On this week’s episode of the Seekers of Meaning TV Show and Podcast, Rabbi Address engages in a profound discussion with Rabbis Doug Kohn and Leah Cohen-Tenenbaum, co-authors of the book Striving to be Human: Jewish Perspectives on 21st Century Challenges.
The conversation delves into the motivations behind the book, which emerged from a serendipitous meeting at a CCAR conference. The authors explore the pressing issues of the 21st century, emphasizing the need for a reflective pause in a rapidly changing world, drawing on Jewish wisdom to navigate contemporary challenges. They discuss the importance of understanding what it means to be human in an age dominated by technology and the complexities of modern life, including the existential crises that arise from our relationship with technology and the quest for belonging.
The discussion also touches on the significance of the essays in the book, which provide a framework for processing the challenges of modern existence. The authors highlight the necessity of striving for humanity amidst the overwhelming influx of information and the ethical dilemmas posed by advancements in artificial intelligence and medical technology. Ultimately, the episode serves as a call to action for listeners to engage with these themes and reflect on their own humanity in the face of contemporary challenges.
About the book
In his clarion call for ethical behavior, Rabbi Hillel tells us, “In a place where there is no humanity, strive to be human.” But what exactly does it mean to be human, especially in an age of rapid transformation? Striving to Be Human: Jewish Perspectives on Twenty-First-Century Challenges confronts this question with boldness, hope, and a foundation of Jewish wisdom. The volume begins with “Challenges from Within Us,” addressing such topics as moral justice, belonging, queer theology, and good and evil. In part two, “Challenges from Beyond Us,” the authors delve into artificial intelligence, robotics, reproductive technologies, and the animal-human relationship. The result is a profound conversation about Jewish values and human dignity in our evolving landscape.
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About the Guests
Rabbi Leah Cohen Tenenbaum
Rabbi Leah Cohen Tenenbaum, DMin, BCC-PCHAC (HUC-JIR 2000), serves as the inpatient palliative care chaplain and as a member of the Ethics Committee at Yale New Haven Hospital. She is a faculty member of FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) and has served on the CCAR Board of Trustees, the CCAR National Ethics Taskforce, and currently the CCAR Press Council. She has written chapters for The Sacred Struggle: Jewish Responses to Trauma (CCAR Press, 2025) and Fragile Dialogue: New Voices of Liberal Zionism (CCAR Press, 2018) and is the coeditor with Rabbi Douglas Kohn of Striving to Be Human: Jewish Perspectives on Twenty First-Century Challenges (CCAR Press, 2025). She frequently teaches and presents on spirituality, serious illness, and medical ethics.
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Rabbi Douglas Kohn serves Temple Beth Jacob in Newburgh, New York, having previously served congregations in Buffalo, Baltimore, Chicago, and Southern California, and is happily busy in all aspects of congregational and community endeavors. In addition to coediting Striving to Be Human (CCAR Press, 2025) with Rabbi Leah Cohen Tenenbaum, he is the editor of two other volumes, Life, Faith, and Cancer: Jewish Journeys Through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery (URJ Press, 2008) and Broken Fragments: Jewish Experiences of Alzheimer’s Disease Through Diagnosis, Adaptation, and Moving On (URJ Press, 2012), and has written and spoken widely on the themes of illness, medical ethics, and being human. Rabbi Kohn has served on numerous CCAR, URJ, and communal commissions, committees, and boards, while still savoring time to read, write, and paint, as well as exercise, cook, and travel with his wife, Cindy, and their children and grandchildren.
The post Striving to Be Human: Reflections on Technology and Ethics: Rabbis Douglas Kohn and Leah Cohen Tenenbaum – Seekers of Meaning 2/20/2026 appeared first on Jewish Sacred Aging.
