Planting Tolerance, Uprooting Prejudice in Israel: Tu B’Shvat Conference at the Hartman Institute

Shalom Hartman Institute will host an emergency conference on Thursday, January 20, to address the increasing prejudice against Arab citizens of Israel, promoted in the guise of Jewish tradition. This has become one of the most pressing challenges facing Israeli society today.

In his recent article, “What No Rabbi in the World Outside Israel Would Ever Say,” Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, said, that as distinct from the past, “the vast majority of Israelis from a wide spectrum of religious and political beliefs…have not been silent; a continuous flow of headlines, editorials, and petitions have given expression to the revulsion that most Israelis feel towards these recent outbursts of prejudice.”

Faculty and staff at the Shalom Hartman Institute were pivotal in creating many of these headlines, editorials, and petitions. However, the common sentiment at Hartman was that words were not enough – it was time to move into action.  The goal of this inaugural conference, Planting Tolerance, Uprooting Prejudice in Israel, is to establish Tu B’shvat – the date of the founding of the Israeli Parliament – as Israel’s national day of tolerance.

This inaugural  event, which will be held at the Hartman Institute campus in Jerusalem, will feature lectures and panel discussions by a wide range of politicians, social activists, academics, and representatives of the media, all of whom who have at least one thing in common: the understanding that we cannot remain silent on this issue.

Distinguished speakers will include Knesset members, SHI scholars, rabbis representing a range of denominations, and prominent media figures including:

 Adi Arbel, Adina Bar-Shalom,  Shraga Baron, MK Zeev Bielski, Dr. Meir Buzaglo, Dr. Arik Carmon, Shaul David, Former MK Zehava Galon, Rabbi Yehuda Gilad, Dr. Micah Goodman, Yisrael Harel, Dr. Noah Hayut, Advocate Ali Heidar, Dr. Muhammed Hourani, Dr. Dror Idar, Rabbi Advocate Gilad Kariv, Brigadier General (ret) Ron Kitri, Vadim Klebayev, Prof. Menachem Lorberbaum, Rami Lustig, Prof. Ron Margolin, Rabbi Dr. Ariel Picard, Channa Pinchasi, Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Advocate Oded Ravivi, Sophia Ron-Moriah, MK Nachman Shai, Yair Sheleg, Roni Yavin, Ben-Dror Yemini

See the full conference program (in Hebrew) for details, and register now to participate.  The conference will take place from 3:00 pm-8:30 pm at the Shalom Hartman Institute, 11 Gedalyahu Alon Street, Jerusalem. For further information, call +972-2-567-5322.

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Hartman Institute to Participate in “Israel 2021 Conference”

On January 12-13, Hartman Institute executive staff and scholars will participate in the “Israel 2021 Conference ,” an event sponsored by The Marker newspaper and the Reut Institute. The conference will assemble hundreds of participants around 150 round tables moderated by experts in diverse fields to discuss what has been defined as the most pressing socioeconomic issues in Israel today, with an eye to developing solid strategies for the future of Israeli society. Guest speakers at the event will include Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fisher.

Hartman executive staff and scholars will participate in the following round-table discussions:

Education – This discussion will examine methods for enhancing governance in the education system, such as creating and implementing long-term policies, improving infrastructure, and identifying major challenges. Participants from the Hartman Institute will include Executive Director Hana Gilat, Shraga Bar-On, Be’eri program director Dani Elazar, and director of the Be’eri School for Teacher Education Rani Jaeger.

Arab society and economic growth – 56% of Israel’s Arab citizens are economically disadvantaged, not having benefited from the opportunities of Israel’s economic growth. How can the government rectify the situation? Weighing in from the Hartman Institute are Rabbi Dr. Ariel Picard, Dror Yinon, and Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi.

Integrating the ultra-Orthodox sector into the Israeli economy and labor force – How can members of the ultra-Orthodox sector most effectively become integrated into Israel’s labor market? Participating in the discussion from the Institute are Channa Pinchasi, Shraga Bar-On, and Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi.

Israel quantum leap:  economy and society  –  How can Israel generate a quantum leap in its society and economy for the benefit of generations to come? Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, president of the Institute, and Channa Pinchasi will participate in the discussion.

Get more information about “Israel 2021 Conference,” or register now.

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Where do Haredim, multi-denominational rabbis, right and left wing Israelis, and girls that read from the Torah all come together? On the Shalom Hartman Institute “In the news” page

SHI has been in the news so often lately that it’s making our heads spin. And that’s not even counting all the attention garnered by SHI president Donniel Hartman’s recent piece, “Haredim and Mainstream Israelis Alike Must Rethink Their Roles,” which stirred fierce controversy and engendered 85 talkbacks on Ynet.

• What makes SHI so unique? It begins at the top. The Jewish Journal of LA writes, “Donniel Hartman embodies things that are usually perceived as mutually exclusive: a charismatic speaker who shies away from sound bites; an Orthodox rabbi who legitimizes other branches of Judaism; a fervent Zionist who is deeply liberal; a centrist with passion; a theorist who is pragmatic; a thinker who can act.”
• SHI is coming to a synagogue near you. Three New Jersey rabbis—one Reconstructionist, one Conservative, and one Orthodox, all of whom have spent time at the Hartman Institute—are planning to work together to teach a course to community leaders based on the first volume of the Institute’s DVD Lecture Series, “Leadership and Crisis: Jewish Resources and Responses.” “The rare intra-denominational event will reflect the approach of the Shalom Hartman Institute, a think-tank in Israel that promotes pluralistic study,” The New Jersey Jewish News reports. Additional information on this and the second DVD lecture series, The Other in Jewish Tradition:  Challenges and Opportunities at http://www.hartman.org.il/Center_Leader/Program_View.asp?Program_Id=32 
• Gaza, rockets, and Israeli politics are just some of the topics that come up over lunch with Yossi Klein Halevi, SHI fellow and member of SHI’s Israel Engagement Project. Tablet writes, “…Halevi’s thesis is that the right-wing agenda, which focuses on combating the international demonization of Israel, and the left-wing agenda, with its litany of grievances—settlements, the threat to democracy posed by the religious and nationalist parties—are really targeting the same fear: “That the Jews stand to be re-ghettoized.”  
• Modern Orthodox education for girls like you’ve never seen it before—young women learn to dance, read the Torah, and study Jewish texts from a feminist perspective. The Jerusalem Post reports, “…In an unprecedented move by the [Ministry of Education], the Shalom Hartman Institute Midrashiya Girls’ High School has received a five-year mandate to develop an authentic and coherent educational vision that fuses respect for Jewish tradition and learning, obligation to Halacha and feminist ideology.”

 

 

 

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Reflections newsletter: Adultery and Messianism, Jewish dragons and more

Every month, we open the doors of our campus to the world—at least online— via the Reflections newsletter and share with you some of the ideas that have been percolating in the Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought think tank.

In Reflections #10 , SHI scholars bring into focus ideas, traditions, and texts that are centuries old, while highlighting their relevance to Judaism today.

• What do adultery and Messianism have in common? SHI fellow Dr. Yair Eldan introduces a new way of interpreting the Mishnah in “The Larger Reading,” showing how seemingly unrelated Mishnahs in each tractate are connected by important overarching, themes. In Tractate Sotah, the adulterous woman is depicted in parallel with the metaphorical “adultery” of the Jewish people whose zealous pursuit of the Messianic idea leads them to forget about God.

• A dragon, a warrior, a king, three thieves, and a simple cook are just some of the characters who populate the pages of “Self-Denial and Temptation” by Prof. Rella Kushelevsky, a collection of Hebrew stories from 13th century France. Now in print for the first time, these stories defy expectations of Jewish literature of the period, and show that medieval Jewish texts are not limited to rabbinic writings but also included fairy tales—with a uniquely Jewish twist. Check these out in the sneak peek that SHI fellow Avital Davidovich presents in her book review. 

• From relaxing river jaunt to religious ritual, the unlikely entry of Tashlich into Jewish practice turns out to be much more about enjoyment than about sin. Dr. Eli Freiman reveals the surprising origins of the ritual of Tashlich in “Tashlich: A Leisure Pastime that Became a Mitzvah“

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SHI event this week: Jerusalem–War and Peace

 First session in a series on the ‘The “Jewishness” of Israel’

On Thursday, October 28, the Shalom Hartman Institute (SHI), in partnership with the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) “Harel” brigade  and the Givat Hatachmoshet organization (Ammunition Hill Museum) will hold a special event  in honor of author Dr. Nachum Baruchi. The event, “Jerusalem–War and Peace,” will feature lectures and discussion by prominent guest speakers. Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs will address the subject of the strategic status of Jerusalem. Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, president of SHI, will speak about the “The Vision of Jerusalem in Judaism,” focusing on the critical issues that make Jerusalem one of the most controversial cities in the world.  

The event will honor the publication of a new book by Six Day War veteran Dr. Baruchi, entitled, “The Harel Division in the Six Day War,” which recounts Dr. Baruchi’s experiences as a commander in the Harel Brigade, and the battles the unit faced on the way to uniting Jerusalem during the 1967 war.

On the site of one of the most crucial battles that ultimately allowed the IDF to gain access to the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967, “Jerusalem: War and Peace” will seek to break through the rhetoric of political slogans and religious divisions that have come to cloud debates about Jerusalem. The goal of the discussion is to explore core ideas and concepts regarding the role of Jerusalem within Judaism, in the hope that such an exploration can lead to new approaches, possibilities, and solutions, and ultimately, to peace.

Facilitating this SHI-sponsored event is Colonel (reserved) Ya’akov Castel, director of the Shalom Hartman Institute Lev Aharon program, which provides  seminars for senior IDF officers. Over 1,000 senior officers a year participate in this unprecedented leadership training experience, exploring intersections of Jewish and Israeli identity, Zionism, religious pluralism, and the complex interplay between Judaism, democracy, and morality in Israeli society. For additional information on the Lev Aharon program see: http://www.hartman.org.il/Center_Edu/Program_View.asp?Program_Id=19

 

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SHI Launches the Be’eri School for Teacher Education

On October 6, the Shalom Hartman Institute, in partnership with Keren Karev, will launch the new Be’eri School for Teacher Education. The School will offer a basic and advanced track for teachers, as well as a track customized for school principals.

The basic teachers training track provides junior and high school teachers with the tools required to become instructors in Jewish heritage—Tarbut Yisrael. The advanced track is targeted at accredited teachers in the field of Jewish heritage who wish to broaden their expertise in this field and potentially become Tarbut Yisrael coordinators in their schools.

The principal track will equip participants with advanced Tarbut Yisrael training, enabling participants to play a leading role in strengthening pluralistic Jewish values and identity among their students. In response to requests from graduates of the principal track, a special program, led by a SHI faculty researcher, has been created. Graduates will meet six times a year to enhance their knowledge through a Beit Midrash learning format.

Eighty-five educators have registered for the 2010-11 school year. Be’eri schools proactively encouraged their staff to obtain the School’s enriched education, integral to the program mission. 70% of the participating educators hail from institutions that are part of the Be’eri program. The remaining participants will support the outreach of the Be’eri program to new schools.

“We are very excited to be opening the Be’eri School for Teacher Education, tasked to develop educators with an enhanced knowledge of Tarbut Yisrael disciplines,” says Rani Jaeger, Director of the School and a researcher at the Shalom Hartman Institute. “Principals and teachers are key to introducing young Israelis to pluralistic Israeli-Jewish identity education.  Our school will provide educators with the pedagogical training needed to inspire and lead a new pluralistic Jewish-Israeli discourse in our society.”

So what is so special about Be’eri? Read more about the program and its impact on Israeli schools here.

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Angelica Berrie to Receive NADAV Peoplehood Award

The Shalom  Hartman Institute is pleased to congratulate the Institute’s SHI-North America Board Chair Angelica Berrie upon her receipt of the 2010 NADAV Foundation Peoplehood Award for her monumental contributions to Zionism and the Jewish people.

Ms. Berrie is President of the Russell Berrie Foundation, which makes transformational gifts to seed innovative philanthropic ventures that express her entrepreneurial spirit and that of her late husband Russell Berrie.  The Foundation focuses on the areas of: diabetes care and research; Jewish innovation and the strengthening of Israel; inter-religious understanding; professional salesmanship; humanism in medicine; community arts and culture in New Jersey and fighting terrorism.

The prize is being awarded to Ms. Berrie by the NADAV Foundation for promoting new and diverse voices in Jewish tradition and fostering dialogue between Jews of different backgrounds through philanthropic activity. “Angelica’s love and commitment to the Jewish people and Zionism are illustrated in her deep involvement in the Israeli and North American communities, explains Irina Nevzlin Kogan, President of the NADAV Foundation”.

Ms. Berrie will receive the prize at an award ceremony which will take place on September 26, 2010 at the Beit Hatefutsot Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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The Shalom Hartman Institute Tweeting live from the “Hakhel” Festival

The Shalom Hartman Institute is pleased to announce that on September 26 at 1:00 pm (+3 GMT), Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman will present a lecture at the annual Hakhel Festival which will take place at the Sapir College in Sderot:

‘”Not by might and not by force, but by my spirit” – A new spirit in the Israeli-Jewish dialogue’

The lecture, which will take place in Hebrew, will focus on how we, as Jews and Israelis, understand our sovereignty and cultivate affinity between Israeli and world Jewry. The Jewish people must formulate a common new narrative—based on a vocabulary of Jewish values–with which to define the role and significance of Israel and Zionism for contemporary Jewry around the world.

We have set up a Twitter “hashtag” (#Hakhel) which will make it easy to identify excerpts of the lecture. If you put this term (#Hakhel) in the search box on the right tool bar of the Twitter homepage you will see all of the messages written by the SHI representatives at the event. If you try it right now, you will see the announcement that we Tweeted (posted to Twitter) with the release of this message.

The Hakhel Festival is an annual, pluralistic Jewish gala event which brings together people from across the Israeli political, social, and cultural spectrum for Jewish learning, performing arts events, and panel discussions.

If there are any other methods via which the proceedings will be broadcast, we will let you know via our blog, our page on Facebook…and of course Twitter. If you have any additional questions about the event or our coverage of it, please feel free to contact Ilana Teitelbaum at ilana_t@shi.org.il.

To get started, click here to create a Twitter account.

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ראשית – עיונים ביהדות

 

אמוץ עשהאל, מנהל ההוצאה לאור של מכון הרטמן

“ראשית” הוא כתב-עת מדעי היוצא לאור על-ידי המרכז ללימודים מתקדמים של מכון שלום הרטמן בירושלים, ומוקדש לעיונים בתרבות היהודית על כל מופעיה וצורותיה, מן המקרא ועד ליהדות ולישראליות העכשוויות.

“ראשית” מבקש לחולל שינוי במגמה המחקרית במדעי היהדות ע”י התמקדות בשאלות בעלות אופי מושגי, רעיוני, או פנומנולוגי, יותר מאשר בפירוש יחידות טקסט, או בשאלות היסטוריות, כשלעצמן.

“ראשית” פונה לקוראים ולקוראות המשכילים, המתעניינים בתשתית העיונית של השאלות שעומדות על סדר היום היהודי בזמננו, ומחפשים משאב מדעי לשיח יהודי עכשווי. “ראשית” מעודד את הציבור להתדיין – במדור “דיון” שבראש כל מאמר – על תוכני המאמרים המתפרסמים בו מתוך עניין בקידומו של שיח אקדמי ותרבותי פתוח ומפרה.

“ראשית” מופיע פעם בשנה, והוא פתוח למחברים המבקשים לפרסם את פרי מחקרם בשפה העברית. המאמרים עוברים שיפוט כמקובל בכתבי עת מדעיים.

עורכים: יאיר לורברבוים, עדיאל שרמר, דרור ינון

רכז המערכת: אבינעם נאה

עורכת לשון: דנה רייך

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The Shalom Hartman Institute Announces SHI North America– its Newest Division Set to Inspire and Enliven North American Jewish Leadership

At a time when a disturbing number of Jewish nonprofit organizations are cutting back on programming or closing their doors altogether, why is the Shalom Hartman Institute (SHI) dramatically expanding its reach?

 “Precisely at this moment, one of the most important and challenging times in Jewish life, the Jewish community cannot afford to put its educational needs on hold,” says Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute. “Our current obligation is to act in ways that meet the needs of the Jewish community to create a strong and vibrant future.”

 What Hartman’s father, David Hartman, set out to accomplish nearly 40 years ago in Israel was nothing less than deepening and spreading Jewish knowledge, commitment, passion and pluralism. Much more than a think tank, SHI has been called an “action tank,” a laboratory for the development of high-impact initiatives destined to shape the future of Jewish life in Israel and around the world. Through learning and dialogue the Institute has built strong new models of unity within diversity, based on mutual respect across the denominational spectrum.

 “The Hartman Institute creates a place where some of the finest minds in the world can come together to address the critical challenges facing the Jewish people,” says Hartman. “We then disseminate these ideas to the people best positioned to influence the future of their communities,” adds Hartman.

Now, the Institute is building on the work it has long done in its Jerusalem campus by expanding programming directly to North American shores. “The vitality and independence of the North American Jewish community requires us to have a North American base of operations to ensure that we sufficiently serve this community,” says Hartman. “North America has its own unique challenges. We need to make sure that we service the Jewish community there at the highest level, which is tough to do at a 6,000-mile distance.”

Yehuda Kurtzer, a rising star in the Jewish world, has been selected to spearhead the new Shalom Hartman Institute of North America (SHI-NA). Two years ago, the Harvard doctoral student was selected over 200 other applicants to capture the first Charles R. Bronfman Visiting Chair in Jewish Communal Innovation at Brandeis University. Kurtzer takes the Hartman mission seriously. “We are looking to become the Jewish community’s premier provider of serious learning applied to leaders and change-agents, and the central address for serious engagement with ideas,” he says. In order to accomplish this, SHI-NA will reach out to Jewish leaders, from congregational rabbis to start-up entrepreneurs. “We will continue to build on the Institute’s innovative work: engaging and empowering these change-agents with the kind of Torah wisdom they need to be stronger and more effective leaders. Our vision is to elevate the discourse of the North American Jewish community to deal with texts, ideas, and learning; rather than crisis-management.”

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