JTS at the 2022 Jewish University for a Day
LEARN WITH JTS FACULTY AT THIS YEAR’S JEWISH UNIVERSITY FOR A DAY
A Program of Stony Brook University Hillel
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Online and In Person at Stony Brook University
Jewish University for a Day brings together leading authors, academics, rabbis, public figures, journalists, and others in a daylong series of minicourses and presentations centered around Jewish themes. The event, sponsored by Stony Brook Hillel, is now entering its 11th year and draws hundreds of attendees in person and, in recent years, additional virtual participants. JTS professors Dr. David Fishman, Dr. Robert A. Harris, and Dr. David Kraemer will be participating.
DR. DAVID FISHMAN, PROFESSOR OF JEWISH HISTORY AND DIRECTOR OF JTS’S PROJECT JUDAICA IN KYIV
“The Jewish Community of Ukraine and the Current Crisis“
There are between 50,000 to 100,000 Jews in Ukraine, and together they make up a vibrant, multifaceted community. Now with the Russian invasion, that community is in crisis. Dr. David Fishman, an expert on Ukrainian Jewry, will analyze the state of the community as it deals with unfolding events. Dr. Fishman directs JTS’s Project Judaica, which runs an academic program in Jewish Studies in Kyiv.
DR. ROBERT A. HARRIS, PROFESSOR OF BIBLE AND ANCIENT SEMITIC LANGUAGES, JTS
“The Cow That Laid an Egg: The Seder and Conflict Resolution”
The history of how we understand Passover is replete with conflicting views: within the Torah itself, in the Mishnah, and between early Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity. The Seder emerges as a locus of resolutions to this series of opposing perspectives and invites us to ask how we can emulate its example in our own divided times.
“Unfolding the Text: An Introduction to Jewish Medieval Bible Commentary”
How did Jewish reading of Torah change from “midrash” into “peshat” (and what do we mean by these terms)? Our session will address what some might see as a conflict between the historical, contextual (“original”) meaning of Torah and the rabbinic practice (halakhah) and theology that emerged from the Rabbis’ reading of the Bible. In particular, we will consider what this all might mean for modern Jewish communities that are dedicated to critical thinking; animated by a desire for spiritual dimensions in their Torah study; and concerned about possible conflicts that emerge when historical-critical scholarship seems to conflict with Jewish tradition.
DR. DAVID KRAEMER, JOSEPH J. AND DORA ABBELL LIBRARIAN AND PROFESSOR OF TALMUD AND RABBINICS, JTS
“Who’s Afraid of Impossible Pork: Everything You Need to Know—and Probably Don’t—About Kashrut”
What is the purpose of kashrut and how does it actually work? Is it only a mysterious set of divine commands, or does it have a more prosaic purpose—say, to prevent abuse of animals, limit our impact on the world, or keep Jews apart from non-Jews? By exploring these questions in connection to biblical and rabbinic sources, we will learn how kashrut can be applied to the dilemmas of today, from humane production of meat to the status of plant-based meat or meat grown in “the lab” and not on the body of an animal.