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© SAPIR: Ideas for a Thriving Jewish Future
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SAPIR is a journal exploring the future of the American Jewish community and its intersection with cultural, social, and political issues. These podcasts are recordings of Zoom webinars we have held with our contributors (season numbers correspond with issue numbers). To find out more and join our next events live, visit www.sapirjournal.org.
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Do we still expect journalists—and the outlets they represent—to be objective? Or have we come to accept that much of today’s media falls into the realm of activist journalism? What are the consequences when activist journalism and objective reporting become indistinguishable? On Monday, June 30 at 12:00 PM ET, SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman moderated a conversation between SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens and Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Israel’s Channel 12 News. Together, they discussed the merits and pitfalls of activist and objective journalism in the United States and Israel, going deeper into their most recent SAPIR essays.Can the Media Keep Kosher? (Stephens)If Not Now, When? (Segal)
In the wake of October 7, many American Jews have grappled with what it means to not only engage in activism—a longstanding tradition in Jewish history and culture—but to advocate effectively for themselves across diverse environments. On Monday, June 23, 2025 SAPIR’s Editor-in-Chief, Bret Stephens, was joined by Sara Forman, Executive Director of the New York Solidarity Network (NYSN) and Mark B. Rotenberg, Senior Vice President for University Initiatives and General Counsel at Hillel International for a conversation on new forms of Jewish political and legal activism. Click on these links to read their pieces from the latest issue of SAPIR. Politics (Forman)Lawfare (Weiss & Rotenberg)
Is multiculturalism destined to fail? Is it possible to reject identity politics while also championing strong Jewish identities? On Wednesday, April 9 at 12:00 PM ET, join SAPIR editor-in-chief Bret Stephens for a conversation with Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on his recent SAPIR essay "Jewish Identity vs. Identity Politics."
As we prepare to celebrate our freedom from slavery, has the promised land lived up to the promise of Zionism? After October 7, can Israel’s internal differences be an asset rather than a liability? Moving forward, can the Israel-Diaspora relationship weather the range of emotions? Yes to all, argues Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, in his recent essay in SAPIR. On March 31 we held a special conversation between SAPIR editor-in-chief Bret Stephens and the 11th President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog to discuss all this and more.
In her recent SAPIR essay, Mijal Bitton wrote that she does not identify as a Jew of color, despite being a non-white Jew, because the “term often feels more focused on “white” Jews than on people like me.” How is that the case? And what does it say about the political movement that accompanied the rise of the term? On Wednesday, March 26, Bitton joined Associate Editor Felicia Herman for a conversation on her essay, “Why I Am Not a Jew of Color.”
In the latest issue of SAPIR, Dana W. White observes that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), once places that honored and taught the historical alliance between black and Jewish Americans, have now become spaces where antisemitism and anti-Zionism are actively encouraged.
How can our communities reinvigorate the long-neglected black and Jewish alliance, address misunderstandings, and rebuild trust? How do we celebrate our past accomplishments and pursue future objectives together? On Monday, January 27 former assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs under Secretary James Mattis, Dana W. White, joined SAPIR editor-in-chief Bret Stephens for a conversation on her recent SAPIR essay.
Critical theory – the study of the ways “oppression gets produced and reproduced within and across societies” – is the dominant method of inquiry in many areas of higher education, especially in the humanities and social sciences. Yet many scholars resist applying it honestly to the study of the Jewish people and Zionism. Were they to do so, argues Vanderbilt professor Shaul Kelner, they might find they had entirely misunderstood these categories and the place of Jews in the oppressor/oppressed dynamic.
On Tuesday, January 7, Professor Kelner joined SAPIR Associate Editor Felicia Herman to unpack his essay, “Turning Critical Theory on Its Head,” and discuss whether and how this might be changed.
The modern university is at a crossroads. Is it still defined by its foundational mission to cultivate curiosity and advance knowledge, or is it defined by advocacy and activism centered around certain moral absolutes? And where do Jewish students, faculty, and ideas fit in? Listen as SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Yeshiva University President Ari Berman and former Brandeis University President Ron Liebowitz to discuss the purpose of the modern university and the role for Jews and Jewish ideas on campus.
Since October 7, Israeli researchers and faculty have felt the chilling effects of a flourishing global boycott movement. In a shift that’s taken hold at high levels of American academia, Israeli scholars and universities have been barred from conferences, squeezed out of research grants, and cut out of collaboration with colleagues around the world.
Is there a way out of this mess? On Thursday, December 5, SAPIR editor-in-chief Bret Stephens interviewed Netta Barak-Corren, the Haim H. Cohn Chair in Human Rights Law at the Hebrew University’s School of Law and Ronald R. Krebs, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota to discuss the dangerous normalization of academic boycotts and which forces in the American university are fighting back.
SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Daniel Gordis, author of "Israel Is Less Fragile Than We Feared, More Fragile Than We Imagine"
SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Allegra Goodman, author of “Judaism Without Borders, Diaspora Without Tears”
In this episode, SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Rabbi David Wolpe, one of the contributors to SAPIR's new Ethics column, Shivim Panim, and author of "To Err is Human; To Disagree, Jewish" in our newest issue.
In this episode of SAPIR: Journal of Jewish Conversations, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens invites Michael Sandel to discuss his article on the Limits of Meritocracy
In this episode of SAPIR: Journal of Jewish Conversations, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens invites Bethany Mandel to discuss her article on how Homeschooling Might Just Be Your Answer
In this fascinating conversation, Yossi Klein Halevi, Chloe Valdary, and Blake Flayton discuss the future of Zionism and the Jewish relationship with other communities. Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.
1In this especially timely discussion, Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Iranian-targets officer in the Central Intelligence Agency and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies discusses his contribution to SAPIR, which examines how Iran’s path toward nuclear weapons might ultimately be stopped (and whether Israeli military action may be necessary). Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.
Our guests take a deeper dive into their SAPIR contribution on reimagining a gap year program in Israel for every young Jew. Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.
Dara Horn and Bret Stephens discuss Horn’s contribution to our fourth issue – Dreams for Living Jews. Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.
Jonathan Rosenblum and Bret Stephens discuss Rosenblum’s contribution to our third issue – More Unites Us Than Divides us: A Haredi perspective. We explore ideas that are already bringing Jews from a wide variety of backgrounds together in Israel, and whether some of those lessons might translate in America.
Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.
Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, and Josef Joffe. What is the outlook for Jews in Europe? For Jews in America? Our three guests have written pieces exploring these questions. Be sure to read their pieces linked below:
Annika Hernroth-Rothstein: Two Weddings and a Sorrowful Wife
Josef Joffe: American Jews: A Threat Report
Bret Stephens: Is There a Future for American Jews?
Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.
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