The Ethics of War and the Pursuit of Peace in Jewish Law and Thought – Online via Zoom
Rabbi Benjamin Samuels, PhD
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From Buffalo to Jerusalem:
An In-Depth Look at
the History of American Zionism
In-Person at Hebrew College
From Buffalo to Jerusalem:
An In-Depth Look at
the History of American Zionism
In-Person at Hebrew College
Program: Hebrew College Me’ah Select
Instructor: Rabbi Dan Judson (Read Bio)
Dates: 7 Mondays, Winter/Spring 2024: 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20 & 6/3
Time: 9:30 – 11 a.m.
Course fee: $315, financial aid is available
Location: Zoom
Hosted by: Hebrew College
In evaluating the complicated and varied responses the American Jewish community had to the terrorist attack by Hamas and subsequent Israeli actions, it is worth taking a historical step back and tracing the history of American Zionism. Beginning with a look at 19th century American views of the Holy Land and moving through to the present day, we will examine the Jewish community’s sometimes fractious, sometimes unified approach to Zionism. With the aid of new research and books like Walter Russel Mead’s The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel and the Fate of the Jewish People, we will be paying particular attention to the way that non-Jewish Americans have been as essential to the unfolding story of American Zionism as the Jewish community.
This course is first and foremost a history course, we will examine Louis Brandeis’s centrality to the Zionist movement, the first time America goes on record with support for Zionism, the politics around Truman’s recognition of Israel, and all manner of episodes relating to the development of American Zionism. The course, however, is primarily not going to be an opportunity to discuss the current situation, while the present day will never be far from our minds (how could it be), this course is for people who want a background in how America came to this place.
Note: This course will also be offered Online at Hebrew College on Monday evenings, 7:30-9 p.m. on the following dates: 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11 & 3/18. Click here to register for this Online class.
For more information, contact meah@hebrewcollege.edu
