Identity/Crisis

By Shalom Hartman InstituteNews Religion & Spirituality News Commentary Judaism

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Typical duration
51 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Identity/Crisis episodes

June 17, 2025 Hartman Summer, Interrupted
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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13 min
June 10, 2025 Hate Crimes in the Name of Resistance — with Amy Spitalnick
"At the end of the day, when Jews are being targeted, that's
antisemitism."
Amy Spitalnick, Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) CEO

This week, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Amy to discuss why the response from Jewish communities, the general public, and the U.S. government to attacks in Washington, DC and Boulder, CO has varied widely—and how we can address the rise in antisemitism without encroaching on civil liberties.

You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.
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59 min
June 04, 2025 Announcement: Shavuot Hiatus
1 min
May 29, 2025 Is the War Still Worth it?– with Tal Becker
After 600 days, is the appetite for continuing the war with Hamas waning among its supporters? This week on Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Tal Becker, Shalom Hartman Institute Vice President and former Legal Adviser of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss war strategy, moral obligation, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.

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1 hr
May 27, 2025 Announcement: Thursday Release
1 min
May 20, 2025 When Do We Speak Up? – with Abe Foxman
What does moral courage look like in an age of rising antisemitism and political polarization? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by longtime ADL leader and Holocaust survivor Abe Foxman for a raw, intergenerational conversation about fear, leadership, and the dangers of silence.

Identity/Crisis listeners we want to hear from you! Please take 5 minutes to complete this brief survey before May 30. Your confidential responses will help us make your favorite podcast even better!
You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.
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54 min
May 13, 2025 Jewish in the Heartland
What can a small Jewish community in Omaha, Nebraska teach us about power, memory, and belonging? In this special monologue episode of Identity/Crisis recorded on the road in the American heartland, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects, in four acts, on his Midwest travels and what he learned about the quiet strength — and quiet fears — shaping Jewish life today.

You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. 

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26 min
May 06, 2025 A Jewish Paradigm for Caring for the Sick – with Sara Labaton
What does it mean to care for the sick—not just medically, but morally and spiritually?
In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer invites Sara Labaton, Director of Teaching and Learning at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, to share her essay, Permission and Obligation: A Jewish Paradigm for Care, from the Spring issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas. Drawing from personal experience and Jewish texts, Sara explores the complexities of caregiving and examines the role of doctors, patients, and the community in the healing process.

You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.

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43 min
April 29, 2025 Naomi Shemer’s Soundtrack of Israel at 77 - with Moti Zeira
What does it mean to keep singing when the world is broken? In this special Yom Ha’atzmaut episode of Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Moti Zeira — biographer of legendary Israeli musician Naomi Shemer and a leading voice in Israeli cultural renewal — to explore how music carries the weight of memory, protest, and hope.

You can listen to our playlist of songs by Naomi Shemer HERE

You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.

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57 min
April 22, 2025 The Politics of Holocaust Memory in Israel – with Dani Dayan
Who gets to tell the stories of the past, and what influence do they have on the story of the present and the future? This week marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. In advance of Yom HaShoah, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem, to discuss the ways in which memory is political, how reflections of the past implicate the present, and the future of holocaust remembrance when there are no more living survivors to share their stories.

You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

42 min

About Identity/Crisis

From the publisher's feed

In a frenzied media cycle, Identity/Crisis creates better conversations about the issues facing contemporary Jewish life. Host Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute, talks with leading thinkers to unpack current events affecting Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and around the world, revealing the core Jewish values underlying the issues that matter most to you.