UPDATE: Please note that the date of this event has changed to June 1. You do not have to re-register if you have already registered for the original event.

Stephen Wise Temple, American Jewish Committee Los Angeles, and Shalom Hartman Institute Present: How Do We Talk About Israel?

Wednesday, June 1, at 7:30 p.m. | Main Sanctuary | Register

Starting on June 1, Stephen Wise Temple, the American Jewish Committee Los Angeles, and the Shalom Hartman Institute will host the first in a series of three live discussions centering around how American Jews talk about Israel.

Talking about Israel is far from a simple proposition for American Jews. To do so requires navigating a web of fraught, interrelated tensions that cut across ideological, political, and social cleavages. Simple questions demand critical thought, and often complex answers. This series will help our community develop a framework for having those conversations, and explore the complex nature of the relationship between the State of Israel and American Jewry.

Over the three sessions, our panelists will broaden our understanding of what it means to have meaningful, nuanced, and deep awareness of the issues.

The first discussion, scheduled for June 1 at 7:30 p.m. in our Main Sanctuary, will feature Rabbi Ron Stern in conversation with Professor Dov Waxman and Professor Masua Sagiv. Together, they will discuss how to engage in critical conversations about Israel, Zionism, and antisemitism, and will examine these core questions: What are the conversations we can and should have among ourselves? How do we speak about Israel outside of the Jewish community? How do we speak about Israel to our children? 

Prof. Waxman currently serves as the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Israel Studies at UCLA, while Prof. Sagiv is the Koret Visiting Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at U.C. Berkeley. The event will be available to livestream.

REGISTER HERE

How Do We Talk About Israel: A Series

Part 1: Walking in Israel’s Shoes: How can American Jews better understand Israeli society?

Israel is a complex Middle Eastern democracy with a unique cultural mosaic. American Jews struggle to grasp Israel’s societal and political dynamics as they are so different from our own experiences. Is it fair to engage, criticize or take sides from afar? 

Part 2 (TBA): How do we speak about Israel to the outside world?

Part 3 (TBA): How do we speak about Israel to the next generation?