Episodes

  • Our Golden Age

    Our Golden Age
    Jul 16 2024
    At a time when it can be easy to focus on the threats to North American Jewish life, it’s important to remember that the current generation of American Jews benefits from more affluence, influence, power, and privilege than any other Jewish community in history. In this episode recorded in front of a live audience, Yehuda Kurtzer argues that we are heirs to a golden age of American Jewry, and that it is our responsibility to sustain this magnificent era in the face of those who may claim otherwise. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    49 mins
  • The Rise and Fall of Jamaal Bowman

    The Rise and Fall of Jamaal Bowman
    Jul 9 2024
    The Democratic congressional primary in New York’s 16th District was one of the most closely watched this year and ended with Representative Jamaal Bowman losing to George Latimer. Yehuda Kurtzer and J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami discuss Bowman’s visit to Israel with J Street and the shift in Bowman’s politics and strategy during his time in office. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    52 mins
  • Disaster from the North

    Disaster from the North
    Jul 2 2024
    With looming threats and escalating violence from Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel is being forced to shift its gaze to the North. In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with journalist and author Matti Friedman about the rising tensions with Lebanon, Hezbollah’s history and ethos, and the ideological and geopolitical challenges currently faced by Israel. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    53 mins
  • Meeting the Moment: A Sources Interview

    Meeting the Moment: A Sources Interview
    Jun 25 2024
    The latest issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, centers around Jewish life on university campuses, where anti-Zionism and antisemitism have become frighteningly visible. In this week’s episode, guest host Claire Sufrin, editor of the award-winning Journal, speaks with Adena Kirstein, Executive Director of Hillel at the George Washington University, about her article in this issue where she focuses on the importance of engaging Jewish students through joy instead of fear. They discuss how to respond to antisemitism on campus, how to relate to students with a range of perspectives on Israel, and how her ability to guide students emerges from her training as a social worker. A new issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas will be released in early July. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    47 mins
  • Reflections on the Israeli Left (Re-Release)

    Reflections on the Israeli Left (Re-Release)
    Jun 18 2024
    This episode was originally released on November 7, 2023. Organizations and individuals throughout the world are responding to the October 7th massacre by Hamas, and Israel’s military response, in sharp and vociferous contrast with one another. While one camp mourns the atrocities by Hamas and pools resources to aid the IDF, the other rallies to decry the suffering of Palestinian civilians caught in the war’s crossfire. Few voices, it seems, give credence to both tragedies at once. This week, Yehuda Kurtzer and Mickey Gitzin, Director of the New Israel Fund in Israel, consider how it’s possible to hold complexity during this time of intense polarization and the ways the political left in Israel differs starkly from progressivism globally. They explore the conflicting visions for the future of the region, the balance of criticism and solidarity, the state of shared society between Israelis and Palestinians, and the role of activists and NGOs like the New Israel Fund. Mentioned in this episode: Learn more about the New Israel Fund here. In July 2021, Ben & Jerry’s bid its parent company not to sell its ice cream in the occupied territories. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    55 mins
  • Stewarding Torah

    Stewarding Torah
    Jun 11 2024
    Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and is traditionally a holiday of immersive text study. Reflecting on the spirit of the holiday, this week's episode is a recording of an interview with Yehuda Kurtzer on “Jewish Insights” on Jewish Broadcasting Service. Yehuda and JBS host Justin Pines share how they each relate to the Torah and discuss how it informs the way they think today. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 
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    56 mins
  • All Eyes on Rafah

    All Eyes on Rafah
    Jun 4 2024
    The whole world is watching Israel’s next moves in Gaza, particularly on the amplified information battleground of social media where images of civilian suffering and desolation abound. What is the ethical calculus at play for the IDF in continuing to conduct this war? In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks to writer and philosopher Rabbi Shlomo Brody about the conflicting moral imperatives at play in Israel’s war with Hamas, social media during the fog of war, and where the Israeli perspective diverges from that of Jews in North America. Mentioned in this episode: · Shlomo Brody’s recent book, Ethics of Our Fighters · And his WSJ op-ed, Rescue Israeli Hostages, but at What Cost? You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    57 mins
  • Measuring the Crisis

    Measuring the Crisis
    May 28 2024
    October 7th and its unfolding aftermath have triggered a seismic shift in Jewish communal life. In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Mimi Kravetz, Chief Impact and Growth Officer for the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), to talk about JFNA’s recent surveys on Jewish community engagement, vulnerability, and solidarity with Israel in the United States and Canada, and what Jewish institutions can do to adapt to these changes. Referenced in this episode: · ‘The Surge,’ ‘The Core’ and more: What you need to know about the explosion of interest in Jewish life by Mimi Kravetz, Sarah Eismann, David Manchester – eJewish Philanthropy · Data by Air Kelman – Sources Journal You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
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    51 mins