
What can Jewish summer camps teach us about building stronger, more inclusive Jewish communities? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, guest host and editor of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, Claire Sufrin, sits down with Adina Frydman, CEO of Young Judaea Global, to explore how Jewish camps create spaces where North American and Israeli campers live, learn, and wrestle with complex identities together. Together they discuss bridging cultural divides, navigating political tensions, and fostering belonging while holding space for difference.
Find the digital version of the summer 2025 issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas HERE
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
Aug 5
53 min

What does it mean to be “okay” when your community is not? What is the role of an educator in times of moral emergency? And how can we resist turning loyalty into a litmus test for empathy?
In this far-reaching and emotionally charged conversation recorded live in Jerusalem, Yehuda Kurtzer and Donniel Hartman reflect on what it means to lead the Hartman Institute in a moment of profound trauma.
For the latest issue of our award-winning winning journal Sources, click HERE
You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
Jul 29
1 hr 2 min

Who should we trust when the truth is unknowable? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz for a candid conversation about journalistic integrity, media bias, and the urgent need for honest storytelling in a time of global confusion.
Listen to our new podcast, Future Tense, HERE
Listen to a new special season of TEXTing: IRL HERE
Learn more about our regional programming HERE
You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.
JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS
Jul 22
53 min

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
Jul 15
54 min

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
Jul 8
52 min

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
Jul 1
44 min

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
Jun 25
48 min

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
Jun 19
46 min

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
Jun 17
12 min

When Jews expressing their Zionism are violently attacked, is it a politically motivated assault, or an act of antisemitism?
This week, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), to discuss how the response from Jewish communities, the general public, and the U.S. government to recent attacks 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
Jun 10
58 min
Load more