About this episode
During this tumultuous and difficult year, what have we learned about how we relate to Judaism, the Jewish people, Israel, and the world? In this final episode of 2023, Yehuda Kurtzer uses selections from Identity/Crisis episodes over the past year to guide us through key moments and ideas. Beginning with concerns over Israel’s democracy, he explores what characterizes North American Judaism before delving into the devastation of October 7 and the subsequent war, ultimately reflecting on the lessons we have learned. Previous episodes of Identity/Crisis mentioned in this episode: Tehila Friedman, Hole in the Center of Israeli Society | January 17, 2023 Rana Fahoum, Envisioning Shared Society | January 10, 2023 Mishael Zion, How to Run a Seder | April 4, 2023 Matti Friedman, Zion’s Roads are in Mourning |July 27, 2023 Rachel Isaacs, Small Town American Judaism |June 19, 2023 Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield, From Kharkiv to New York | February 27, 2023 Hannah Lebovitz, Lessons on Housing insecurity | September 27, 2023 Eliot Cosgrove, The Case for Commandments | May 9, 2023 Rabbi David Wolpe, The Art of the Sermon | September 12, 2023 Various voices, A Nation That Can’t Sleep | October 11, 2023 Shira Berkowitz, When Jews Show Up | November 28, 2023 Eric Fingerhut, The Jewish Establishment and Its Critics | August 29, 2023 Gali Cooks, The Jewish Leadership Pipeline Problem | July 17, 2023 Tal Becker, Fighting a Just War |November 14, 2023 JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS