What does it take to rebuild Jewish community after two years of trauma and division? On this special episode of Identity/Crisis, Senior Editor Claire Sufrin turns the tables and interviews Yehuda Kurtzer about his article in the newest issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, where he unpacks why communities need clearer values and a renewed ethic of care to move beyond crisis. Their conversation offers us a roadmap for belonging, boundaries, and rebuilding connection after October 7.   We're grateful to the Charles H. Revson Foundation for supporting the Shalom Hartman Institute's digital work, including Identity/Crisis.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.    Read Our Fragile Tents: Community, Consent, and Care in Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas. Check out the Fall/Winter 2025 issue and subscribe to our print edition. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What does it take for Black–Jewish partnerships to flourish in a moment of rising fear, political polarization, and mutual misunderstanding? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer and scholar Terrence Johnson discuss the stories we carry — about vulnerability, power, Israel, America, and identity — and why they often fail to translate across racial lines. Together, they explore how demythologizing each other and leaning into deeper, more intimate conversations might reshape the future of Black–Jewish relations.   We're grateful to the Charles H. Revson Foundation for supporting the Shalom Hartman Institute's digital work, including Identity/Crisis. Listen to the recording of the SAPIR debate HERE You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS  Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Join Pathways to Hope and meet young Israeli changemakers. Learn more about positions available at Hartman North America. If you read Sources, complete a brief reader survey.

This episode was originally released on Tuesday, November 26th, 2024   This political moment may cause American Jews to ask: “Where have we seen this before?”   In this episode recorded live in NYC, Yehuda Kurtzer challenges the impulse to reach backwards for old frameworks to describe our current situation, and instead offers a vision for a new era in American-Jewish politics – one shaped by a culture of compromise and defined by an embrace of kindness.   We're grateful to the Charles H. Revson Foundation for supporting the Shalom Hartman Institute's digital work, including Identity/Crisis.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Why are conspiracy theories about Jews surging in the American mainstream — and why are so many young Americans embracing them? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer and Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic, unpack how Tucker Carlson’s platforming of Nick Fuentes reveals a broader ecosystem of digital extremism and populist politics that increasingly places Jews at the center of national discontent.  We are grateful to the Charles H. Revson Foundation for supporting the Shalom Hartman Institute's digital work, including Identity/Crisis. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS    Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Register for Tomer Persico’s book talk in NYC on December 9. Watch the recording of the Hevruta Gap-Year Program Open House.

What’s next for Israel’s democracy after years of polarization, war, and political stagnation? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer talks with Tani Frank, Director of the Center for Judaism and State Policy at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, about Israel’s rapidly changing political landscape ahead of the 2026 elections. They discuss Benjamin Netanyahu’s enduring power, the rise of a possible “Zionist alliance,” and the growing demand for political accountability and unity after October 7.   We're grateful to the Charles H. Revson Foundation for supporting the Shalom Hartman Institute's digital work, including Identity/Crisis.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.    Subscribe to our new podcast Thoughts & Prayers here   Learn more about Hartman’s Winter Leadership Seminar here JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Thirty years after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Yossi Beilin, one of the architects of the Oslo Accords, about the night that changed Israel forever. Together they revisit Rabin’s legacy, the rise of extremism that followed, and ask: what will it take to revive the hope of peace?   We're grateful to the Charles H. Revson Foundation for supporting the Shalom Hartman Institute's digital work, including Identity/Crisis.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  Learn more about Hartman’s Hevruta Gap-Year Program HERE JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What does Zohran Mamdani’s rise reveal about the shifting power, politics, and identity of New York City’s Jews?  As New York stands on the verge of electing its first anti-Zionist mayor, on Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer and political strategist Howard Wolfson explore what happens when the Jewish community, who once defined New York’s political center of gravity, finds itself on the outside looking in. We're grateful to the Charles H. Revson Foundation for supporting the Shalom Hartman Institute's digital work, including Identity/Crisis.  You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Last week on the Jewish Broadcasting Network, Shalom Hartman Institute presidents Yehuda Kurtzer and Donniel Hartman joined journalist Abigail Pogrebin for a live conversation reflecting on this pivotal moment: the immense Israeli public effort to bring the hostages home, the roles of Trump and Netanyahu in current and future politics, and the dueling priorities of Israeli and American Jews. As the ceasefire went into effect and all remaining living hostages and some of the fallen returned to Israel, Yehuda and Donniel celebrated with cautious optimism and offered a hopeful vision for reconstructing Jewish life.

At a time of unprecedented leaps in technology and ethical questions about artificial intelligence, one scholar seeks answers from an unlikely source — ancient Jewish wisdom. In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer talks with technology guru, Hartman scholar, and founding Identity/Crisis Producer David Zvi Kalman about the religious and ethical dilemmas AI poses for Jewish life — from sermons written by bots to the erosion of truth and authority. This thoughtful conversation is for anyone wondering whether Judaism can move fast enough to meet technology’s challenges while preserving the core Jewish value of human dignity. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What is at stake when Holocaust memory fades—or worse, loses its relevance?  This week on Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Anita Friedman — daughter of survivors, renowned educator, and executive producer of the new film Among Neighbors — about the future of Holocaust education, the dangers of “Holocaust fatigue,” and how storytelling can help make Holocaust memories relevant for generations to come.   Register for the Sapir Debate HERE.   Learn more and register for our Winter Leadership Conference HERE.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

In this episode of Arc: The Podcast, Mark Oppenheimer sits down with Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the aesthetics of yarmulkas, the crisis facing clergy-members, and how the war in Israel is changing American Jewry.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What happens when the words we pray clash with the values we hold? Just in time for the High Holidays, this week on Identity/Crisis Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Ethan Tucker, president of Hadar and co-author of Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law, about what it means to pray ancient words in a world shaped by present fears and political tensions and how we can navigate the frameworks of tradition and modern egalitarian commitments. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Does Benjamin Netanyahu need Hamas — and even this war —for political survival?  This week on Identity/Crisis, following Israel’s puzzling strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, Yehuda Kurtzer and Michael Koplow, Chief Policy Officer at Israel Policy Forum, try to get inside Netanyahu’s head and understand the ways in which he and Hamas may be inextricably linked. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What does it mean to reclaim the Jewish story in an era of shame, assimilation, and contested narratives? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with author Sarah Hurwitz about her new book, As a Jew, her journey from superficial Jewish identity to deeper engagement with Jewish tradition, and why knowledge and countercultural courage may be key to Jewish continuity today. You can listen to more from Sarah Hurwitz on Ark Media's Call Me Back podcast HERE If you loved listening to Sarah Hurwitz and want to find out which books shaped her Jewish identity, you can listen to Sarah on The Five Books Podcast. You can also check out Yehuda's guest episode! Spoiler alert: Yehuda and Sarah were shaped by one of the same books, tune in to find out which one… Learn more about the Hartman Teen Fellowship ⁠⁠HERE.⁠⁠ You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠ to learn more. ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS ⁠

Who gets to decide someone’s Jewish status, and what happens when that status comes into conflict with someone’s identity? This week on Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Christine Hayes, Sterling Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at Yale and Hartman Senior Fellow for a provocative conversation about intermarriage, Jewish adjacency, and the boundaries of community and belonging. Check out Yehuda’s substack HERE Learn more about Hartman’s Hevruta Gap-Year Program HERE Learn more about the Edward Fein Winter Student Seminar HERE You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

This episode was originally released on April 1, 2025 The future of American Judaism is uncertain, some even might say at risk. In this special episode, recorded live at the Jewish Funders Network Conference in Nashville, Yehuda Kurtzer, Franklin Foer, and Sarah Hurwitz engage in a dynamic discussion about what ails American Judaism, why we fear change, and what we want to strengthen and preserve for the future.    You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

This week, Identity/Crisis is excited to share Hartman’s newest podcast, Future Tense, where rising Jewish leaders drive conversations with scholars from the Shalom Hartman Institute on the most pressing issues facing their generation.   What kind of Jewish future do we want to build – and how do we build something that will last? On this episode of Future Tense, hosts Anna Weiss, Sami Jinich, and Yadid Orlow reflect on their upbringings and share their visions for Jewish life. Together with Yehuda Kurtzer, they explore how values are transmitted and imagine different versions of the Jewish future that they want to create. Learn more about Future Tense here. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What happens to the credibility and power of scholarship when practitioners abandon careful methodology in favor of rhetorical certainty? In this special episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer explores the intellectual and ethical responsibilities of scholarship in the face of the Gaza war and asks: how can we confront a horror and feel it deeply, yet stop short of giving that horror a name? You can read Barry Wimpfheimer's Sources article HERE You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What can Jewish summer camps teach us about building stronger, more inclusive Jewish communities? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, guest host and editor of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, Claire Sufrin, sits down with Adina Frydman, CEO of Young Judaea Global, to explore how Jewish camps create spaces where North American and Israeli campers live, learn, and wrestle with complex identities together. Together they discuss bridging cultural divides, navigating political tensions, and fostering belonging while holding space for difference. Find the digital version of the summer 2025 issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas HERE JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

What does it mean to be “okay” when your community is not? What is the role of an educator in times of moral emergency? And how can we resist turning loyalty into a litmus test for empathy? In this far-reaching and emotionally charged conversation recorded live in Jerusalem, Yehuda Kurtzer and Donniel Hartman reflect on what it means to lead the Hartman Institute in a moment of profound trauma. For the latest issue of our award-winning winning journal Sources, click HERE You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS