Zionism: Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond

November 6, 2024

Over the course of two days, JTS hosted scholars, religious leaders, practitioners, and writers and examined the changing nature of American Jewish affinities with Zionism and Israel. Through multiple panels, we considered different expressions of Zionism in America, and how these have been influenced by periods of renewal, prosperity, and crisis and focused on the choices and challenges American Jews have when teaching a new generation about the significance of Israel and Zionism. Together, we imagined what a hopeful and mutually beneficial relationship looks like in the present and near future.

The convening also featured breakout sessions, where participants divided into smaller groups based on their professions and interests. Facilitated by JTS faculty and guest speakers, these sessions provided an opportunity for participants to engage in meaningful discussions, share insights, and collaboratively address everyday challenges. This dedicated time, especially for clergy members and educators, to connect and work together to address the unique issues they face in their respective roles emerged as a welcoming and safe space.

A summary of the two-day event can be found here:

Day One

The Roots of North American Zionism

This session examined European Zionism as it relates to the different expressions of Zionism in North America. The panel also considered the challenges Zionism faces within the Jewish communities in North America.

• Dr. Amy Kalmanofsky (Moderator), Blanche and Romie Shapiro Professor of Bible, Dean of List College and the Gershon Kekst Graduate School. JTS
• Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna, Director, Schusterman Center for Israel Studies and University Professor, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University
• Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor, JTS
• Dr. Jack Wertheimer, Joseph and Martha Mendelson Professor of American Jewish History, JTS

Zionism and the Challenges of Power

This session examined the fateful bargain that inhered in the Zionist project: remaking the Jewish diaspora, in which Jews were a religious and ethnic minority, into a national community living within its own sovereign territory. Statehood, and the privilege and responsibility of protecting a state’s citizens when one has the power to do so, brings with it moral and practical dilemmas such as when to deploy military force. These dilemmas often result in divisions within Israel as well as within world Jewry. What wisdom can we glean from a better understanding of these challenges in the context of statehood?

• Dr. Shira Billet (moderator), Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics, JTS
• Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief, the Forward
• Dr. Moshe Halbertal, Department of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Hebrew University and NYU School of Law

Liberal Zionism, Jewish Pluralism, and Democracy

Our third session explore two interrelated matters: (a) the challenges of a state that both strives to be Jewish and aspires to be democratic, when it has a diverse Jewish population as well as a significant Palestinian minority, and (b) whether these (or other challenges such as the occupation itself) create barriers of understanding between Israelis and American Jews who place a high value on pluralism. In focusing on whether the Israeli state adequately reflects and fosters internal diversity, and whether the failure to do so creates barriers to the American Jewish diaspora, we considered a third proposition: whether a more pluralistic orientation towards Jewish observance might lead to a more equitable treatment of minorities in Israel, and the reasons this might be the case.

• Rabbi Jan Uhrbach (Moderator), Director of the Block / Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts, Founding Rabbi of Gesher The Bridge Shul
• Dr. Eilon Schwartz, Founder and Director, Shaharit, Senior Lecturer, Melton Centre for Jewish Education at the Hebrew University
• Dr. Nurit Novis-Deutsch, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa
• Dr. Yizhar Hess, Vice Chairman, World Zionist Organization

Memorial Observance for October 7 Victims

During the evening, we held a memorial observance for October 7 victims, led by Dr. Yizhar Hess.

Henry N. and Selma S. Rapaport Lecturer: On Being Jewish Today

We also invited Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Park Avenue Synagogue, to be the Henry N. and Selma S. Rapaport Lecturer. The theme was “On Being Jewish Today.” Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly and USCJ, chaired the session, introduced Rabbi Cosgrove and the lecture’s theme, and served as moderator.

Day Two

Judaism and Zionism: The Role of Religion in Democracy

Day two of the convening began with a session called Judaism and Zionism: The Role of Religion in Democracy. This session explored the increasing influence of religious thought (and especially messianic thought) on Zionism in Israel, and the ways in which this has had a marked effect on the Zionism of many North American Jews and Jewish communities. A key aim was to map out differences in liberal versus messianic expressions of Judaism as well as to assess and articulate the possibilities for a liberal Zionism that is itself based in religious thought and commitment. Panelists included:

• Dr. Tamara Neuman (Moderator) JTS, Director of Convenings
• Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President, Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)
• Dr. Sara Yael Hirschhorn, Senior Researcher and Lecturer, University of Haifa
• Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership, JTS

Cultural Zionism: Does it Create Bridges or Barriers?

JTS has long had an association with cultural Zionism as articulated by Solomon Schechter, Mordecai Kaplan, and others. This session considered the cultural dimensions of Zionism at present, and the ways in which North American Zionist and Jewish commitments are influenced by literary and musical expressions in Israel. Given that Hebrew poses a language barrier for most American Jews, can literature and music help bridge the gap? Of special interest will be the outpouring of creative Israeli expression post-October 7 and its resonance for the North American context. Featured panelists included:

• Dr. Arnold Eisen (Moderator), Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought, JTS
• Matthew Lazar, Founder & Director, Zamir Choral Foundation
• Miriam Meir, Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Language, JTS
• Ruby Namdar, Novelists, Sapir Prize winning author of The Ruined House

Zionism and Pedagogy: Teaching During Difficult Times

This session examined the opportunities and challenges that North Americans face when teaching about Zionism to a new generation whose experience of Israel includes, nearly exclusively, right-wing governments whose political and ethical views seem to conflict with their own values. The concern for minorities or with the need for regional integration in the Middle East that once characterized Israeli government positions have been obscured by today’s ruling coalitions. How can these challenges be addressed? Panelists explored this important topic:

• Dr. Jeff Kress, (Moderator), Provost and the Dr. Bernard Heller Professor of Jewish Education, JTS
• Peter Geffen, Founder and President, Kivunim
• Rabbi Daniel Brenner,  Vice President of Education, Moving Traditions
• Amy Skopp Cooper, CEO, Ramah Camping Movement
• Dr. Daniel Olson, Assistant National Director, Ramah Camping Movement

The Future of Zionism in North America

Our last session of the day examined the future. Where do we stand as we mark a year since October 7, given that both Israel and North American Jewry have been changed by this event and its aftermath? Is the relationship of American Jews to Israel mainly that of a peripheral exilic community to its homeland, or is the North American setting a place where Judaism flourishes on its own terms? What guiding principles should shape our effort to maintain and strengthen a living two-way, mutually beneficial relationship between Jews in Israel and North America? We entertained these questions and others that became salient during this convening.

• Rabbi Gordon Tucker (Moderator), Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement JTS
• Rabbi Joanna Samuels, CEO Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
• Dr. David Kraemer, Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS
• Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought, JTS

Continue to explore what it means to be a Zionist in 21st-century North America. In an upcoming webinar series, we will expand on the conversations that emerged at the convening, presenting both the significant insights and debate that developed and enhancing the context that informs contemporary issues. Learn more about Zionism: Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond Expanding the Conversation.

A podcast series, launching in the spring, will provide behind-the-scenes access to the convening. Each episode will highlight a speaker and offer their unique perspectives on the future of Zionism.