JLA PARENT PROGRAM: LIBERAL ZIONISM: BETWEEN CRISIS AND ASPIRATION (IENGAGE)

Description

Thoughtful conversations about Israel, Zionism, and Jewish values

Location

Jewish Leadership Academy

Date & Time

FRIDAYS, 8:45 -10:15 am (ET), January 23, 30; February 6, 13, 27; March 6, 13, 20

“There is no Zionist future in this place that isn’t liberal, and there is no liberal future in this place that isn’t Zionist.”

— Ari Shavit, “Back to Liberal Zionism,” Haaretz, September 11, 2014.

 

Course Description :

The past two years have underscored how deeply Israel matters to Jewish life and identity. At the same time, they have raised difficult and emotional questions—especially for parents trying to make sense of events, talk honestly with their children, and remain grounded in Jewish values during a painful and complicated moment.

This course offers a thoughtful space to deepen our connection to Israel while engaging seriously with the moral challenges it faces. Through Jewish learning and guided conversation, we will explore the values of liberal Zionism—an approach rooted in love of Israel, commitment to the Jewish people, and a belief that moral reflection is a strength, not a weakness—particularly in the wake of October 7.

This course builds on ideas explored in last semester’s History of Zionism class, but participants do not need to have taken that course to join. 

Unit Titles:

  • Unit 1 — The Crisis of Liberal Zionism

  • Unit 2 — Pariah Nation: Countering the Criminalization of Israel

  • Unit 3 — Is Zionism a Colonial Project?

  • Unit 4 — Love and Tough Love: Criticism vs. Solidarity

  • Unit 5 — Warrior Nation: The Militarization of Israeli Society

  • Unit 6 — The Rise and Challenge of Illiberal Zionism

  • Unit 7 — The Legacy of Gaza in Israel

  • Unit 8 — The Legacy of Gaza in the Diaspora

This course was created by the iEngage Project of the Shalom Hartman Institute, an initiative committed to addressing core questions pertaining to the necessity and significance of the Jewish national enterprise; how a Jewish state should exercise power; why a Jew who lives outside of Israel should care about Israel; and what the State of Israel can offer the world.

 FRIDAYS, 8:45-10:15am (ET) [breakfast at 8:30]

 DATES: January 23, 30 ; February 6, 13, 27; March 6, 13, 20


Class fee: $200 | Use code JLAPP for an $50 discount (full tuition always appreciated!)

 
About the Instructor:
 

Dr. Bella Tendler Krieger is the director of Adult Learning and Growth at CAJE Miami. She has a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University, an MBA from the University of Miami, and is a fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Beit Midrash program. Bella is an academic and entrepreneur, but her greatest passion is teaching!

 
Register