Hanukkah is a well-known Jewish holiday that evolved from the events in Israel during the second century B.C. Unfortunately, it’s unjustly seen as established around the lighting of the Menorah. In this session Dr. Tova Ganzel discussed the evolution of Hanukkah within its historical context and its significance ever since.

The concept of Racial Justice has been at the forefront of much discussion over the last year and it continues to challenge Jewish individuals and communities across the globe. For the final session of our Justice series, Stephen Bush, the British New Statesman’s Political Editor and Chair of the British Board of Deputies’ Commission on Racial Inclusivity shared some of the commission’s findings and some of the realities facing Jewish communities in their struggle to become more inclusive.

This session explored some of the experiences of those most impacted by gender injustice as well as raised some difficult questions about the move to create more just spaces for all genders. Tips for implementing change as well as some of the cultural difference that can enhance or impede change efforts were also discussed.

The concept of ‘Justice’ became the epicenter of much of the summer of 2020’s global protest and global conversation. The NGF Network held a 4-part series examining the role of ‘Justice’ in Jewish thought. The first two sessions explored ‘Justice’ from a Jewish textual/theological perspective. The latter two sessions focused more specifically on racial and gender justice.

This session was devoted to an exploration of Maimonides’ explanation of Natural Evil in the Guide for the Perplexed.

This course examined the historical beginnings of Israeli music from the early establishment of the State and different influences upon music in Israel today.

This session examined the historical beginnings of Israeli film from the early establishment of the State until the end of the 20th century.

This session examined the transition of Queen Esther from outsider to a position of Jewish communal leadership

In this session, Ilana Kaufman provided a detailed analysis of the most recent study of Jews of Color in the United States and its implications for the American Jewish community.

Following the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, David Gidron of the JDC led a session on the key elements necessary for Jewish Communal Resistance.

This session explored the history and politics of the Israeli settler movement beyond the green line since the 1967 war, considering the ideological origins of the settler enterprise after the 6-day war and its dramatic evolution of the past five decades as a major issue in both Israeli domestic politics and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

This session was devoted to the exploration of the hidden tensions that are inherent in Israel’s definition as a Jewish and democratic state. Using both historical and contemporary case studies, this session exposed the unique challenges that political sovereignty raises for Jewish leaders in Israel and around the world.

This session explored the nature of national identities and how these relate to the traditional concept of Jewish identity. Using these concepts, the session went on to sketch the evolution of different forms of Zionism.

It has been said that throughout our history, Jews have laughed to keep from crying. In a country that has experienced its shares of ups and downs, Israel has developed its own unique brand of humor. Benji tracks the changes in Israeli society through classic movie, TV and comedy clips.

The 21st century is generating major challenges for liberal democracies and global Jewish communities. The rise of the ‘alt right’, growing fundamentalism and a lack of social and communal consensus are some of these issues. This course will seek to examine three seminal Jewish texts that speak directly to the major issues of our time.

The evolution of Latin American Jewish communities is integrally related to the development of the continent itself – a continent with a very turbulent history and a rapidly transforming present. What does this mean for the future of the Jewish communities of Latin America and what strategies are in place to meet the new challenges?

What do our texts have to teach us about the current issues of our time? Can we shed some light on how to deal with the challenges of mass immigration, the growing disparity between rich and poor and the rise of religious fundamentalism?