Shalom Hartman Institute

09/23/2026

In a moment when the stakes feel especially high, how can we understand what Israelis have just said at the ballot box?

Join Tal Becker and Abigail Pogrebin on October 27 at 6 PM at Central Synagogue for an evening of analysis, imagination, and conversation about the results and questions emerging from the elections.

Learn more and register today: https://www.hartman.org.il/event/after-the-vote-what-israels-election-means-now/

09/22/2026

Are you a high school senior or the parent of a high school senior?

Applications are now open for our 2027-2028 Hevruta Gap-Year Program in Jerusalem. By bringing Israeli and North American peers together in community, Hevruta cultivates young leaders who are deeply committed to a thriving future for the Jewish people and to a Jewish and democratic Israel.

Learn more and apply here: https://www.hartman.org.il/program/hevruta-gap-year-program/

09/22/2026

Are religious liberty and liberal democracy a natural match or are they destined to be in conflict?

On Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with Hartman Senior Research Fellow Michael Avi Helfand about two Supreme Court cases that could shape the boundaries of religious autonomy, state authority, and Jewish communal life.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

09/17/2026

What happens the day after the Israeli elections? The results may be only the beginning of the story.

If you missed last week's webinar with Tani Frank and Masua Sagiv, watch the full recording on our Youtube channel.

09/17/2026

Listen now at the link below ⬇️

Podcast Episode · Identity/Crisis · September 15 · 49m

09/16/2026

Can a civil rights framework retain legitimacy if it protects some groups while weakening protections for others?

Hartman Senior Fellow James Loeffler, author of Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight Over Free Speech in Modern America, argues that today's fights over antisemitism reveal deeper tensions about equality, belonging, and the future of American public life.

Read the op-ed here: https://www.hartman.org.il/for-trump-jews-are-proving-to-be-a-very-useful-tool/

09/16/2026

When Israelis head to the polls on October 27, what questions are actually driving the election?

Our Road to Elections webinar with Tani Frank and Masua Sagiv explored the deeper narratives shaping Israeli political life: accountability after October 7, the meaning of shared responsibility, and competing visions for the country's future.

Watch the full recording on our YouTube channel.

09/15/2026

What does it look like to practice democracy with both conviction and openness?

Reflecting on the "Nonnegotiable" movement in Michigan, Yehuda Kurtzer explores how transparency, accountability, and a willingness to engage across difference can help American Jews navigate a changing political landscape without surrendering their values.

Read more on Substack here: https://yehudakurtzer.substack.com/p/jewish-commitments-are-not-negotiable

09/15/2026

What does it mean to plant seeds for a future you may never see?

Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Judith Rosenbaum, CEO of the Jewish Women's Archive, to reflect on Gloria Steinem's legacy and the enduring work of social change. Together, they explore feminism's impact on Jewish life and the role of Jewish women in shaping social movements.

Listen to Identity/Crisis wherever you get your podcasts.

09/15/2026