S15E2: The Purpose of the University with Ari Berman and Ron Liebowitz

Critical theory – the study of the ways “oppression gets produced and reproduced within and across societies” – is the dominant method of inquiry in many areas of higher education, especially in the humanities and social sciences. Yet many scholars resist applying it honestly to the study of the Jewish people and Zionism. Were they to do so, argues Vanderbilt professor Shaul Kelner, they might find they had entirely misunderstood these categories and the place of Jews in the oppressor/oppressed dynamic. On Tuesday, January 7, Professor Kelner joined SAPIR Associate Editor Felicia Herman to unpack his essay, “Turning Critical Theory on Its Head,” and discuss whether and how this might be changed.

Following the release of its issue on The University, SAPIR brought together leaders and experts from academia, philanthropy, and Jewish organizational life for a convening focused on identifying practical solutions to the serious challenges facing higher education. That gathering began with a discussion between Harvard University professor Danielle Allen, social psychologist and author, Jonathan Haidt and Maimonides Fund Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi David Wolpe, exploring why trust has diminished in institutions of higher education and what could be done to restore their values and faith in them. SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman delivered opening remarks, a condensed version of which you will hear in this recording. This SAPIR Conversation was recorded live in New York City on December 16, 2024.

The modern university is at a crossroads. Is it still defined by its foundational mission to cultivate curiosity and advance knowledge, or is it defined by advocacy and activism centered around certain moral absolutes? And where do Jewish students, faculty, and ideas fit in? Listen as SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Yeshiva University President Ari Berman and former Brandeis University President Ron Liebowitz to discuss the purpose of the modern university and the role for Jews and Jewish ideas on campus.

Since October 7, Israeli researchers and faculty have felt the chilling effects of a flourishing global boycott movement. In a shift that’s taken hold at high levels of American academia, Israeli scholars and universities have been barred from conferences, squeezed out of research grants, and cut out of collaboration with colleagues around the world. Is there a way out of this mess? On Thursday, December 5, SAPIR editor-in-chief Bret Stephens interviewed Netta Barak-Corren, the Haim H. Cohn Chair in Human Rights Law at the Hebrew University’s School of Law and Ronald R. Krebs, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota to discuss the dangerous normalization of academic boycotts and which forces in the American university are fighting back.

On November 27th, 2023, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren laid out his vision for Israel’s endgame in Gaza. Now, more than ten months after its publication, how should we understand the realistic potential for “a day after”? Will this proverbial day ever arrive? And how does last fall’s vision hold up? As the final event in SAPIR's 'One Year Later' series, former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren joined SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman for a discussion on what’s changed and what comes next.

Following Hamas’ October 7 attack, many in the Jewish community were profoundly distressed by those on the Left who celebrated the attack or immediately cast blame at the victims of the massacre. To grapple with these reactions, National Council of Jewish Women CEO Sheila Katz and Joel Rubin joined SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman for a virtual conversation last fall. One year later, what has changed? What has it been like to work within progressive coalitions amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas? SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman and Sheila Katz came back together for a conversation on Jews, the Left, and antisemitism. This is the second of three conversations in SAPIR’s virtual ‘One Year Later’ series, where we revisit our ideas and presumptions following the tragic events on October 7.

Maimonides Fund Scholar in Residence and Downtown Minyan Rosh Kehillah Mijal Bitton crystalized the despairing unity felt by Jews around the world on October 7 in her essay “That Pain You’re Feeling Is Peoplehood” published on November 1, 2023. After the brutal attacks in southern Israel, “many of us — thousands of miles away — cried out in visceral pain,” wrote Bitton. “This is what Jewish peoplehood feels like.” Mijal Bitton joined SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman for a conversation on how Jewish peoplehood has evolved in the year since October 7. Prior to listening to this conversation, we encourage you to revisit Bitton’s essay and reflect on how things have changed in the last year. This is the first of three conversations in SAPIR’s virtual ‘One Year Later’ series, where we revisit our ideas and presumptions following the tragic events on October 7.

The Haredi community has been facing — and facing down — mounting pressure to participate meaningfully in areas of Israeli civic life, including military service and the workforce. While many in the community wish to maintain their isolation, it is widely seen by the rest of Israeli society as unfair and unsustainable. Haredi community rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer, head of the Iyun Institute, an organization that promotes Haredi integration and responsibility joined SAPIR Managing Editor Philip Getz for a conversation on the ideas and fears that have shaped Haredi opinion against IDF service and civic engagement, and how to change the status quo.

Is the recent uptick in antisemitism a sign that a golden era of American Jewish life is over? Or is it the latest chapter in a long history of prejudice that American Jews can, and will, overcome? Historian Pamela S. Nadell joins SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman to unpack her essay, “For America’s Jews, Past is Prologue.”

Americans’ faith in our leaders and institutions is at an all-time low. What is the source for this loss of confidence and what are the implications for the Jewish community? Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute joined SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens for a conversation on addressing the “trust trap” and restoring faith in our future.