In the face of rising antisemitism, what does courage look like?   Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with author Dara Horn about her new book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living, and the intense experiences that led her to write it. Together, they examine antisemitism on college campuses, the limits of Holocaust education, the meaning of Jewish peoplehood, and the challenge of distinguishing legitimate criticism of Israel from hate movements that seek to exclude Jews from public life. At the heart of their conversation is a question about what this moment demands: more knowledge, or the courage to speak out and act.  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:  Register for The Road to the Israeli Elections on September 8. 

What does today’s Jewish literature tell us about this moment?   Identity/Crisis is excited to present a special audio version of a conversation that first appeared in print in the Summer 2026 issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas. It’s moderated by Tali Rosenblatt-Cohen, host of the podcast The Five Books, with guests Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO of Jewish Book Council and Lauren Wein, Vice President and Editorial Director of Avid Reader Press at Simon & Schuster. They address the introspection and urgency driving Jewish writers to navigate questions of identity, trauma, Zionism, and community in the years since October 7. From Philip Roth to Taffy Brodesser-Akner, they discuss what Jewish books reveal about the ever-changing American Jewish experience.  Claire Sufrin, editor of Sources and Hartman’s Director of Research and Publication, introduces and frames this episode.   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: College students, apply now for the 2026 Edward Fein Winter Student Seminar!  

Can a bite of food transport us across time and place? After a walk together through Tel Aviv’s Shuk HaCarmel, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with extraordinary chef and cookbook author Adeena Sussman to discuss the relationship between food, memory, and the influences that shape contemporary Israeli cuisine. From Shabbat tables to Tel Aviv restaurants, they explore how ordinary acts of gathering, cooking, and eating can become sources of resilience and connection. Their conversation traces the journey of ingredients, recipes, and culinary ideas across borders and generations, while grappling with the complexities that often surround them. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Could lessons from ancient politics help shape Israel’s future? As Israel heads toward its October 2026 election, Yehuda Kurtzer talks with author and historian Amotz Asa-El to explore what ancient Jewish political failures can teach us about Israel’s current crossroads. Drawing on Asa-El’s book, The Jewish March of Folly (newly out in English), they examine the dangers of tribalism, the challenges of democracy, and the question of whether Jewish politics can balance power with moral purpose. 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: Watch select sessions from our summer learning in Jerusalem.

Did Yiddish ever really die? On this re-release of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Rukhl Schaechter, editor of the Yiddish Forverts, to explore the surprising renaissance of the Yiddish language—from new dictionaries and online media to Duolingo learners and Hasidic vernacular. Together they discuss what is drawing people back to the language, how Yiddish carries culture across generations, and why so many Jews are using it to seek connections to their roots in a moment of renewed searching. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What happens when citizenship and identity point in different directions?   In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Rana Fahoum, Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute and Director of Hartman’s Center for Shared Society, to examine the complexities of citizenship in Israel. Drawing on personal history, they reflect on belonging, collective rights, and the challenges of building Israel’s future for all its citizens.   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 more about our Wellspring programming for young Jews and the professionals who serve them.

How should North American Jewish communities balance security, vibrant communal life, and moral purpose?  Recorded live in Jerusalem during the Shalom Hartman Institute's Community Leadership Program, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Barry Finestone, President and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation, to explore the future of North American Jewish life. Together, they examine the challenges of antisemitism, Jewish education, philanthropy, leadership, and the future of Jewish thriving, and ask what it means not only to survive but also excel as a community.    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 here how Siach helps young Jews grapple with big questions. 

Can Music Heal a Divided Society? Recorded live at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Israeli artist, activist, and Hadag Nahash frontman Shaanan Streett for a wide-ranging conversation about hip-hop, dissent, patriotism, and the role of artists in times of crisis. Through songs and stories, Streett reflects on the judicial reform protests, October 7, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the power of music to build empathy across divides. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Can Zionism survive a crisis of its own making? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Zachary Truboff, director of the Institute for Agunah Research and Education at the International Beit Din, to discuss the moral and political questions facing Israel after October 7. As Israelis grapple with war, trauma, and the responsibilities of power, they explore whether Zionism has adequately reckoned with its own vulnerabilities, assumptions, and failures. Their conversation examines the tension between victimhood and agency, the demands of collective responsibility, and what it would mean for Zionism to undergo a process of teshuvah of its own.   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:   Watch our summer live streams HERE

Money shapes who can access Jewish life—and who gets left out. In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with sociologist Ilana Horwitz about the overlooked reality of a quarter of American Jews living in economic vulnerability, challenging the persistent myth of universal Jewish affluence. Drawing on Horwitz’s research, they explore how class and financial instability intersect with Jewish education, communal participation, and belonging.   This episode is sponsored in honor of Robert Kogod’s 95th birthday by his loving family.   Read Ilana Horwitz’s article on affordability and Jewish education in Sources.   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:   Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive alerts about special livestreamed programming from Jerusalem.