What happens to the credibility and power of scholarship when practitioners abandon careful methodology in favor of rhetorical certainty?

In this special episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer explores the intellectual and ethical responsibilities of scholarship in the face of the Gaza war and asks: how can we confront a horror and feel it deeply, yet stop short of giving that horror a name?

You can read Barry Wimpfheimer's Sources article HERE

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What can Jewish summer camps teach us about building stronger, more inclusive Jewish communities? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, guest host and editor of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, Claire Sufrin, sits down with Adina Frydman, CEO of Young Judaea Global, to explore how Jewish camps create spaces where North American and Israeli campers live, learn, and wrestle with complex identities together. Together they discuss bridging cultural divides, navigating political tensions, and fostering belonging while holding space for difference.

Find the digital version of the summer 2025 issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas HERE

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What does it mean to be “okay” when your community is not? What is the role of an educator in times of moral emergency? And how can we resist turning loyalty into a litmus test for empathy?

In this far-reaching and emotionally charged conversation recorded live in Jerusalem, Yehuda Kurtzer and Donniel Hartman reflect on what it means to lead the Hartman Institute in a moment of profound trauma.

For the latest issue of our award-winning winning journal Sources, click HERE

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Who should we trust when the truth is unknowable? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz for a candid conversation about journalistic integrity, media bias, and the urgent need for honest storytelling in a time of global confusion.

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Listen to a new special season of TEXTing: IRL HERE

Learn more about our regional programming HERE

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What does it mean to build a culture of argument that strengthens rather than weakens us?

As Jews around the world mark the somber weeks between the 17 Tammuz and Tisha B’Av — a period our tradition links to the breakdown of social trust and the dangers of baseless hatred — Identity/Crisis turns to what it means to disagree constructively. Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with former Israeli ambassador and author Daniel Taub to explore his new book and the deep Jewish roots of better arguments.

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Does the Jewish community think big enough? Is the Jewish philanthropic market fair? Is Jewish innovation still innovative? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Aaron Katler, CEO of UpStart, to explore the emotional stakes of Jewish leadership post-October 7 and whether the Jewish community still knows how to take risks and dream big.

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What happens to Jewish leadership when crisis becomes the norm rather than the exception?

 In this episode of Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Barry Finestone, President and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation, to explore the emotional and organizational toll of leading through upheaval—and discuss what it will take to build institutions that can thrive during times of uncertainty without losing sight of their long term goals.

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Register for a conversation with Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, moderated by Ronit Heyd, live from our Beit Midrash in Jerusalem HERE

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Donald Trump’s whirlwind involvement in the Israel-Iran War,

On this episode of Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer to understand the impact of power on strategic negotiations, how heads of state are thinking about the current conflict, and why only diplomatic leadership can bring closure.

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After a week of turning our attention to the skies above Israel and Iran, Identity/Crisis is turning to our colleagues on the ground and asking: what is it like to be living in Israel right now – as a parent, as a Palestinian citizen of Israel, as an activist, as an American overseas? 

On this week’s special episode, we invite you to cut through the noise as Yehuda Kurtzer elevates the voices of seven staff and faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem: Jordanna Amsel, Shraga Bar-On, Ronit Heyd, Elana Stein Hain, Elhanan Miller, Rana Fahoum, and Shiri Winter-Mersel. 

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How can we maintain the spirit of care and learning, even if we can’t gather in person?

In the wake of this new stage of Israel’s war with Iran, Hartman’s plans for a summer of leadership and learning in Jerusalem have been evolving, day by day, hour by hour. Later this week on Identity/Crisis, we'll share an episode elevating voices of Israelis living amidst this crisis; today, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects on the days since the war began, expresses concern for Jewish leaders navigating this war moment with all its layers, and shares his hope that we will be together again in Jerusalem soon.

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