Shabbat, May 31 – June 1, 2019

 

Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer

 

Join us at Beth Jacob for this exciting opportunity to learn from Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He is a leading thinker and author on the meaning of Israel to American Jews, on Jewish history and Jewish memory, and on questions of leadership and change in American Jewish life.

 

There will be several opportunities to learn from Dr. Kurtzer over the course of the weekend, all centered around the topic: Israel and the Diaspora: The State and Future of Jewish Peoplehood, including a Shabbat Dinner.

 

Friday Night

  • 6 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat
  • 7 pm: Shabbat Dinner
  • 8 pm: The Roots of a Great Divide: Why Israel Divides the Jewish People

Click here to register now for the Friday Night Dinner

Shabbat Morning

  • D’var Torah in Shul-“I will make the land desolate:” On the Holiness of the Land of Israel, and its Political Implications
  • 1 pm: Post-Kiddush Learning- The Future of a Great Divide: New Models of Relationship for Israeli and Diaspora Jewry

Shabbat Afternoon Potluck Picnic in the Park with Families
At Valley Park in Mendota Heights; please bring a vegetarian item to share

  • 4:30 pm: Do American Jews Need Hebrew? Reflections on Identity, Competencies, and Educational Choices

Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Yehuda is a leading thinker and author on the meaning of Israel to American Jews, on Jewish history and Jewish memory, and on questions of leadership and change in American Jewish life.

Yehuda led the creation of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America in 2010 as a pioneering research and educational center for the leadership of the North American Jewish community, and teaches in its many platforms for rabbis, lay leaders, Jewish professionals, and leaders of other faith communities. He is also the co-creator of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s iEngage Project, which seeks to bridge between Israel and world Jewry through content, curriculum, and cutting-edge educational programs.

Yehuda received his doctorate in Jewish Studies from Harvard University and an MA in Religion from Brown University, and is an alumnus of both the Bronfman Youth and Wexner Graduate Fellowships. Previously Yehuda served as faculty member at Brandeis University where he held the inaugural Chair in Jewish Communal Innovation.

He is the author of Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past, which offers new thinking to contemporary Jews on navigating the tensions between history and memory; and the co-editor of the forthcoming volume The New Jewish Canon, a collection of the most significant Jewish ideas and debates of the past two generations.

He lives in New York with his wife Stephanie Ives and their three children.

  • Articles by Yehuda Kurtzer on the Shalom Hartman Institute website.
  • Yehuda Kurtzer on Twitter