What does it mean to build a culture of argument that strengthens rather than weakens us? As Jews around the world mark the somber weeks between the 17 Tammuz and Tisha B’Av — a period our tradition links to the breakdown of social trust and the dangers of baseless hatred — Identity/Crisis turns to what it means to disagree constructively. Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with former Israeli ambassador and author Daniel Taub to explore his new book and the deep Jewish roots of better arguments. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Does the Jewish community think big enough? Is the Jewish philanthropic market fair? Is Jewish innovation still innovative? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Aaron Katler, CEO of UpStart, to explore the emotional stakes of Jewish leadership post-October 7 and whether the Jewish community still knows how to take risks and dream big.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What happens to Jewish leadership when crisis becomes the norm rather than the exception?  In this episode of Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Barry Finestone, President and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation, to explore the emotional and organizational toll of leading through upheaval—and discuss what it will take to build institutions that can thrive during times of uncertainty without losing sight of their long term goals.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  Register for a conversation with Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, moderated by Ronit Heyd, live from our Beit Midrash in Jerusalem HERE Subscribe to our latest podcast, Future Tense, and be the first to know about new episodes HERE JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Donald Trump’s whirlwind involvement in the Israel-Iran War, first with force and then with negotiation, begs the question: are military strength and diplomacy contradictory — or compatible? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer to understand the impact of power on strategic negotiations, how heads of state are thinking about the current conflict, and why only diplomatic leadership can bring closure. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

After a week of turning our attention to the skies above Israel and Iran, Identity/Crisis is turning to our colleagues on the ground and asking: what is it like to be living in Israel right now – as a parent, as a Palestinian citizen of Israel, as an activist, as an American overseas?  On this week’s special episode, we invite you to cut through the noise as Yehuda Kurtzer elevates the voices of seven staff and faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem: Jordanna Amsel, Shraga Bar-On, Ronit Heyd, Elana Stein Hain, Elhanan Miller, Rana Fahoum, and Shiri Winter-Mersel.  You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.   JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS  

How can we maintain the spirit of care and learning, even if we can’t gather in person? In the wake of this new stage of Israel’s war with Iran, Hartman’s plans for a summer of leadership and learning in Jerusalem have been evolving, day by day, hour by hour. Later this week on Identity/Crisis, we'll share an episode elevating voices of Israelis living amidst this crisis; today, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects on the days since the war began, expresses concern for Jewish leaders navigating this war moment with all its layers, and shares his hope that we will be together again in Jerusalem soon. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

"At the end of the day, when Jews are being targeted, that's antisemitism." Amy Spitalnick, Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) CEO This week, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Amy to discuss why the response from Jewish communities, the general public, and the U.S. government to attacks in Washington, DC and Boulder, CO has varied widely—and how we can address the rise in antisemitism without encroaching on civil liberties. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

After 600 days, is the appetite for continuing the war with Hamas waning among its supporters? This week on Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Tal Becker, Shalom Hartman Institute Vice President and former Legal Adviser of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss war strategy, moral obligation, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What does moral courage look like in an age of rising antisemitism and political polarization? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by longtime ADL leader and Holocaust survivor Abe Foxman for a raw, intergenerational conversation about fear, leadership, and the dangers of silence.   Identity/Crisis listeners we want to hear from you! Please take 5 minutes to complete this brief survey before May 30. Your confidential responses will help us make your favorite podcast even better!   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What can a small Jewish community in Omaha, Nebraska teach us about power, memory, and belonging? In this special monologue episode of Identity/Crisis recorded on the road in the American heartland, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects, in four acts, on his Midwest travels and what he learned about the quiet strength — and quiet fears — shaping Jewish life today.    You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.   JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS  

What does it mean to care for the sick—not just medically, but morally and spiritually? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer invites Sara Labaton, Director of Teaching and Learning at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, to share her essay, Permission and Obligation: A Jewish Paradigm for Care, from the Spring issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas. Drawing from personal experience and Jewish texts, Sara explores the complexities of caregiving and examines the role of doctors, patients, and the community in the healing process. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What does it mean to keep singing when the world is broken? In this special Yom Ha’atzmaut episode of Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Moti Zeira — biographer of legendary Israeli musician Naomi Shemer and a leading voice in Israeli cultural renewal — to explore how music carries the weight of memory, protest, and hope.   You can listen to our playlist of songs by Naomi Shemer HERE   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS   

Who gets to tell the stories of the past, and what influence do they have on the story of the present and the future? This week marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. In advance of Yom HaShoah, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem, to discuss the ways in which memory is political, how reflections of the past implicate the present, and the future of holocaust remembrance when there are no more living survivors to share their stories. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Take a great story from the past, add an obligation to live that story as though you’re in it, multiply by the complexities of your closest relationships, add wine, subtract food, and you have a seder – good luck.   This week on Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer and Dara Horn, author of One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe, get us ready for Passover with a robust conversation on monotheism as a stand against tyranny, scapegoats, and what Horn sees as the overriding and abiding message of the holiday: hope.  You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.     JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS  

The future of American Judaism is uncertain, some might even say at risk. In this special episode, recorded live at the Jewish Funders Network Conference in Nashville, Yehuda Kurtzer, Franklin Foer, and Sarah Hurwitz engage in a dynamic discussion about what ails American Judaism, why we fear change, and what we want to strengthen and preserve for the future.     This live Identity/Crisis episode was made possible by Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies and the Jim Joseph Foundation, featuring theme music by SoCalled and additional music by Distant Cousins.    You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.     JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS  

During times of war, when fear and self-preservation are front of mind, how do we make room for ethics? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, guest host Claire Sufrin, editor of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, sits down with Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, to discuss the importance of morality in the Jewish tradition and how ethics should inform our choices. Keep an eye out for Donniel Hartman’s article in the Spring 2025 issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas about Jewish ethics in theory and practice.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. 

How do you prepare your children for becoming citizens of the Jewish people? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, recorded just ahead of their third child’s bat mitzvah, host Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by his wife and hevruta Stephanie Ives to discuss the ways you can and can’t transmit your approach to Judaism to your children. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

Identity/Crisis will be taking a break this week and will return the Tuesday after Purim.

During an increasingly sensitive time for American Jews, how can we critically examine our own communities in ways that don’t feel disloyal? On this episode of Identity/Crisis recorded in front of a live audience, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Joshua Leifer, author of Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life, who wrestled with this question while critiquing communities to which he feels deeply loyal. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS 

What does it mean to lead the American Jewish community during this divisive moment? This week on Identity/Crisis, Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, joins host Yehuda Kurtzer to discuss the challenges of leading effectively and persuasively in the face of antisemitism, deep partisan divides, and a society focused on social media-driven discourse.    You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.     JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS