For many American Jews, Thanksgiving is another high holiday. We celebrate our obligations of citizenship and show appreciation for all that America has granted. Perhaps, in turn, our tradition may have lessons to teach America. Could the Jewish model of interpreting our stories for the present, and our conceptions of memory, gratitude, and redemption, heal our divided country?
In this special episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects on the Jewish significance of Thanksgiving.
Mentioned in this episode: Joan Nathan cookbooks: https://amzn.to/39JoGon Adeena Sussman's braised cabbage: https://bit.ly/2V7RDF4 Huevos haminados: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haminados Story about Todos the Roman: https://bit.ly/2yBfAND ...
How do Jewish identity and Israel identity manifest on campus both inside and outside the classroom? Academia today is increasingly rooted in activism, not just inquiry. Students are defineing a new 21st century Jewish identity, but many self-censor because the Israel-Palestine conflict is uncomfortable. And many Jewish studies faculty feel pressured to avoid conversations around this topic to protect their academic credentials. Is this the trend of where we're headed in the future? Hartman Fellow ...
This episode covers sexual abuse and suicide. Listener discretion advised. Chaim Walder, an Israeli rabbi, author of literature for children, and one of the most trusted voices on child psychology in the Haredi community, committed suicide in December after widely publicized child abuse and rape allegations came to light. Despite these allegations, leaders of the Haredi community came to his defense to discredit and silence his accusers. Nechumi Yaffe, an expert on the ultra-Orthodox, joins Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the impact of the Walder crisis, the Haredi community’s distinct reactions to sexual abuse, and the ways in which power seeks to maintain power. ...
