JTS Torah Commentary

On the Bus! The Moral Obligation to Do Social Justice

Mar 27, 2019 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A conversation with Sister Simone Campbell, longtime social activist and the executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. 

Anti-Semitism in America: How Did We Get Here and How Can We Move Forward?

Dec 11, 2018 By Shuly Rubin Schwartz | Public Event video

What explains the persistence of anti-Semitism through the ages—even here, today, in the United States? Our noted experts explore anti-Semitism’s historical and theological origins and trace its changing nature over time. They also discuss efforts to counter its pernicious effects and enhance intercultural and interreligious understanding.

The Art of Mystical Narrative: A Zohar Symposium

Nov 27, 2018 By Eitan Fishbane | Public Event video

In The Art of Mystical Narrative: A Poetics of the Zohar, Dr. Eitan Fishbane reveals the Zohar as an extraordinary narrative—the tale of a wandering kabbalist sage seeking wisdom in ancient Galilee. Along with experts in Kabbalah, medieval Jewish culture, and Jewish literature, he discusses the narrative and poetic features of the Zohar in the context of comparative literature and spirituality.

Reimagining End-of-Life Care: A Multi-Faith Exploration

Nov 1, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Cancer Risks: The BRCA Genes and What the Jewish Community Needs to Know

Oct 18, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Leading genetics researcher Dr. Kenneth Offit and premier radiologist Dr. Miriam Levy discuss risks of cancers affecting the Jewish community and new options for genetic testing and medical management. Writer Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Dr. Michael Bergstein speak about their personal experiences of breast and prostate cancer.

HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship

Oct 9, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A discussion with Nadine Strossen, John Marshall Harlan II Professor, New York Law School; former President, American Civil Liberties Union.

Songs for the Holy City: An Interfaith Evening of Music and Prayer

Jun 20, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A unique gathering of clergy, vocalists, and musicians from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions leading us in song and prayer for the peace and future of Jerusalem/Yerushalayim/Al Quds. Inspired by similar gatherings in Jerusalem, the event tapped the collective power of our three faiths to help us transcend divisions and plant seeds of cooperation and respect.

Genetic Engineering, Jewish Law, and the Remaking of Life

Jun 18, 2018 By Daniel Nevins | Public Event video | Video Lecture

An exploration of genetic engineering through the lens of Jewish law and values. Under what circumstances should the DNA modification of new and already living plants, animals, and humans be permitted?

Is it Time to Rethink the Israel-Diaspora Relationship?

Apr 19, 2018 By Arnold M. Eisen | Public Event video | Video Lecture | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut

A provocative discussion with Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen and Dr. Hillel Ben Sasson about how Israel and Diaspora Jewry influence each other—and how we can develop a new vision for working together.

Art, Artists, and Activism

Apr 16, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody in conversation with Ruth W. Messinger: What are the most responsible and effective ways for actors, singers, directors, and other artists to use the power of their public platforms on behalf of social causes?

Supreme Court Cases and Jewish Values

Apr 10, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Seth P. Waxman, former Solicitor General of the United States and leading Supreme Court advocate, discusses three high-profile, momentous cases are currently before the US Supreme Court.

Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz

Jan 29, 2018 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews coexisted in Buczacz for 400 years. Then, during WWII, the town descended into intergroup violence and ethnic cleansing. Why? Anatomy of a Genocide profoundly changes our understanding of the social dynamics of mass killing and the nature of the Holocaust. It is also a warning of how it could happen again, in our own towns and cities—much more easily than we might think.

Forest Dark: A Novel

Jan 17, 2018 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A discussion with New York Times best-selling author Nicole Krauss on Forest Dark: A Novel.

Breaking the Bank: The High Cost of Low-Income Living

Dec 6, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Why does it cost so much to be poor? NYC is an expensive place to live—and it’s the most expensive for New Yorkers living from paycheck to paycheck.

A discussion about how low-income New Yorkers manage their financial lives and the challenges they face, exploring how diverse resources, from loan funds to check cashers to fintech startups, are responding to the financial needs of struggling New Yorkers

Can the Tribes of Modern Israel Dwell Together?

Nov 29, 2017 By Arnold M. Eisen | Public Event video

On the 70th anniversary of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine, a major step in the creation of Israel, the partitions within Israeli society threaten the very future of the State. Can the divisions be bridged between Israel’s secular, national religious, ultra-Orthodox, and Arab citizens? Can they talk to each other and work together to forge a new partnership? And what is the role of caring Diaspora Jews in achieving this goal?

Listening, Love, and Citizenship: Healing the Fractures in American Society

Nov 8, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A panel discussion exploring what it means to be a citizen of the United States in today’s fractured society. What are the basic skills of citizenship that have eroded in our country? How can we learn to listen to and love one another to become responsible citizens?

Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul

Oct 31, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Rabbi Naomi Levy (JTS ’89) takes us on a journey into the world of our souls, inspired by correspondence between Albert Einstein and a grieving rabbi. We often get so distracted by life’s surface demands and pressures that we rarely take the time to see what’s planted deep inside us. By listening to our souls we can uncover our true goodness, our calling, our yearnings, our gifts, yes, and even our greatness. Once we begin listening to our own souls we begin seeing the souls of others, seeing beyond our differences, to the truth that unites us and unites all things.

Dinner at the Center of the Earth

Oct 18, 2017 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

Dinner at the Center of the Earth, a new political thriller from Pulitzer finalist and best-selling author Nathan Englander, unfolds in the highly charged territory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Remembering Alan Mintz (z”l)

Jun 7, 2017 By The Jewish Theological Seminary | Public Event video

A celebration of the life and work of JTS’s Chana Kekst Professor of Jewish Literature Alan Mintz z”l, with remarks from colleagues and dramatic readings from S. Y. Agnon’s Buczacz stories.

Mighty Be Our Powers: Standing Together to Confront Tyranny

May 10, 2017 By Ruth Messinger | Public Event video

Renowned peace activist Leymah Gbowee delivers the annual John Paul II Lecture on Interfaith Understanding. Gbowee won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work leading a women’s peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War.