The Zionist Idea

Can we see Zionism as a project of the Jewish people’s collective imagination?

October 28, 2022

October 28, 2022

Rabbi Lauren Berkun is a Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where she directs Rabbinic Initiatives and is a member of the senior executive team. She also oversees staff education, training and curriculum development for Hartman’s iEngage project. She is a summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, graduate of Princeton University with a BA in Religion and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Lauren was a Wexner Graduate Fellow, a

Ideas for Today, Liberal Zionism, Zionism, Israel, iEngage, Diaspora, Video

What is the importance of building an ideal society based on an idea, a north-star organizing principle? Can we see Zionism as a project of the Jewish people’s collective imagination?

In her four-part series, Why Israel? Revisiting the Meaning of Zionism, Lauren Berkun explores why Israel should matter to a 21^st century North American Jew. What are some of the most meaningful spiritual and moral visions for Israel today? How can we engage in a nuanced, pluralistic conversation about them? Each class consists of a weekly lecture, text study, and breakout discussion groups.

Other sessions in this series:

Relational Zionism: November 3
Zionism and Power: November 10
Zionism and Overcoming History: November 17

This series is part of Ideas for Today, curated courses by Hartman Institute scholars on the big Jewish ideas of this moment.

The Zionist Idea

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