Podcast
Identity/Crisis
Hosted by Shalom Hartman Institute · EN
In a frenzied media cycle, Identity/Crisis creates better conversations about the issues facing contemporary Jewish life. Host Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute, talks with leading thinkers to unpack current events affecting Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and around the world, revealing the core Jewish values underlying the issues that matter most to you.
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48episodes
Episodes
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Hip-Hop, Protest, and Patriotism After October 7 – with Shaanan Streett
3d ago00:43:41Summary readyCan Music Heal a Divided Society? Recorded live at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Israeli artist, activist, and Hadag Nahash frontman Shaanan Streett for a wide-ranging conversation about hip-hop, dissent, patriotism, and the role of artists in times of crisis. Through songs and stories, Streett reflects on the judicial reform protests, October 7, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the power of music to build empathy across divides. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
SummaryThe Promise and Peril of Jewish Power — with Zachary Truboff
1w ago01:05:44Summary readyCan Zionism survive a crisis of its own making? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Zachary Truboff, director of the Institute for Agunah Research and Education at the International Beit Din, to discuss the moral and political questions facing Israel after October 7. As Israelis grapple with war, trauma, and the responsibilities of power, they explore whether Zionism has adequately reckoned with its own vulnerabilities, assumptions, and failures. Their conversation examines the tension between victimhood and agency, the demands of collective responsibility, and what it would mean for Zionism to undergo a process of teshuvah of its own. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Watch our summer live streams HERE
SummaryBeyond the Myth of Jewish Wealth – with Ilana Horwitz
2w ago00:49:09Summary readyMoney shapes who can access Jewish life—and who gets left out. In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer speaks with sociologist Ilana Horwitz about the overlooked reality of a quarter of American Jews living in economic vulnerability, challenging the persistent myth of universal Jewish affluence. Drawing on Horwitz’s research, they explore how class and financial instability intersect with Jewish education, communal participation, and belonging. This episode is sponsored in honor of Robert Kogod’s 95th birthday by his loving family. Read Ilana Horwitz’s article on affordability and Jewish education in Sources. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive alerts about special livestreamed programming from Jerusalem.
SummaryTeaching Jewish History in America — with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela (Re-run)
3w ago00:52:38Summary readyThis episode of Identity/Crisis was originally released on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 What does it mean to tell Jewish stories in a moment of political polarization and distortion? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela to examine the role of the historian in public life: not to offer talking points or easy analogies, but to deepen public understanding in a time of simplification and certainty. Through a conversation about education, Jewish identity, and the place of Jews in American history, they consider why richer storytelling matters—and what it can offer to students, Jews, and the broader public. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
SummaryStrong Beliefs and Open Minds: A Graduation Challenge — with Jonathan Kroll
Jun 1600:44:26Summary readyIn a polarized age, how do we raise young Jews who can think deeply—and listen across disagreement? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer talks with principal of SAR High School Jonathan Kroll about his recent commencement address to SAR’s graduating class of 2026, where he challenged students to embrace a “revolution of moderation,” and integrate conviction with openness. Together, they explore pluralism in Orthodox education, the formation of Jewish identity, and what it means to prepare the next generation for a divided world—without sacrificing commitment or clarity. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
SummaryThe Role of Journalism in a Post-Truth Age — with Abigail Pogrebin
Jun 900:51:04Summary readyWith the marketplace of ideas outpacing our ability to discern truth, who still cares about keeping up with journalistic standards? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with journalist Abigail Pogrebin to explore how media, authority, and public conversation are changing as traditional standards of journalism dissolve and algorithms shape what we see and believe. They turn to the Jewish community to examine how these shifts are intensifying polarization and defining who gets to speak—and who gets heard. Together, they consider what responsibility these changing standards places on those who shape public conversation to hold complexity without collapsing it. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
SummaryThe American Jewish Past and What Comes Next — with Nicholas Lemann
Jun 200:51:23Summary readyAs the United States approaches its 250th birthday, what foundational elements of the American Jewish story do we need to reframe? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects on the approaching 250th anniversary of the United States with journalist and author Nicholas Lemann. Together they explore the long arc of American Jewish life—from the promise of belonging and dual identity to today’s climate of political instability and rising antisemitism. Drawing on Lemann’s sweeping family history, the subject of his new book Returning: A Search for Home Across Three Centuries, their conversation asks what it means to inhabit both insider and outsider identities at once and what new stories—and commitments—might sustain Jewish life in America moving forward. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS Learn more about the America at 250 initiative from the Hartman Institute HERE Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Join the Hartman Beit Midrash for America at 250. Learn more about and register for Hartman's summer programs in Jerusalem.
SummaryAmerican Catholics, the Pope, and the Jews – with Robert George
May 2600:51:41Summary readyWhat does a clash between a Catholic Vice President and the Pope reveal about authority, war, and theological responsibility? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with renowned Princeton University Professor Robert George to unpack what's happening at the intersection of Catholic faith and American political power. From six Catholic Supreme Court justices to the growing appeal of traditional religion among young people, from the proper limits of papal authority to the alarming rise of antisemitism in traditionalist Catholic circles, this conversation spans two millennia of church-state entanglement to illuminate this American moment.
SummaryWhen Do We Speak Up? – with Abe Foxman (Re-release)
May 1900:50:51Summary readyThis episode was originally released on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. This episode is in honor of Abe Foxman, z”l 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. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
SummaryRational or Reckless? War, Iran, and the Limits of Strategy— with Michael Koplow
May 1200:49:50Summary readyAre Trump, Netanyahu, and Iran acting like rational players—or are we misreading the logic of this war entirely? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Chief Policy Officer at the Israel Policy Forum, Michael Koplow to assess a volatile and uncertain moment in U.S.–Iran–Israel relations. Amid a fragile ceasefire, they explore conflicting logics and interests driving American, Israeli, and Iranian decision-making, from domestic political pressure to competing visions of regional power. Their conversation considers whether military success can translate into lasting strategic gains, how the war is reshaping Israel’s relationship with the United States, and what it means for American Jews caught between support for Israel’s legitimacy and concern about its policies. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Read the Kogod Research Center’s new White Paper, Building Communities of Belonging: Jewish Identity, Conversion, Intermarriage, and Adjacency.
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