SAPIR Conversations

In stark contrast to previous generations, younger American Jews are growing up increasingly disconnected from Israel and Zionism. What accounts for this shift? How durable is it? And what are the implications for tomorrow’s leaders of American Jewish communities? Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and Dr. Noam Weissman of OpenDor Media discuss the future of Zionism among Gen Z.

Former Human Rights Watch senior editor Danielle Haas sits down with SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens to discuss her recent essay, “The Human-Rights Establishment,” which chronicles years of behind-the-scenes experience and presents deep-seated concerns that human rights NGOs have become “increasingly hijacked by politics and dominated by groupthink.”

The rapid ascent of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and other technologies requires Jewish leaders to understand the dramatic effects these innovations will have on Jewish life and faith. Are we ready for this technological Jewish future? SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman hosted a conversation with Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter of Yeshiva University and Dr. David Zvi Kalman of the Shalom Hartman Institute on what Jewish communal, philanthropic, and religious leaders must do to prepare for this new digital age.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman hosted a conversation about the future of synagogue life in a time of disruption with Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City and Rabbi Rachel Isaacs of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life in Maine. They explored the shock of the October 7 attacks, the long-term structural changes brought on by the Covid pandemic, and their visions for the synagogue in a digital age.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman is joined by Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, and Zvika Krieger, former director of responsible innovation at Meta discuss their recent essays in SAPIR’s Technology issue and explore how the virality of unsubstantiated information on social media is impacting perspectives on the Israel-Hamas war.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman hosted a conversation about the conflict over free speech on college campuses with Nadine Strossen, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and Ilya Shapiro, the director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute. Strossen and Kenneth S. Stern co-authored “SJP Still Deserves Freedom of Speech” in Sapir‘s War in Israel special edition, while Shapiro recently published “Where Free Speech Ends and Lawbreaking Begins” in The Free Press.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman was joined by Einat Wilf, former member of the Israeli Knesset for the Labor Party, and Michael Koplow, chief policy officer of the Israel Policy Forum (IPF). They discussed the short- and long-term impacts and implications of the October 7 attacks on Israeli and American conceptions of Zionism.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman is joined by Rabbi David Wolpe, visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School and the Max Webb Emeritus Rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, and Dr. Mijal Bitton, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and rosh kehillah at the Downtown Minyan in New York City. They discuss their recent SAPIR essays — Wolpe’s “Wisdom in the Face of Destruction” and Bitton’s “That Pain You’re Feeling is Peoplehood“ — and delve into how Jewish tradition conceptualizes the responsibilities of the Jewish collective in a time of war.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman interviewed Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, and Joel Rubin, a longtime leader in progressive foreign policy and Jewish communities about "The Israel–Hamas War and the Future of American Progressive Coalitions." They discussed the challenges and complexities of navigating progressive communities and coalitions in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre of October 7.

Chanan Weissman, director of the SAPIR Institute, and Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute, discuss Yehuda’s recent trip to Israel, the deep trauma facing Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora, and the ethical considerations of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.

Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue, and Rachel Fish, co-founder of the nonprofit Boundless, discuss the geopolitical impact of the war in Israel, the implications for the American Jewish community, and our collective responsibilities during this crisis and beyond. This Conversation is presented in partnership with Park Avenue Synagogue.

As the war in Israel continues, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens is joined by SAPIR author Reuel Marc Gerecht, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to discuss and contextualize Hamas' attacks with developments in the broader region, offering a perspective on the consequences of Iran's aggression and sponsorship of terrorism. They discuss what to expect as the conflict unfolds in the coming days and weeks.

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Jonathan Greenblatt and James Kirchick, authors of “Complicit: Big Tech and Antisemitism" and "Censorship Is Not a Jewish Value"

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Dahlia Lithwick and Avi Schick, authors of "Between Charlottesville and Jerusalem" and "New York’s New Untouchables"

Director of the SAPIR Institute Chanan Weissman interviews Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens about SAPIR's Antisemitism issue, including his article, “Three Falsehoods About Antisemitism – and One Truth.”

Professor Avi Bell and the Israel Democracy Institute's Jesse Ferris discuss the complexities of judicial reform in Israel. Moderated by SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens.

Director of The SAPIR Institute Chanan Weissman interviews Rabbi Deborah Waxman, author of “Israel Is in Danger of Losing American Jewry”.

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Daniel Gordis, author of "Israel Is Less Fragile Than We Feared, More Fragile Than We Imagine"

Daniella Greenbaum interviews SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens about the newest issue, Israel at 75 and his contribution on Israel as a world power.

SAPIR Associate Editor Felicia Herman interviews Rokhl Kafrissen, author of “ The Jewish Future Needs Yiddish ”