PAS Adult Education Department's Podcast PAS Adult Education Department

The Park Avenue Synagogue Lecture Series: The Shifting Landscape
of American Jewry

In every generation,the survival of the Jewish people has depended on our ability to remain rooted in the wellsprings of Jewish vitality, while adapting to the changing conditions in which we live. Our age is no different.

A commitment to a dynamic Jewish future demands an open and honest conversation about the tectonic shifts occurring beneath our feet. Do the institutions, ideologies and denominations of American Jewry of the last century recommend themselves for the next one? Does the alphabet
soup of current American Jewish organizational life recommend itself to the Jewish future? Are the operating assumptions of American Jews today the
same as those of past generations? If not, how – if at all – is the Jewish community adapting to these new conditions?

This year, our community will seek to understand a variety of transformations taking place in American Jewry. Through a series of dialogues, Shabbat dinners and guest lectures, we will assess the
journey traveled, openly consider our present station in the arc of Jewish
history and begin to construct a series of recommendations for a dynamic future.

February 5:
Jewish Tradition in an Untraditional Age with David Ellenson, Hebrew Union
College – Jewish Institute of Religion, and J.J. Schacter, Yeshiva University.

The Park Avenue Synagogue Lecture Series: The Shifting Landscape
of American Jewry

In every generation,the survival of the Jewish people has depended on our ability to remain rooted in the wellsprings of Jewish vitality, while adapting to the changing conditions in which we live. Our age is no different.

A commitment to a dynamic Jewish future demands an open and honest conversation about the tectonic shifts occurring beneath our feet. Do the institutions, ideologies and denominations of American Jewry of the last century recommend themselves for the next one? Does the alphabet
soup of current American Jewish organizational life recommend itself to the Jewish future? Are the operating assumptions of American Jews today the
same as those of past generations? If not, how – if at all – is the Jewish community adapting to these new conditions?

This year, our community will seek to understand a variety of transformations taking place in American Jewry. Through a series of dialogues, Shabbat dinners and guest lectures, we will assess the
journey traveled, openly consider our present station in the arc of Jewish
history and begin to construct a series of recommendations for a dynamic future.

January 8:
Getting Next Gen: Engaging Jews on Campus and Beyond with David Cygielman, Moishe House, and Wayne Firestone, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

The Park Avenue Synagogue Lecture Series: The Shifting Landscape
of American Jewry

In every generation,the survival of the Jewish people has depended on our ability to remain rooted in the wellsprings of Jewish vitality, while adapting to the changing conditions in which we live. Our age is no different.

A commitment to a dynamic Jewish future demands an open and honest conversation about the tectonic shifts occurring beneath our feet. Do the institutions, ideologies and denominations of American Jewry of the last century recommend themselves for the next one? Does the alphabet
soup of current American Jewish organizational life recommend itself to the Jewish future? Are the operating assumptions of American Jews today the
same as those of past generations? If not, how – if at all – is the Jewish community adapting to these new conditions?

This year, our community will seek to understand a variety of transformations taking place in American Jewry. Through a series of dialogues, Shabbat dinners and guest lectures, we will assess the
journey traveled, openly consider our present station in the arc of Jewish
history and begin to construct a series of recommendations for a dynamic future.

December 11:
Behind the Scenes with the Conservative Rabbis of the East Side
with Rabbi Rachel Ain, Sutton Place Synagogue; Rabbi Scott Bolton, East 55th Street Conservative Synagogue; Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove; and Rabbi Ephraim Pelcovits, Congregation Or Zarua; moderated by Steven Wernick, USCJ.

The Park Avenue Synagogue Lecture Series: The Shifting Landscape
of American Jewry

In every generation,the survival of the Jewish people has depended on our ability to remain rooted in the wellsprings of Jewish vitality, while adapting to the changing conditions in which we live. Our age is no different.

A commitment to a dynamic Jewish future demands an open and honest conversation about the tectonic shifts occurring beneath our feet. Do the institutions, ideologies and denominations of American Jewry of the last century recommend themselves for the next one? Does the alphabet
soup of current American Jewish organizational life recommend itself to the Jewish future? Are the operating assumptions of American Jews today the
same as those of past generations? If not, how – if at all – is the Jewish community adapting to these new conditions?

This year, our community will seek to understand a variety of transformations taking place in American Jewry. Through a series of dialogues, Shabbat dinners and guest lectures, we will assess the
journey traveled, openly consider our present station in the arc of Jewish
history and begin to construct a series of recommendations for a dynamic future.

November 13:
Dor L’Dor: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities in Contemporary American Jewry with Ari Y. Kelman, Stanford University, and Jack Wertheimer, Jewish Theological Seminary.