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A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz

Please note event times are listed in MT. 

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Emanuel

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Are observant Jews today in need of a new theology—one that makes sense of our simultaneous devotion to Torah and commitment to modern moral values? This lecture explores the contours of such a theology and considers what might be gained, and what might be lost, in reimagining our religious categories.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rabbi Ysoscher Katz is the Chair of the Department of Talmud at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Rabbi Katz received ordination in 1986 from Rabbi Yechezkel Roth, dayan of UTA Satmer, and studied at Yeshivat Beit Yosef, Navaradok for over ten years. A graduate of the HaSha’ar Program for Jewish Educators, Rabbi Katz has taught at the Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls and SAR High School.

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A virtual event presentation by Dr. Kristine Henriksen Garroway

Please note event times are listed in MT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Beth Sholom, Temple Chai

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Deuteronomy 18 makes it clear that magic is a "no-no" for the Israelites. Yet, the archaeological and textual records of biblical times and late antiquity tell a different tale, one that is full of divination, exorcisms, amulets, and demon traps. Join Dr. Kristine Garroway for an overview of the fascinating history of ancient Jewish magic.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Kristine Henriksen Garroway is Professor of Bible at the Hebrew Union College's Skirball Campus in Los Angeles. Joining the faculty in 2011, her research bridges ancient Near Eastern texts and archaeology to shed light on the Hebrew Bible and the history of families, children, and gender in ancient Israel and Mesopotamia. Dr. Garroway holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Cognate Studies, is an active editor and author of multiple books, and frequently contributes to TheTorah.com and scholarly journals.

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A virtual event presentation by Dr. Daniel Rynhold

Please note event times are listed in MT. 

ABOUT THE EVENT:

One of the most potent critiques of religion in the modern age came from the fascinating, if controversial German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The obvious response to Nietzsche is to ignore his critique as the rantings of a rabid atheist. But a more sophisticated response can be gleaned from the writings of certain modern Jewish thinkers with - maybe surprisingly - the Modern Orthodox thinker Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik as the most prominent example. In this session, we will explore the extent to Judaism has the resources to deal with Nietzsche’s critique of religion by partially absorbing it rather than rejecting it.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Born in London, England, and educated at the universities of Cambridge and London, Daniel Rynhold is Dean and Professor of Jewish philosophy at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He arrived in the US in August 2007, following 6 years in the department of theology and religious studies at King’s College, London. He has also served as the Shoshana Shier Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto. Daniel has written extensively on Jewish philosophy, both medieval and modern, and is the author of Two Models of Jewish Philosophy: Justifying One’s Practices (Oxford University Press, 2005), An Introduction to Medieval Jewish Philosophy (I.B. Tauris, 2009), and co-author with Michael J. Harris of Nietzsche, Soloveitchik, and Contemporary Jewish Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2018), with whom he also, together with Tamra Wright, co-edited Radical Responsibility: Essays in Ethics, Religion, and Leadership Presented to Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (Maggid Books, 2012). Most recently, he was co-editor with Tyron Goldschmidt of The Routledge Companion to Jewish Philosophy (Routledge, 2025).

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A virtual event presentation by Marina Zilbergerts

Please note event times are listed in MT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Chai

ABOUT THE EVENT:

What distinguishes human consciousness from artificial intelligence? In this talk, Marina Zilbergerts discusses her new book, Genesis in the Age of AI: A New Story of Consciousness, which reads Genesis as a story of the birth and development of human consciousness and explores how the Bible portrays the inner lives of God and human beings. She argues that its emphasis on subjectivity, agency, and inner life offers a powerful way to rethink what defines humanity in the age of AI.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Marina Zilbergerts is the author of Genesis in the Age of AI: A New Story of Consciousness (Routledge). She is a philosopher and scholar of religion whose work explores consciousness, artificial intelligence, and Jewish thought. She is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa, an advisor with AI & Faith, and writes The Inner Light, a Substack exploring faith, technology, and inner life.

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A virtual event presentation by Rick Sopher and Abdulla Galadari

Please note event times are listed in MT. 

ABOUT THE EVENT:

A Jewish and a Muslim co-author will dive into the connections, similarities and differences between the Qur’an and the Torah to bring out points of Jewish interest.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Rick Sopher is a key figure in interfaith scriptural dialogue, especially known for fostering relations between Jewish and Muslim communities. He is a fellow of the Woolf Institute, an academic institute in Cambridge, England, dedicated to the study of interfaith relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In 2007 French President Jacques Chirac awarded him with the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur for his work in religious education.

Abdulla Galadari is an associate professor of Islamic studies at Khalifa University of Science and Technology. He is the author of Qur’anic Hermeneutics: Between Science, History, and the Bible, Metaphors of Death and Resurrection in the Qur’an: An Intertextual Approach with Biblical and Rabbinic Literature, and Spiritual Meanings of the Ḥajj Rituals: A Philological Approach.

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A hybrid (in-person or virtual) event presentation by Dr. Shai Davidai

Please note event times are listed in MT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: BMH-BJ

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join us for a thought-provoking book talk exploring the forces reshaping American higher education and the growing concerns surrounding antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses. Drawing on firsthand experience as a former Columbia Business School professor, Shai Davidai examines how radical political movements, ideological pressures, and institutional responses have contributed to a campus climate increasingly hostile to Jewish, Israeli, and American perspectives. This timely conversation will explore the challenges facing universities today and raise important questions about academic freedom, institutional responsibility, and the future of higher education.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Since October 7, 2023, the author, activist and academic Shai Davidai has emerged as a prominent voice against antisemitism and support for terrorism in North America. His podcast, Here I Am with Shai Davidai, reaches tens of thousands each week. Davidai holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Cornell University and has taught at Princeton, The New School for Social Research, and Columbia. He lives in New York City with his wife, author and translator Yardenne Greenspan, and their two magnificent young children.

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A hybrid (in-person or virtual) event presentation by Dr. Shai Davidai

Please note event times are listed in MT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Congregation Or Tzion

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join us for a thought-provoking book talk exploring the forces reshaping American higher education and the growing concerns surrounding antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses. Drawing on firsthand experience as a former Columbia Business School professor, Shai Davidai examines how radical political movements, ideological pressures, and institutional responses have contributed to a campus climate increasingly hostile to Jewish, Israeli, and American perspectives. This timely conversation will explore the challenges facing universities today and raise important questions about academic freedom, institutional responsibility, and the future of higher education.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Since October 7, 2023, the author, activist and academic Shai Davidai has emerged as a prominent voice against antisemitism and support for terrorism in North America. His podcast, Here I Am with Shai Davidai, reaches tens of thousands each week. Davidai holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Cornell University and has taught at Princeton, The New School for Social Research, and Columbia. He lives in New York City with his wife, author and translator Yardenne Greenspan, and their two magnificent young children.

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A hybrid (in-person or virtual) event presentation by Dr. Shai Davidai

Please note event times are listed in PT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Beth Sholom

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join us for a thought-provoking book talk exploring the forces reshaping American higher education and the growing concerns surrounding antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses. Drawing on firsthand experience as a former Columbia Business School professor, Shai Davidai examines how radical political movements, ideological pressures, and institutional responses have contributed to a campus climate increasingly hostile to Jewish, Israeli, and American perspectives. This timely conversation will explore the challenges facing universities today and raise important questions about academic freedom, institutional responsibility, and the future of higher education.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Since October 7, 2023, the author, activist and academic Shai Davidai has emerged as a prominent voice against antisemitism and support for terrorism in North America. His podcast, Here I Am with Shai Davidai, reaches tens of thousands each week. Davidai holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Cornell University and has taught at Princeton, The New School for Social Research, and Columbia. He lives in New York City with his wife, author and translator Yardenne Greenspan, and their two magnificent young children.

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A hybrid (in-person or virtual) event presentation by Dr. Shai Davidai

Please note event times are listed in PT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Congregation Ner Tamid

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join us for a thought-provoking book talk exploring the forces reshaping American higher education and the growing concerns surrounding antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses. Drawing on firsthand experience as a former Columbia Business School professor, Shai Davidai examines how radical political movements, ideological pressures, and institutional responses have contributed to a campus climate increasingly hostile to Jewish, Israeli, and American perspectives. This timely conversation will explore the challenges facing universities today and raise important questions about academic freedom, institutional responsibility, and the future of higher education.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Since October 7, 2023, the author, activist and academic Shai Davidai has emerged as a prominent voice against antisemitism and support for terrorism in North America. His podcast, Here I Am with Shai Davidai, reaches tens of thousands each week. Davidai holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Cornell University and has taught at Princeton, The New School for Social Research, and Columbia. He lives in New York City with his wife, author and translator Yardenne Greenspan, and their two magnificent young children.

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A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer

Please note event times are listed in MT. 

ABOUT THE EVENT:

TBA

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 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.