American Intellectual Antisemitism: The Anti-Jewish Movement Tearing Through Our Universities

January 21st, 2027

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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: United Jewish Federation of Utah

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.

The Lovers’ Dance: Movement and Seduction in the Song of Songs

January 28th, 2027

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A virtual event presentation by Dr. Amy Kalmanofsky

Please note event times are listed in MT

ABOUT THE EVENT:

This class explores the central role of movement in the young lovers’ courtship in the Song of Songs. It begins with a brief introduction to the Song and then turns to a close reading of selected passages, drawing on dance theory and the instructor’s perspective as a dancer to consider how movement, gesture, and physicality shape the lovers’ encounter.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Dr. Amy Kalmanofsky is dean of the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies and the Gershon Kekst Graduate School, as well as the Blanche and Romie Shapiro Professor of Bible. As professor of Bible, she teaches courses on biblical literature, religion, and feminist interpretation of the Bible. In her writing and teaching, Dr. Kalmanofsky combines contemporary ideas and critical methods with traditional text study, teaching students to be careful, creative interpreters of Torah.

Dr. Kalmanofsky is the author of several books exploring topics including horror, gender, sisterhood, and biblical interpretation in the Hebrew Bible. She has also written numerous articles examining the biblical representation of women and the roles women play in the Bible, as well as articles that consider the biblical rhetoric of violence.

Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews

February 8th, 2027

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A hybrid event presentation (in-person and virtual) by Dr. Andrew Porwancher

Please note event times are listed in MT

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join Professor Andrew Porwancher as he uncovers the close-knit and often surprising relationship between Theodore Roosevelt and the Jewish community. This lecture traces Roosevelt’s deep connection with the Jewish people at every step of his dazzling ascent. But it also reveals a man of contradictions whose checkered approach to Jewish issues was no less conflicted than the nation he led. Drawing on fresh research from his newest book, American Maccabee, Porwancher explores the complicated relationship between the leader of a youthful nation and the people of an ancient faith.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Andrew Porwancher is the Chaplik Professor at the University of Texas. He previously held fellowships at Harvard, Oxford, and Princeton, and earned his PhD at Cambridge. His fifth book—American Maccabee: Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews—won the 2025 Theodore Roosevelt Book Prize.

What Does It Mean to Be a Jew in 2027?

February 9th, 2027

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A hybrid event presentation (in-person & virtual)

Please note event times are listed in MT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Solel

ABOUT THE EVENT:

What does it mean to be Jewish in 2027? Join three Phoenix-area rabbis, moderated by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz (President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash), for a timely and thought-provoking panel discussion exploring the questions, challenges, and opportunities shaping Jewish identity today. Through diverse perspectives and an engaging conversation, our panelists will reflect on what it means to live Jewishly, build community, navigate an evolving world, and carry Jewish values and traditions into the future. Join us for an evening of meaningful dialogue.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Rabbi Rony Keller recently began his tenure as Senior Rabbi at Temple Solel, bringing with him a lifelong passion for Jewish education, leadership, and community. A graduate of the University of South Florida and ordained by the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, he served for 13 years at Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale as Associate Rabbi and Director of Education. His dedication to Jewish learning and leadership earned him the title of Reform Jewish Educator (RJE) and led to his service as President of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Phoenix.

Rabbi Sara Mason-Barkin is the Rabbi and Executive Educator at Congregation Beth Israel. She was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May 2010, after receiving her Master’s Degree in Jewish Education in 2008. Prior to her studies at Hebrew Union College, Sara earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Brandeis University in Sociology and Judaic Studies. Rabbi Mason-Barkin began her career as an educator in a Jewish day school. While teaching, she discovered a passion for helping people of all ages find meaningful moments of Jewish connection in their own lives. This dedication to Jewish education led her to Jerusalem, where she began her rabbinical studies. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Rabbi Mason-Barkin has spent significant time in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. She lives with her three children, Charlie, Sela, and Milo.

Rabbi Bethany Slater is a scholar and Jewish educator currently completing her rabbinic ordination through the Hartman Rabbanut North America program. She serves as rabbi of The New Shul alongside her husband, Rabbi Stephen Slater. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Theology from Boston College, where her research focused on Jewish prayer and Mussar. She also holds an MA in Jewish Studies from Oxford University and a BA in Philosophy and Religion. Before coming to The New Shul, Bethany served as Executive Director of Claremont Hillel and previously taught religion and Jewish studies in university and community settings.

Reading the Talmud with Feminist Eyes

February 11th, 2027

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A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Jane Kanarek, Ph.D.

Please note event times are listed in MT.

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Chai

ABOUT THE EVENT:

TBA

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rabbi Dr. Jane Kanarek is Professor of Rabbinics and Dean of Faculty at the Hebrew College Rabbinical School. She is the author of Biblical Narrative and the Formation of Rabbinic Law and the co-editor of Learning to Read Talmud: What It Looks Like and How it Happens and Mothers in the Jewish Cultural Imagination, the latter two of which were finalists for the National Jewish Book Awards. In fall 2025 her book Beyond Brutality: Reclaiming Female Presence in Bavli Sotah was published by Brandeis University Press.

Psalms Between Us: A Book Talk with Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz

February 16th, 2027

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PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT DOES NOT HAVE A VIRTUAL OPTION.

Event times are listed in MT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: BMH-BJ Congregation, Temple Emanuel

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz for a moving book talk exploring Psalms through the deeply personal journey he shared with his Christian mother during her final illness. Blending traditional Jewish commentary, Christian theology, and intimate memoir, the book reveals how ancient scripture can become a source of connection, comfort, and healing in the face of grief. Through reflections on faith, family, love, and loss, Rabbi Shmuly offers a powerful testament to the bonds that transcend religious differences and the shared spiritual wisdom that can bring us closer to one another and to what matters most.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rabbi Yanklowitz has twice been named one of America’s Top Rabbis by Newsweek and has been named by The Forward as one of the 50 most influential Jews. He is an author of 30 books on Jewish ethics and his writings have appeared in outlets as diverse as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic among many other secular and religious publications. He has served as speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a Wexner Graduate Fellow and a Rothschild Fellow in Cambridge, UK. He founded Arizona Jews for Justice and has served as a City Commissioner on the Human Relations Commission for the City of Phoenix and on the Governor’s Advisory Council in Arizona.

Rav Shmuly received a Bachelors degree from the University of Texas in Austin, a Masters from Harvard University, a Masters from Yeshiva University, and his Doctorate from Columbia University. He was ordained as a rabbi by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, along with 3 private Orthodox ordinations in Israel. He serves as the President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash (a global Jewish learning and action center). His wife Shoshana, and their four children live in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have also served as foster parents.

Jews and Drag: An American Cultural History

February 18th, 2027

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A virtual event presentation by Dr. Golan Moskowitz

Please note event times are listed in MT

ABOUT THE EVENT:

From the Yiddish stage to ballrooms, pageants, and reality television, Jewish performers have long shaped, and been shaped by, the art of drag. In this talk, Golan Moskowitz explores the entangled histories of Jewishness and drag performance in America, tracing figures from Pepi Littman and Bessie Thomashefsky to Harvey Fierstein and Sasha Velour. Drawing on his forthcoming NYU Press book, Moskowitz examines how ideas of conditional whiteness, disidentification, and "detachable ethnicity" illuminate the ways Jewish performers have used drag to negotiate visibility, difference, and belonging. Part cultural history and part meditation on performance itself, the talk asks what drag reveals about the long, complicated project of American Jewish identity.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Golan Moskowitz is a Sizeler Family Professor in Judaic Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans and a core faculty member of the Stuart & Suzanne Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience. He is the author of Wild Visionary: Maurice Sendak in Queer Jewish Context (Stanford University Press, 2020) and has published several articles and book chapters on post-Holocaust memory and Jewish literature, art, and film. Dr. Moskowitz serves as Book Review Editor for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and as Director of the annual Jewish American & Holocaust Literature (JAHLit) Symposium.

Psalms Between Us: A Book Talk with Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz

February 21st, 2027

Free More Info

PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT DOES NOT HAVE A VIRTUAL OPTION.

Event times are listed in MT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Congregation Kol Ami

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz for a moving book talk exploring Psalms through the deeply personal journey he shared with his Christian mother during her final illness. Blending traditional Jewish commentary, Christian theology, and intimate memoir, the book reveals how ancient scripture can become a source of connection, comfort, and healing in the face of grief. Through reflections on faith, family, love, and loss, Rabbi Shmuly offers a powerful testament to the bonds that transcend religious differences and the shared spiritual wisdom that can bring us closer to one another and to what matters most.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rabbi Yanklowitz has twice been named one of America’s Top Rabbis by Newsweek and has been named by The Forward as one of the 50 most influential Jews. He is an author of 30 books on Jewish ethics and his writings have appeared in outlets as diverse as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic among many other secular and religious publications. He has served as speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a Wexner Graduate Fellow and a Rothschild Fellow in Cambridge, UK. He founded Arizona Jews for Justice and has served as a City Commissioner on the Human Relations Commission for the City of Phoenix and on the Governor’s Advisory Council in Arizona.

Rav Shmuly received a Bachelors degree from the University of Texas in Austin, a Masters from Harvard University, a Masters from Yeshiva University, and his Doctorate from Columbia University. He was ordained as a rabbi by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, along with 3 private Orthodox ordinations in Israel. He serves as the President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash (a global Jewish learning and action center). His wife Shoshana, and their four children live in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have also served as foster parents.

Old-New Prayer Texts from the Land of Israel in the Cairo Genizah

February 25th, 2027

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A virtual event presentation by Dr. Richard Sarason

Please note event times are listed in MT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Chai, BMH-BJ

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Among the most significant finds in the Cairo Genizah are fragmentary prayer books that conform to the liturgical customs and prayer formulations of the old rite of Eretz Yisrael, which died out by the fourteenth century after the Crusades. This talk will present some of these materials, including those that have recently been incorporated into some contemporary prayer books in Israel and the Diaspora.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

RICHARD S. SARASON is The Deutsch Family Professor of Rabbinics and Liturgy, and Director of the Pines School of Graduate Studies, at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. His publications include books and articles in the areas of early rabbinic literature, Midrash, and the history and phenomenology of Jewish prayer and ritual. He earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Brown University (1977) and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College (1974).

Psalms Between Us: A Book Talk with Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz

February 28th, 2027

Free More Info

PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT DOES NOT HAVE A VIRTUAL OPTION.

Event times are listed in PT

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Congregation Ner Tamid

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Join Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz for a moving book talk exploring Psalms through the deeply personal journey he shared with his Christian mother during her final illness. Blending traditional Jewish commentary, Christian theology, and intimate memoir, the book reveals how ancient scripture can become a source of connection, comfort, and healing in the face of grief. Through reflections on faith, family, love, and loss, Rabbi Shmuly offers a powerful testament to the bonds that transcend religious differences and the shared spiritual wisdom that can bring us closer to one another and to what matters most.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rabbi Yanklowitz has twice been named one of America’s Top Rabbis by Newsweek and has been named by The Forward as one of the 50 most influential Jews. He is an author of 30 books on Jewish ethics and his writings have appeared in outlets as diverse as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic among many other secular and religious publications. He has served as speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a Wexner Graduate Fellow and a Rothschild Fellow in Cambridge, UK. He founded Arizona Jews for Justice and has served as a City Commissioner on the Human Relations Commission for the City of Phoenix and on the Governor’s Advisory Council in Arizona.

Rav Shmuly received a Bachelors degree from the University of Texas in Austin, a Masters from Harvard University, a Masters from Yeshiva University, and his Doctorate from Columbia University. He was ordained as a rabbi by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, along with 3 private Orthodox ordinations in Israel. He serves as the President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash (a global Jewish learning and action center). His wife Shoshana, and their four children live in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have also served as foster parents.

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