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Jewish Ideas to Change the World

Valley Beit Midrash

Jewish Ideas to Change the World delivers thought-provoking content by leading Jewish thinkers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. It is produced by Valley Beit Midrash. Valley Beit Midrash (VBM) is dedicated to social justice as driven by Torah ethics. VBM"s mission is to improve lives through Jewish learning, direct action, and leadership development. Listen to VBM"s other podcasts: • Social Justice in the Parsha (weekly divrei Torah by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz) • Pearls of Jewish Wisdom

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

55:31

Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/11/26

A virtual event presentation by David M. Elcott, PhDAbout The Event: At a moment when liberal democracy is so deeply threatened and we search to understand how this can be occurring at this point in history, a new prize-winning analysis Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of LiberalDemocracy by David Elcott comes to offer a cogentexploration of the ways religious identity fuels illiberal nationalist and populist democracy across the globe, fromthe United States to Israel, from India to

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53:07

Yochanan’s Gamble: Judaism’s Pragmatic Approach to Life

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/11/25

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Katz About The Event: Some two thousand years ago, the story goes, a rabbi named Yochanan made the epitome of pragmatic gambles—wagering the entire fate of the Jewish people. His quick thinking inspired generations of subsequent rabbis to navigate their own ethical challenges pragmatically—determining truth, upholding compromise, convincing others, keeping peace with neighbors, avoiding infighting, weighing sinning in hopes of promoting a greater

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52:10

Why Jewish Knowledge Matters: Rethinking Jewish Literacy

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/11/19

A virtual event presentation by Professor Jon LevisohnAbout The Event: Jewish educators worry about Jewish literacy. Jewish leaders worry about it. Jewish parents definitely worry about it. And sometimes individual Jews worry about their own Jewish literacy, too! “Jewish literacy” gets thrown around a lot, especially when people talk about American Jews being “Jewishly illiterate.” But what does that actually mean? Is there a Jewish pop quiz we all failed? In this thought-provoking session,

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60:56

Great Jewish Heretics

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/11/18

An event presentation by Dr. Elias Sacks About The Event: Is it offensive and blasphemous to say that God loves us? Is Judaism nothing more than the laws of an ancient kingdom that have been mistaken for a religion? Does God have body parts, romantic relationships, and other human-like characteristics? We will explore ancient, medieval, and modern Jewish thinkers who have answered “yes” to these questions, as well as other Jewish thinkers who have deemed such ideas to be heretical

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65:40

Conscious AI – The New Golems?

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/11/13

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Mois Navon The event is co-sponsored by: ASU Jewish Studies and Congregation Or Tzion About The Event: While hard to imagine, scientists are working on building robots (and chatbots) with human-level consciousness. Is this something to look forward to? Mois Navon's talk will make you think about life, love, and humanity. About The Speaker: Mois Navon is one of the founding engineers of Mobileye, where he designed the EyeQ family of SoC (System On a

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52:59

And She Arose: Jewish Women Leaders for Our Troubled...

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/11/05

A virtual event presentation by Professor Sylvia Barack FishmanAbout The Event: And She Arose: Jewish Women Leaders for Our Troubled Times will document and analyze important public leadership roles played by Jewish women, leading up to and in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war. This discussion will paint detailed pictures of Jewish women courageously filling leadership lacunae during troubled and troubling times, drawing on their passionate

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18:47

Torah Perspectives on Transhumanism: Professor Navon...

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/10/30

Rabbi Shmuly sits down with Mois Navon, a founding engineer of Mobileye, where he designed the EyeQ family of SoC (System On a Chip) – the chip powering the autonomous vehicle revolution.Mois is also an ordained rabbi who has published numerous articles on Jewish law and lore. Working at the intersection of Torah U’Madda, he received his PhD from the department of Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University, where his dissertation applies Jewish philosophy to address the ethical questions

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62:33

Jews and Biblical Criticism

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/10/29

A virtual presentation by Dr. Marc BrettlerAbout The Event:The belief that the Torah is a composite book written by people over a long period of time, that the Hebrew Bible text that we use contains errors, and that the Bible was influenced by ancient Near Eastern texts, are main elements of the historical-critical analysis of the Bible. What is the variety of reactions to these developments of the last few centuries within the Jewish community? To what extent have Jews of different types

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28:13

The Untold Story of Lethal Injection: Professor Lain...

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/10/24

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz interviews Professor Corinna Lain.Professor Corinna Lain is the S. D. Roberts & Sandra Moore Professor of Law at the University of Richmond School of Law. Professor Lain’s scholarship focuses on two areas—Supreme Court decision-making and the death penalty—and she has published numerous articles and essays about lethal injection over the last decade. Her work has appeared in the nation’s top law journals, including the Stanford Law Review, University of

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49:27

Jews and Jewish Animals in the Middle Ages

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/10/21

A virtual event presentation by Professor David ShyovitzAbout The Event: Is Judaism—and by extension, religious identity—a category applicable only to human beings? Or might non-human animals also, in some sense, have religious standing and status? This session will explore some classical Jewish perspectives on this question, surveying medieval rabbinic debates over whether animals have immortal souls and are eligible for heavenly reward; whether they can—or must—perform religious

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61:30

Chamber in the Chapel: A Hoshana Rabbah...

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/10/17

About The Lecture: Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh and final day of the fall Sukkot festival, is one of the most fascinating and least appreciated dates on the Jewish calendar and was traditionally regarded as the holiday season’s final opportunity for teshuvah (repentance). Come join us for a lecture by Dr. Daniel Stein Kokin exploring the significance and unique practices of Hoshana Rabbah and a performance of “Elyon, Melits Umastin” (“God, Defender and Accuser”), vocal and instrumental music

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59:43

The Social Aspect of Reincarnation

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/09/29

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jonnie SchnytzerAbout The Event: Why do certain people appear in our lives? And how can certain kabbalistic contemplations deepen our relationships with our family, friends and day-to-day encounters? In this class, we learn about a beautiful secret relating to the tree of life, reincarnation and their relevance to our day-to-day lives.About The Speaker: Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer is probably the only PhD in Jewish Philosophy, focusing on medieval kabbalah, who

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35:26

Is Teshuvah Possible in the Internet Age?

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/09/26

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dvora Weisberg, Ph.D.About The Event:Jewish tradition teaches that through teshuvah (repentance), we can “remake” ourselves as better people. But how do we present and live as our new, improved selves when our mistakes are preserved on the internet and available for everyone to see (and dredge up)? We will tackle this challenge through rabbinic texts.About The Speaker:Rabbi Dvora Weisberg, Ph.D., is the Rabbi Aaron Panken Professor of Rabbinics on the

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59:03

Finding Comfort in Jewish Meditation

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/09/12

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Yisroel JuskowiczAbout The Event: Meditation has been providing comfort and relaxation to people of all walks of life and ages. What many people may not know is how deeply rooted meditation is in Jewish tradition, and how one can make a guided meditation into a Jewish experience. In this class, participants will explore ancient and modern techniques rooted in Torah and Chassidic teachings that help quiet the mind and open the heart to Divine presence

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57:42

Valley Bread Midrash: Exploring and Expanding Torah...

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/09/08

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Vanessa Harper About The Event: In Pirkei Avot, we read, “If there is no bread, there is no Torah, and if there is no Torah, there is no bread.” Rabbi Vanessa Harper takes this dictum literally in her book Loaves of Torah: Exploring the Jewish Year through Challah, using challah as a spiritually significant material for interpreting and teaching Jewish texts. Discover fascinating challah history, explore the intersections of challah and Torah, and gain

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50:59

Daniel: The Challenge and Opportunity for Diaspora Jews

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/08/14

About The Event: Through the lens of the biblical figure Daniel—a Jerusalem noble taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar II who rose to prominence while staying true to his Jewish identity—we’ll examine what it means to live as Jews in the diaspora today. This class will delve into the complexities of balancing integration with authenticity, navigating pressure to conform, and discovering spiritual resilience in foreign or secular environments. Together, we’ll uncover timeless lessons from

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44:47

Psalms Throughout Our Lives

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/06/27

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Jade Sank RossThe event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJAbout The Event: Year after year, as we read and re-read the same portions of Torah, it does not change, but we do. The Psalms have been part of Jewish ritual and liturgy for centuries, and generation after generation they have sung to us in moments of awe, sorrow, longing, and much more. Together, we will explore how the ancient words of Psalms can be part of our daily lives today and how we might forge

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56:45

The Colours of the Parchment: An Exploration of...

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/06/25

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dvir CahanaAbout The Event: What happens when a Rabbi and an Artist study Torah together? … Chidushim!!! The Amen Institute has provided an incubator to empower artists with the charge of being wisdom disseminators. Join Rabbi Dvir Cahana in a unique program describing the discoveries of these artist meaning seekers.About The Speaker: Rabbi Dvir is our Base Rabbi for Miami. He has taught Torah, led tefillah, and built community in his hometown of

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55:53

The Case for Dual Loyalty: Healing the Divided Soul...

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/06/16

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. Nolan LebovitzThe event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or TzionAbout The Event: Following October 7, Rabbi Lebovitz synthesizes the Jewish turning point in history with lessons from the past, arguing that it is a moral imperative to radically change the way we engage with both Israel and the United States. Proudly declaring Jewish loyalty forges a new path forward imbued with pride in peoplehood and collective destiny. Challenging the trope

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57:59

The Extraordinary Career of Rabbi Alexander Schindler...

Jewish Ideas to Change the World ·

2025/06/06

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Michael MeyerThe event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel About The Event: This lecture, based on my book “Above All, We Are Jews,” A Biography of Rabbi Alexander Schindler, will cover the career of a German Jew of East European extraction who redirected American Reform Judaism so that it would more realistically address the nature of American Jewry. Innovating in multiple areas, Schindler came to grips with the increasing rate of interfaith marriage

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118 results

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