SAPIR Conversations

Are we are venturing into the twilight of an American Jewish era? 
In a recent SAPIR essay, Dr. Mijal Bitton makes the case that it’s time to reimagine Jewish flourishing for a new age -- one based on a Sephardic model of preservation rather than the liberal Ashkenazi dream of social acceptance, which defined the previous century. In a wide-ranging conversation, host Rabbi David Wolpe joins Bitton to explore whether the next century will be as welcoming to our descendants as it was to our ancestors. And how to create a more resilient Jewish future in America.
Read Mijal’s essay in SAPIR, The Future is Sephardic: https://sapirjournal.org/aspiration-ii/2026/the-future-is-sephardic/
Questions or comments? Send us a note at ⁠[email protected]⁠
Music from #Uppbeat: ⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/theo-gerard/monsieur-groove

Men are drifting, disconnected, and increasingly absent from communal life, argues longtime Jewish communal professional Adam Teitelbaum in his new essay, Boyz II Mensches. What does this mean for Jewish life, starting with the bar mitzvah?
 
On April 16, Rabbi David Wolpe sat down with Adam for a live virtual conversation where they explored how the bar mitzvah lost its power as a profound rite of passage, how to reclaim this foundational period in a boy’s life, and how to help Jewish boys eventually become Jewish men.
 
Read Adam’s essay in SAPIR, Boyz II Mensches: https://sapirjournal.org/aspiration-ii/2026/boyz-ii-mensches/
 
Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXczsCczOGg
 
Questions or comments? Send us a note at ⁠[email protected]⁠
 
Music from #Uppbeat: ⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/theo-gerard/monsieur-groove

Hatred of Israel has become a symptom of what plagues LGBTQ politics today, argues Eve Barlow in her SAPIR essay, Queers for Zion. What happens when a liberation movement loses sight of its original cause? And how can LGBTQ Jews fight back?
On March 19, Eve Barlow joined SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens for a live virtual discussion about Israel, LGBTQ activism, the confounding emergence of the “Queers for Palestine” movement – and the profound contractions it exposes.
Read Eve’s essay in SAPIR, Queers for Zion: https://sapirjournal.org/aspiration-ii/2026/queers-for-zion/
Questions or comments? Send us a note at ⁠[email protected]⁠
Music from #Uppbeat: ⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/theo-gerard/monsieur-groove

Should it matter whether Yetziat Mitzrayim — the exodus of Israelites from Egypt, the defining story of the Passover seder that Jews around the world have retold for centuries — actually happened in the way the Torah describes?
Twenty-five years ago, Rabbi David Wolpe posed this very question to his congregants — and it caused quite a stir. Now, a quarter century later, he sat down with Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman of Bar Ilan University, one of today’s leading biblical scholars, to talk about the deeper truths behind the Exodus. Together, they probe the historicity of the biblical account, the enduring meaning of the story, and the timeless legacy of a narrative that is, ultimately, the closest approximation to a Jewish language of Aspiration.
In that spirit, we hope this wide-ranging SAPIR Conversation enriches your Pesach Seder. From the SAPIR family to yours, wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Passover and Chag Sameach!
Read the latest issue of SAPIR on ASPIRATION: sapirjournal.org
Read Dara Horn's essay, "How To Teach the Jewish Story": How to Teach the Jewish Story – SAPIR Journal
Music from #Uppbeat: ⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/theo-gerard/monsieur-groove

The oldest hatred – an honorific given to anti-Jewish prejudice – never tires. If anything, it gathers force. According to many surveys, animus towards Jews is increasing in the United States and worldwide. What should American Jewry do about it?
Some believe that we should expend our capital, energy, and creativity to change hearts and minds, especially of those still reachable. That means raising awareness of this scourge through high visibility campaigns, social media engagement, support for Holocaust education, and renewed allyship with other ethnic and religious communities. Others insist that efforts to fight a conspiracy are futile, likely ineffective, and possibly even counterproductive. Decades of teaching “never again” has not stemmed the tide of hate. Rather, our limited resources are better spent by doubling down on creating proud Jews, strengthening Jewish education, and creating a more informed citizenry about Jewish civilization.
Moderated by SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens, this SAPIR Debate featured two illustrious voices:
Arguing NO: Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism at the Department of State and award-winning author, historian, and professor.
Arguing YES: Dara Horn, three-time National Jewish Book Award-winning author of People Love Dead Jews, and founder and president of The Tell Institute, which is devoted to educating the public about Jewish civilization, including in K-12 schools and other channels.
The SAPIR Debates is a new series that features a spirited and civil exchange of views on the most consequential issues facing the American Jewish community.
This event was recorded live on March 1, 2026 at The 92nd Street Y, New York. To watch the recording on our YouTube channel, click here: https://youtu.be/QcMyvQ-2l6c
Read the SAPIR essays and op-eds referenced in this SAPIR Conversation and reach out to us at ⁠[email protected]⁠:  
Andres Spokoiny's SAPIR essay on Jewish Communal Funding and Antisemitism: https://sapirjournal.org/money/2025/money-cant-buy-you-love/

Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/track/theo-gerard/monsieur-groove