SAPIR is a journal exploring the future of the American Jewish community and its intersection with cultural, social, and political issues. These podcasts are re...
S15E4: Dana W. White on Why HBCUs Are Key to Fighting Antisemitism
In the latest issue of SAPIR, Dana W. White observes that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), once places that honored and taught the historical alliance between black and Jewish Americans, have now become spaces where antisemitism and anti-Zionism are actively encouraged.
How can our communities reinvigorate the long-neglected black and Jewish alliance, address misunderstandings, and rebuild trust? How do we celebrate our past accomplishments and pursue future objectives together? On Monday, January 27 former assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs under Secretary James Mattis, Dana W. White, joined SAPIR editor-in-chief Bret Stephens for a conversation on her recent SAPIR essay.
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S15E3: “Academia’s Palestine Exception” with Shaul Kelner
Critical theory – the study of the ways “oppression gets produced and reproduced within and across societies” – is the dominant method of inquiry in many areas of higher education, especially in the humanities and social sciences. Yet many scholars resist applying it honestly to the study of the Jewish people and Zionism. Were they to do so, argues Vanderbilt professor Shaul Kelner, they might find they had entirely misunderstood these categories and the place of Jews in the oppressor/oppressed dynamic.
On Tuesday, January 7, Professor Kelner joined SAPIR Associate Editor Felicia Herman to unpack his essay, “Turning Critical Theory on Its Head,” and discuss whether and how this might be changed.
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First Principles for the University with Danielle Allen and Jonathan Haidt
Following the release of its issue on The University, SAPIR brought together leaders and experts from academia, philanthropy, and Jewish organizational life for a convening focused on identifying practical solutions to the serious challenges facing higher education. That gathering began with a discussion between Harvard University professor Danielle Allen, social psychologist and author, Jonathan Haidt and Maimonides Fund Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi David Wolpe, exploring why trust has diminished in institutions of higher education and what could be done to restore their values and faith in them. SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman delivered opening remarks, a condensed version of which you will hear in this recording.
This SAPIR Conversation was recorded live in New York City on December 16, 2024.
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S15E2: The Purpose of the University with Ari Berman and Ron Liebowitz
The modern university is at a crossroads. Is it still defined by its foundational mission to cultivate curiosity and advance knowledge, or is it defined by advocacy and activism centered around certain moral absolutes? And where do Jewish students, faculty, and ideas fit in? Listen as SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Yeshiva University President Ari Berman and former Brandeis University President Ron Liebowitz to discuss the purpose of the modern university and the role for Jews and Jewish ideas on campus.
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S15E1: The Rising Threat of Academic Boycotts with Netta Barak-Corren and Ronald R. Krebs
Since October 7, Israeli researchers and faculty have felt the chilling effects of a flourishing global boycott movement. In a shift that’s taken hold at high levels of American academia, Israeli scholars and universities have been barred from conferences, squeezed out of research grants, and cut out of collaboration with colleagues around the world.
Is there a way out of this mess? On Thursday, December 5, SAPIR editor-in-chief Bret Stephens interviewed Netta Barak-Corren, the Haim H. Cohn Chair in Human Rights Law at the Hebrew University’s School of Law and Ronald R. Krebs, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota to discuss the dangerous normalization of academic boycotts and which forces in the American university are fighting back.
SAPIR is a journal exploring the future of the American Jewish community and its intersection with cultural, social, and political issues. These podcasts are recordings of Zoom webinars we have held with our contributors (season numbers correspond with issue numbers). To find out more and join our next events live, visit www.sapirjournal.org.
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