Elana Stein Hain: When Diaspora and Israel Challenge One Another – Reading Megillat Esther in Light of Today
As we approach the holiday of Purim, join us in person at Temple Emanuel as we welcome back one of our favorite Hartman scholars, Dr. Elana Stein Hain (https://www.hartman.org.il/person/elana-stein-hain/), and explore what we can learn from reading Megillat Esther in light of today.
The Purim story centers on the Jews of Persia and its empire, yet many Jews had returned to Judea and were already building the second Temple there. This allows us to explore an additional layer to the story as a lens for considering tensions between Israel and the Diaspora today: how Jews living in these different places viewed each other – and what tensions might be just beneath the surface.
Find Sources Here (https://images.shulcloud.com/7772/uploads/ElanaSteinHainBostonFeb252026Sources.pdf).
9 Dec 2025
Pathways to Hope: A Conversation with Young Israeli Changemakers - December 8, 2025
Listen to Hartman’s Ronit Heyd (https://www.hartman.org.il/person/ronit-heyd/), Vice President and Director of the Center for Israeli & Jewish Identity, in conversation with participants from the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Hazon (https://www.hartman.org.il/program/hazon/) program visiting from Israel Israel — Noi Schwartz, Ayala Dahlan and Yonathan Machlis.
Since October 7, it has been hard to imagine a secure and peaceful future for Israel. Conversations across the Jewish world have often been marked by despair: ongoing war, political deadlock, internal divisions, and a growing sense that the vision of a democratic, united Israel feels more distant than ever.
Yet there is another story—one grounded in hope. Hope is more than a feeling; it is the engine of social change and the foundation of a better future. As Israel’s anthem, Hatikvah, reminds us, hope is central to Jewish identity and to those shaping Israel’s tomorrow: young changemakers building community, students defending democratic values, spiritual leaders offering guidance, and bold thinkers imagining new paths for shared society. They remind us that even in difficult times, aspiring and working towards a better vision for tomorrow can bring about real change.
Hear from the leaders who are meeting today’s realities with vision and courage. Together, with purpose and optimism, we can help shape a better future for Israel.
6 May 2025
Micah Goodman: Global Chaos – The Forces Undermining the World Order - May 5, 2025
We all get, every day, that we are living in no ordinary time. That we are living in historically tumultuous times. In America. The world. The financial markets. Universities. Alliances that are upturned. America’s role in the international order since World War II upturned. In Israel. Its government under a cloud of investigations and mistrust. The moral and reputational challenges to its war with Hamas that will not end, with Hamas damaged but not gone, and with our hostages still held captive.
But why?
Why is there this world-wide international tumult? What are its origins? What, if anything, can we do to ameliorate it? Most of us work on creating a counterworld of decency and dignity in our own dalet amot, the four cubits of our local existence. But can any of us make the problem of this global chaos better at its roots? Or not?
We wrap up our year of Hartman learning at Temple Emanuel with a visit from our friend and teacher, thought leader and public intellectual Micah Goodman who will be here from Israel to speak about the chaos now afflicting the lands we love and the world in which we live.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
