Te Engaging Israel Project

at the Shalom Hartman Institute

The goal of the iEngage Project is to respond to growing feelings of
disenchantment and disinterest toward Israel among an ever-increasing
number of Jews worldwide by creating a new narrative regarding the
significance of Israel for Jewish life.
Probing beyond the political controversies of the day, the iEngage Project
reframes the relationship between the State of Israel and Jews worldwide.
By elevating the conversation about Israel from a response to crisis to one
rooted in Jewish values and ideas, the Project equips constituents with a
quintessentially Jewish values-based vocabulary with which to articulate why
Israel can and should be fundamental to their Jewish identities and lives.
The iEngage articles are challenging, the text study (new for many in the
program) is fascinating, and the notion of taking a values oriented approach to
our relationship with Israel is providing a broad foundation upon which people
who stand throughout the political spectrum are able to stand.
Temple Beth Shalom, Needham, MA
About the Shalom Hartman Institute
The Shalom Hartman Institute is a center of transformative thinking and teaching that
addresses the major challenges facing the Jewish people and elevates the quality of Jewish
life in Israel and around the world. A leader in sophisticated, ideas-based Jewish education for
community leaders and change agents, SHI is committed to the signicance of Jewish ideas,
the power of applied scholarship, and the conviction that great teaching contributes to the
growth and continual revitalization of the Jewish people.
Shalom Hartman Institute
11 Gedalyahu Alon Street, Jerusalem 93113 Israel
Tel: +972 2 567 5320 Fax: +972 2 561 1913
Email: shi@shi.org.il
Shalom Hartman Institute of North America
One Pennsylvania Plaza, Suite 1606 New York, NY 10119
Tel: +1 212 268 0300 Fax: +1 212 239 4550
Email: info@shalomhartman.org
Canadian Friends of Shalom Hartman Institute
8888 Blvd Pie IX Montreal, QC H1Z4J5
Tel: +1 212 268 0300 Email: info@cfshi.org
www.iengage.org.il
www.hartman.org.il




Wednesday Evenings at Union Temple
7:30 - 9:30 PM
October 22: THE JEWISH PEOPLE AS A TRIBAL FAMILY explores how the Jewish tradition conceptualizes the Jewish
people as a tribal family. It recognizes that Jewish collective identity has always been a divided and tribal one, requiring
the balancing of collective consciousness with individual and tribal sensibilities. [Dr. Hartman]
October 29: THE "ORTHODOX" JEWISH TRIBES explores two Jewish tribes within Israel that conceive of Orthodoxy
as the only authentic form of Judaism: the Ultra-Orthodox and Religious Zionists. It presents a nuanced understanding of
the defining characteristics of each tribe the challenges they face, and their place within the broader mosaic of Israeli
society. [Dr. Hartman, and interviews with Yechezkel Fogel, Yael Chechik, Dov Elbaum, and Yedidia Stern]
November 12: THE "LIBERAL" JEWISH TRIBES examines the four Jewish tribes within Israel that reject the
monopoly of Orthodoxy: Masorti (traditional), Jewish secular, Israeli secular and Jewish Non-Jewish. [Dr. Hartman,
and interviews with Ruth Calderon, Rani Jaeger, Melila Hellner-Eshed, and Dani Elazar]
January 7: THE NORTH AMERICAN JEWISH TRIBES explores current trends within North American Jewry, new
modes of affiliation that are emerging beyond traditional denominational divisions, and the impact of these changes on
the relationship with Israel. [Dr. Hartman, and an interview with Rabbi Rick Jacobs]
January 14: UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE JEWISH TRADITION explores how Jewish sources have grappled with
the issue of balancing the competing values of unity and diversity and provides key insights that can help shape the
conceptual landscape of a Jewish democratic public sphere. [Dr. Hartman, and interviews with Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer and
Rabbi Sharon Brous]
January 21: THE POROUS "WALL OF SEPARATION" BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE: LESSONS FROM THE US
AND CANADA examines the complex interaction between collective, tribal, and individual claims in American and
Canadian jurisprudence through a study of American and Canadian legal traditions on questions of State and religion.
What emerges is a nuanced picture with important lessons for advancing a shared public space in Israel consistent with
its aspirations as a Jewish democracy. [Dr. Hartman]
March 11: SYNAGOGUE AND STATE: THE ISRAELI EXPERIENCE examines the current core principles that shape
Israeli jurisprudence on issues of religion and State in order to discern an emerging Israeli model for rebalancing the
relationship between synagogue and State and creating a public space in which both tribal and national concerns can be
met. [Dr. Hartman, and interviews with Ruth Gavison and Danny Statman]
March 25: SHARING THE PUBLIC SPHERE: NEW FOUNDATIONS FOR A JEWISH DEMOCRACY looks at cases
taken from headlines to examine the way in which the challenge of sharing the public sphere is being addressed in the
current reality of modern Israel. [Dr. Hartman]
April 22: THE ARAB PALESTINIAN ISRAELI TRIBES explores the complex identity of Arab Palestinian Israelis and
opportunities for redefining the relationship of these tribes with the modern State of Israel. [Dr. Hartman and
Interviews with Amal Jabareen and Mohammad Darawshe]
April 29: TRIBES AND PEOPLEHOOD: REFLECTIONS ON LIVING IN A TRIBAL FAMILY concludes the series with a
set of conversations that explore the lived experience of the Jewish people as a tribal family. [Interviews with Yossi Klein
Halevi, Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Dr.Yehuda Kurtzer, Melila Hellner-Eshed, Gil Troy]

Please note that while we are presenting this course under a generous grant from UJA-Federation of New York,
there will be a one-time fee of $20 per person for the sourcebooks.