Identity/Crisis

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, what foundational elements of the American Jewish story do we need to reframe?

In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects on the approaching 250th anniversary of the United States with journalist and author Nicholas Lemann. Together they explore the long arc of American Jewish life—from the promise of belonging and dual identity to today’s climate of political instability and rising antisemitism. Drawing on Lemann’s sweeping family history, the subject  of his new book Returning: A Search for Home Across Three Centuries, their conversation asks what it means to inhabit both insider and outsider identities at once and what new stories—and commitments—might sustain Jewish life in America moving forward.

 

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Learn more about the America at 250 initiative from the Hartman Institute HERE

 

Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:

What does a clash between a Catholic Vice President and the Pope reveal about authority, war, and theological responsibility? 

 

In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with renowned Princeton University Professor Robert George to unpack what's happening at the intersection of Catholic faith and American political power. From six Catholic Supreme Court justices to the growing appeal of traditional religion among young people, from the proper limits of papal authority to the alarming rise of antisemitism in traditionalist Catholic circles, this conversation spans two millennia of church-state entanglement to illuminate this American moment.

This episode was originally released on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

 

This episode is in honor of Abe Foxman, z”l

 

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.

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Are Trump, Netanyahu, and Iran acting like rational players—or are we misreading the logic of this war entirely?

In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Chief Policy Officer at the Israel Policy Forum, Michael Koplow to assess a volatile and uncertain moment in U.S.–Iran–Israel relations. Amid a fragile ceasefire, they explore conflicting logics and interests driving American, Israeli, and Iranian decision-making, from domestic political pressure to competing visions of regional power. Their conversation considers whether military success can translate into lasting strategic gains, how the war is reshaping Israel’s relationship with the United States, and what it means for American Jews caught between support for Israel’s legitimacy and concern about its policies.

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

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Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:

Read the Kogod Research Center’s new White Paper, Building
Communities of Belonging: Jewish Identity, Conversion, Intermarriage, and Adjacency.

When a mystical tradition meant for an elite few becomes a popular spiritual
practice — what is gained and what is lost?

In this episode of Identity/Crisis, guest host Deborah Barer is joined by scholar of Kabbalah Daniel Matt for a conversation about the Omer and the modern turn toward mindfulness and self‑improvement. Tracing the journey of the Zohar from esoteric text to widely accessible guide, they explore what is gained—and what may be lost—when contemplations of the divine are redirected inward, toward the self. Along the way, they ask how Jewish mysticism understands responsibility, ethics, and community, and what it
might mean to carry “new ancient words” from the wilderness of the Omer toward revelation at Sinai.

 

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

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

 

Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week:

 

Learn how Hartman is building the pipeline of young Jewish leadership.