Leora Batnitzky
Leora Batnitzky is a Senior Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She is Ronald O. Perelman Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor of Religion at Princeton University, where she has been on the faculty since 1997. She has taught, as a visiting professor, at Tokyo University, Tel Aviv University, Radzyner IDC Law School, and Cardozo Law School and has also been a visiting researcher at NYU Law
Religion or Nation? Modern Debates about Jewish Identity
How and why has modernity forced Jews to define themselves either as a religion or a nation? Leora Batnitzky considers how emancipation in Europe and the subsequent rise of modern antisemitism shaped internal Jewish debates, Jewish conversion controversies in the 19th and 20th centuries, and present day debates about religious freedom and discrimination in America, which require attempts to classify Judaism in terms of either religion or nationality.
Session 1
Recorded on January 27, 2022
Session 2
Recorded on February 3, 2022
Session 3
Recorded on February 10, 2022
This series is part of Ideas for Today, a yearlong offering of curated courses led by leading scholars addressing the compelling contemporary Jewish issues of the day.
