Jewish Book Council’s Everett Book of the Year Award. His latest book, “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor” is a New York Times bestseller and has appeared in a dozen languages. He is currently writing a book about the meaning of Jewish survival. He has written for leading op-ed pages in North America and is a former contributing editor to the New Republic. He is frequently quoted on Israeli, Middle Eastern, and Jewish affairs in leading media around the world and is one of the best-known lecturers on Israeli issues in the North American Jewish community and on North American campuses. He co-directs the Hartman Institute’s Muslim Leadership Initiative (MLI), which teaches emerging young Muslim leaders in North America about Judaism, Jewish identity, and Israel. Over 150 Muslim leaders have participated in the unique program.Born in Brooklyn, he received his BA in Jewish studies from Brooklyn College and his MS in journalism from Northwestern University. He moved to Israel in 1982 and lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Sarah, an astrologer. They have three children.  ★ Support this podcast ★

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Yossi Klein HaleviThe event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion & Jewish Community Relations of Greater Phoenix  About The Event: Israelis and Diaspora Jews are experiencing the upheavals caused by the October 7 massacre in different ways, but we share trauma and deep unease about the future. How will Israel emerge from the crisis? What changes should we hope for in Israeli society? The Middle East? The American Jewish-Israeli relationship?About The Speaker: Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is co-host, together with Donniel Hartman, of the Hartman Institute’s podcast, “For Heaven’s Sake” – the number one Jewish podcast in the English-speaking world.Halevi’s 2013 book, “Like Dreamers,” won the Jewish Book Council’s Everett Book of the Year Award. His latest book, “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor” is a New York Times bestseller and has appeared in a dozen languages. He is currently writing a book about the meaning of Jewish survival. He has written for leading op-ed pages in North America and is a former contributing editor to the New Republic. He is frequently quoted on Israeli, Middle Eastern, and Jewish affairs in leading media around the world and is one of the best-known lecturers on Israeli issues in the North American Jewish community and on North American campuses. He co-directs the Hartman Institute’s Muslim Leadership Initiative (MLI), which teaches emerging young Muslim leaders in North America about Judaism, Jewish identity, and Israel. Over 150 Muslim leaders have participated in the unique program.Born in Brooklyn, he received his BA in Jewish studies from Brooklyn College and his MS in journalism from Northwestern University. He moved to Israel in 1982 and lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Sarah, an astrologer. They have three children. The event was presented in loving memory of Gloria & Herb Zeichick. ★ Support this podcast ★

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz sits down with Yossi Klein Halevi for a powerful conversation on whether there is still hope for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence. Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is co-host, together with Donniel Hartman, of the Hartman Institute’s podcast, “For Heaven’s Sake” – the number one Jewish podcast in the English-speaking world.Halevi’s 2013 book, “Like Dreamers,” won the Jewish Book Council’s Everett Book of the Year Award. His latest book, “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor,” is a New York Times bestseller and has appeared in a dozen languages. He is currently writing a book about the meaning of Jewish survival.He has written for leading op-ed pages in North America and is a former contributing editor to the New Republic. He is frequently quoted on Israeli, Middle Eastern, and Jewish affairs in leading media around the world and is one of the best-known lecturers on Israeli issues in the North American Jewish community and on North American campuses.He co-directs the Hartman Institute’s Muslim Leadership Initiative (MLI), which teaches emerging young Muslim leaders in North America about Judaism, Jewish identity, and Israel. Over 150 Muslim leaders have participated in the unique program.Born in Brooklyn, he received his BA in Jewish studies from Brooklyn College and his MS in journalism from Northwestern University.He moved to Israel in 1982 and lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Sarah, an astrologer. They have three children. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jonnie SchnytzerThe event was co-sponsored by Temple ChaiAbout The Event: What does it mean to be Jewish? There are many ways to grapple with this question, and this lesson is inspired by and an elaboration of a unique traditional Jewish oral teaching of an Ethiopian Qes. Specifically, through comparing two modes in which Jewish tradition is carried (as well as the way stories are told!), we will come to ask how bridges can be built between different kinds of Judaism.About The Speaker: Jonnie Schnytzer is probably the only PhD in Jewish Philosophy, focusing on medieval kabbalah, who can say that he once beat the head of Israeli Naval Commandos in a swimming race. His dissertation focused on the scientific kabbalah of Rabbi Joseph ben Shalom Ashkenazi. Jonnie’s forthcoming book is about Ashkenazi’s Kabbalah as well as a critical edition of the kabbalist’s majestic commentary on Sefer Yesira. Jonnie’s also the author of the Mossad thriller, The Way Back, which paints a picture of contemporary Israel. Jonnie also orchestrated the publishing of an English edition of ‘The Hitler Haggadah’, an important piece of Moroccan Jewish history from the Holocaust. Jonnie has also taken on several leadership roles in the Jewish world, including advisor to the CEO of Birthright and executive manager with StandWithUs. He lectures on a wide variety of topics relating to Judaism and Israel, especially about the untold stories and unspoken heroes of Jewish history. Jonnie is happily married, with four gorgeous little kids, lives in Israel, and thinks that Australian Rules Football is the greatest sport ever invented. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, BCCAbout The Event: Rabbanit Alissa will share personal stories and reflections on her new book, “Shabbat Guidebook for Parents: Halacha of Caring for Infants, Toddlers, and Young Children on Shabbat and Yom Tov”, also available on Amazon. This guide is an easy go-to for parents to learn how to care for infants, toddlers, and children on Shabbat and Yom Tov. Based on real-life situations and informed by the author’s shul and chaplaincy experiences as well as her life as a mom, this guidebook offers to-the-point halachic guidance paired with meaningful spiritual reflections. The content itself generally follows the timeline of Shabbat and holidays, with additional pastoral resources on self-care for parents and spirituality in parenting.About The Speaker: Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, BCC is the Rabbanit at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, NJ. Netivot Shalom is a Modern Orthodox shul, which she leads together in partnership with Rabbi Nati Helfgot. Rabbanit Alissa is a Board Certified Chaplain and full-time staff chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she has specialties in Palliative Care, Critical Care, and Emergency Psychiatric Care, and she is the president of NAJC (Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains). Rabbanit Alissa is also the Moishe House Based-In Teaneck clergy and an Atra fellow in the inaugural Northern New Jersey Rabbinic (re)Design Fellowship. From 2014 to 2022, Rabbanit Alissa served as a spiritual leader at B’nai David-Judea Congregation, as the first Orthodox female clergy in Los Angeles. A frequent writer and speaker, she received her ordination from Yeshivat Maharat and graduated from Brandeis University. Rabbanit Alissa and her husband Akiva live in Teaneck with their children, Ella and Liam. ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Geoffrey ClaussenAbout The Event:Rabbi Dr. Geoffrey Claussen’s new book, Jewish Ethics: The Basics, is designed to help us think critically about the diversity of Jewish ethics—on topics including authority, human rights, war, land, power, gender, sexuality, environmental ethics, animal ethics, and more. In this session, we will consider how Jews have passionately disagreed about fundamental moral claims and about what constitutes Jewish ethics, and we will consider how we may understand our ideas within the history of Jewish debates.About The Speaker: Rabbi Dr. Geoffrey Claussen is a Professor of Religious Studies, Lori and Eric Sklut Professor in Jewish Studies, and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Elon University. His books include Sharing the Burden: Rabbi Simhah Zissel Ziv and the Path of Musar (2015), Modern Musar: Contested Virtues in Jewish Thought (2022), Jewish Virtue Ethics (2023), and Jewish Ethics: The Basics (2025). ★ Support this podcast ★

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Zachary TruboffThe event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel About The Event: Franz Rosenzweig has long been considered one of the most brilliant and insightful Jewish thinkers. At the heart of his thought is the belief that the Jews’ covenant with God marks them as different and, as a result, orients them differently in the world than all other peoples. By neither embracing nor rejecting Zionism, Rosenzweig sought to mark a path for Judaism in modernity that would allow it to remain true to its deepest commitments.About The Speaker: Rabbi Zachary Truboff is the Director of the International Beit Din Institute for Agunah Research and Education, a think-tank founded by the IBD to address the halachic dimensions of the agunah problem. He is also the author of “Torah Goes Forth From Zion: Essays on the Thought of Rav Kook and Rav Shagar." His writings on Jewish thought and Zionism have appeared in various publications. Before making aliyah, he served for nearly a decade as the rabbi of Cedar Sinai Synagogue in Cleveland, Ohio. He has taught in various adult education settings, such as the Wexner Heritage Program and the Hartman Institute. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Jen, and their four children. For more of his writing and classes, see zachtruboff.com. ★ Support this podcast ★