SAPIR Conversations

• S16E2: Pre-Passover Conversation with President Isaac Herzog

  As we prepare to celebrate our freedom from slavery, has the promised land lived up to the promise of Zionism? After October 7, can Israel’s internal differences be an asset rather than a liability? Moving forward, can the Israel-Diaspora relationship weather the range of emotions? Yes to all, argues Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, in his recent essay in SAPIR. On March 31 we held a special conversation between SAPIR editor-in-chief Bret Stephens and the 11th President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog to discuss all this and more.

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• S16E1: I Am Not a Jew of Color with Mijal Bitton

  In her recent SAPIR essay, Mijal Bitton wrote that she does not identify as a Jew of color, despite being a non-white Jew, because the “term often feels more focused on “white” Jews than on people like me.” How is that the case? And what does it say about the political movement that accompanied the rise of the term? On Wednesday, March 26, Bitton joined Associate Editor Felicia Herman for a conversation on her essay, “Why I Am Not a Jew of Color.”

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• 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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