Congregation KINS presents Daytime Dialogues

David Curwin is an author, a scholar and blogger - and most importantly he is an expert on the etymology of Hebrew language, a talent which has led to new insights into Torah, and his new book "Kohelet: A Map to Eden." Join Rabbi Matanky as he talks with Mr. Curwin about his journey and about the insights we can gain from appreciating the evolution of Hebrew.

Ambassador Michael Oren served as Israel's Ambassador to the United States (2009-2013) and was a member of Knesset and a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's office. He is a historian, a novelist, a political scientist and a much-sought after analyst of Israeli politics and foreign relations. Join Rabbi Matanky as he speaks with Ambassador Oren about President Herzog's State visit to Washington DC, the current state of US-Israel relations and a host of other timely and important topics.

Rabbi Ari Solomon is one of the leading designer of sneakers and cleats for pro athletes and he is going to be a teacher (rebbe) at Yeshivat Mevasseret Tziyon in Israel. Join in this great conversation that traces Ari's career back to the start and touches upon the opportunities and challenges for observant Jews in the sports world.

John Minster is the Associate Director of Ideas at the Tikvah Fund. In that role he helps to promote and shape the "big ideas" that Tikvah addresses in all areas of Jewish life, from Mosaic Magazine to the classes of Rabbi Meir Soloveichik.

Shani Taragin is one of the leading teachers of Torah to women. She is the educational director of the Matan-Bellows Eshkolot Tanakh Teachers Professional Development Program, and delivers shiurim at many, many seminaries. Join Rabbi Matanky in a conversation with Shani about the boundaries for women's scholarship and leadership, and about the challenges of education in the 21st century.

Batya Ungar Sargon is the opinion editor of Newsweek and the former opinion editor of the Forward. The author of the recently published book "Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy," she is articulate and passionate in her views which include a deep understanding of the political divide in America today. Join Rabbi Matanky for a lively discussion of topics which include former President Trump's appeal, the challenges of the next presidential election and anti-semitisim in America.

Professor Shlomo Engelson is the Chairman of the Department of Computer Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and a leading expert in the fields of Attribution Analysis and Sports Analytics. Join Rabbi Matanky for a fascinating conversation about the use of computer technology to analyze authorship of documents and its use in solving crimes, the impact artificial intelligence will have on our society, and even the use of sports analytics to improve sporting teams.

Rabbi Menachem Leibtag is one of the premier teachers of Tanach. His "Tanach Study Center" www.tanach.org, and his weekly insights into parsha and nach have changed the way Tanach is taught in America and Israel. Join Rabbi Matanky for a discussion about the way to study Tanach, the mistakes people make when approaching the sacred texts, and even how he became the great teacher that he is today.

Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and the director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union, often the "only Jew on campus." As such she has become an important spokesperson for Jewish-Chrisitan relations and a bridge to greater understanding of Jewish experience. An expert in Second Temple judaism, her research and writing have added to the knowledge of what it was like to be a Jew in those times, and the lessons we can learn from their challenges. Join Rabbi Matanky for a wide-ranging conversation about both modern challenges and their ancient precursors.

Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin is the founder and director of the Biblical Museum of Natural History (Beit Shemesh) and the author of numerous books, articles and the blog RationalistJudaism.com. Nearly twenty years ago several of his books were subject of a much debated rabbinic ban, that brought the debate of rationalist vs. mystical Judaism to the fore. Join Rabbi Matanky is lively discussion of his work at the museum and the challenges/opportunities he faces in presenting rational Judaism to others.