These days we find ourselves enmeshed in struggles over how North American Jews and Israelis seem to be moving farther and farther apart on issues of Jewish identity and expression. We further have challenges in speaking across divides in our own communities. We are excited to announce a series of programs throughout the year to help us address the issues that divide us through a civil discourse framework. The goal is to provide our community with strategies for how to share concerns and listen to each other in order to bridge our differences with respect and compassion. This program is being spearheaded by Global Connections Kedma Chairs David Leit and Lisa Lisser. Kedma’s focus is promoting Israeli shared society.

We are honored to open this series with a keynote address by Chancellor Arnold Eisen, of the Jewish Theological Seminary