Religion or Nation? Modern Debates about Jewish Identity

Three-part series led by Leora Batnitzky exploring how and why modernity has forced Jews to define themselves either as a religion or a nation.

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.

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