Jewish Ideas to Change the World Valley Beit Midrash

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Boris Draznin
The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion
About the Event: 
Dr. Draznin will discuss How History and Genetics Define Jewish Diversity and Identity, the book he published (Cambridge Scholar Publishing) in 2023. The book and his presentation will reveal current answers to old questions as to how Jewish people might be genetically related. Modern genetic research tackles ingrained convictions about ethnicity and religion, journeying through time and place – from the Twelve Tribes of Israel, through Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and Greco-Roman empires to today’s Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and uncovers how the Jewish gene pool travels through history. With a unique blend of enthusiasm and experience, Dr. Draznin shares a fascinating perspective on the Jewish diaspora then and now.
About The Speaker: 
Boris Draznin, MD, Ph.D. is the Celeste and Jack Grynberg Professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, former President of the Western Association of Physicians, and Chair of the Professional Section of the American Diabetes Association. He is a member of the American Association of Physicians and the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He authored or edited over 200 scientific articles, book chapters, and books.


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A virtual event presentation by Noam Zion
About the Event: 
In this class, we will address the question: How will you celebrate your seder in a time in which so much is lo b’seder (not in order), in a time of war, collateral damage to civilians, endangered hostages, and various kinds of worldwide antisemitism? The problems will not be resolved by Seder night, but we must celebrate as Jews have celebrated Pesach in the worst of times. But we must also acknowledge the profound experiences of the last year and the new questions raised. Joy and yet remembrance are essential in this seder. 
To respond to that urgent existential need for Israeli Jews, Mishael, and Noam Zion have issued this new Haggadah. Come and hear how the authors have imagined Seder 2024 and learn about how their new Haggadah may be a valuable resource for your American Jewish seder. Note the new Hebrew Haggadah, published March 17, 2024, was produced to reflect updated issues of Israeli civil and military society with its struggle with the massacre, its ongoing unresolved trauma, and its deep struggle between despair and hope. An English Seder Supplement 2024 will be shared with all participants.
*Source Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DFKgOgTBfJbXE3dyaPQIgg_vJoIUR8Ge/view?usp=sharing
About the Speaker: 
Noam is now emeritus at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem where since 1978 he has been a senior research fellow and educator. He earned a graduate degree in general philosophy at Columbia University and the Hebrew University while studying Bible and Rabbinics at JTSA and the Hartman Beit Midrash.
His popular publications and worldwide lecturing have promoted Homemade Judaism – empowering families to create their own pluralistic Judaism during home holidays – Pesach, Hanukkah and Shabbat. His most popular publications include A Different Night: The Family Participation Haggadah; A Different Light: The Big Book of Hanukkah; A Day Apart: Shabbat at Home; The Israeli Haggadah: Halaila Hazeh; and A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices (published together with his son). But his most recent book written with his son came out on March 17, 2024, Haggadah Yisraelit to reflect on the latest events of October 7, 2023.
His most recent academic research encompasses a trilogy on the intellectual history of philanthropy entitled Jewish Giving in Comparative Perspectives (2013) and a nine-part series on Talmudic Marital Dramas (2018). In 2021 Jewish Publication Society published Sanctified Sex: The 2000-Year Jewish Debate on Marital Intimacy.


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A virtual event presentation by Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz
The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel 
About The Event: 
American Jewish Women have made enormous strides over the past century, opening up new avenues for women to engage meaningfully with Judaism and Jewish life. In so doing, they have enriched not only their own lives but also American Jewry and the Jewish tradition as a whole. Together, we will explore this transformation and its impact on us all.
About the Speaker: 
Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, a groundbreaking scholar of American Jewish history, and a visionary institutional leader, is the eighth chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary. She is the first woman to serve in this role in its 135-year history.
Chancellor Schwartz is devoted to building on JTS’s unique strengths as a Jewish institution of higher learning that trains future leaders through deep study—with both head and heart—of Jewish texts, ideas, and history. In JTS’s thriving community, students develop the creative ability to imbue others with the intellectual, cultural, and religious sustenance that our tradition offers, and they enrich every community of which they are a part. 
Previously, Dr. Schwartz played a central role in shaping and strengthening JTS’s academic programs while teaching and mentoring countless students. From 1993 to 2018, she served as dean of the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, JTS’s undergraduate dual-degree program with Columbia University and Barnard College. In 2010, she was also named dean of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School. In 2018, she assumed the provostship, while continuing as dean of the Kekst School. 
Chancellor Schwartz was one of the first women on the JTS faculty and played an instrumental role in introducing Jewish gender studies into the curriculum. As a scholar, she brings to light previously overlooked contributions of women to Jewish life and culture over the centuries and continually expands our understanding of American Judaism. Among her publications is the award-winning book, The Rabbi’s Wife, a penetrating examination of the role of rabbis’ wives in the development of American Jewish life. 


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Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz interviews Rabbi Yehuda Albin on the importance of Jewish learning. 
As the founder of The Ember Foundation and TORAHUB, Yehuda has “built” a synagogue and school without walls. Since moving to Chicago in 1994, he has personally touched hundreds of people with his engaging educational style. Raised in Scarsdale, NY, in a Reform home, and educated at Bowdoin College, he earned his rabbinic ordination during a decade of Torah study in Jerusalem.


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A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Marc Gitler
About the Event: 
From Jesus to Shabtai Zevi to the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe, over the past 2000 years, numerous people, or at least their followers, have fashioned themselves the long sought-after Messiah.
But how does one prove that he or she is the true Messiah? While the messianic figures of the past pointed to various events, wonders, and symbols to demonstrate their authenticity, there is one idea that every claimant shares: direct lineage from King David. But what is special about King David that Jewish tradition believes him to be the father of the Messiah?
*Source Sheet: https://smallpdf.com/file#s=a2f5d65c-59c2-4f93-928c-3dc05ebb1981
About the Speaker: 
Marc Gitler is the visiting Rabbi of Aish SanDiego. A recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, he was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children.
The event was presented in loving Memory of David Schwartz
This class is in memory of Rabbi Gitler’s nephew, David Schwartz, who was recently killed fighting in Gaza.


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A virtual event presentation by Dr. Nadav Shifman Berman
About the Event: 
In this class, which would take place just before Purim 5784, we shall focus on one important term in the Scroll of Esther, namely “Dat“, and ask: Is Judaism a “Religion”? What are the main modern currents, mainly in Protestantism, which arguably pushed toward defining Judaism as a religion? And what exactly is at stake, for understanding Jewish theology, thought, and practice?
About the Speaker: 
Dr. Nadav Shifman Berman is a research fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of Haifa. Nadav’s research explores Jewish Thought vis-a-vis Pragmatism on the one hand and vis-à-vis Agape on the other. More broadly, Nadav’s research investigates the dialectic between pragmatism(s) and fundamentalism(s). In collaboration with Prof. Tal Z. Zarsky of the University of Haifa, Nadav leads an ISF-funded project on intersections between Law, Technology, and Jewish Thought. Before his IDF service, Nadav studied at Yeshivat Ma’aleh Gilbo’a (shiluv 4).


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