To Be or Not to Be: The Jewish American Paradox

To Be or Not to Be: The Jewish American Paradox

Tuesday at 12:00pm PDT

 How can Jews who have different values, perspectives, and relationships with their faith, keep the community open, vibrant, and thriving? Jews in America are in a period of unprecedented status and impact, but for many their identity as Jews--religiously, historically, culturally--is increasingly complicated. Many are becoming Jews without Judaism. It appears success and acceptance will accomplish what even the most virulent anti-Semitism never could---if not the disappearance of Jews themselves, the undermining of what it means to be Jewish. In this thoughtful, personal, deeply reasoned book, Robert Mnookin explores the conundrums of Jewish identity, faith, and community in America by delving deep into Jewish history, law, and custom. Mnookin and AJU’s President Jeffrey Herbst will explore the head, heart, and heritage of Judaism and confront key challenges in the Jewish debate from the issue of intermarriage to the matter of Israeli policies. Buy the book Here.

Robert H. Mnookin is the Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, the Director of the Harvard Negotiation Research Project, and for twenty five years chaired the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. Professor Mnookin has applied his interdisciplinary approach to negotiation and conflict resolution to a remarkable range of problems; both public and private. He has written or edited ten books and numerous scholarly articles.  In his most recent books are Kissinger The Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Levels (with J. Sebenius and R.N. Burns) and The American Jewish Paradox: Embracing Choice in a Changing World”. An experienced mediator, Mnookin has also facilitated several “track-two” confidential meetings related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dr. Jeffrey Herbst is the fourth president of American Jewish University.  At AJU, he has focused on promoting innovation in the university’s academic programs.  He has also supported the growth of the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, expansion of the B’Yachad/Together digital platform, and capital improvements on the Brandeis-Bardin Campus. Prior to joining AJU, Dr. Herbst was president and CEO of the Newseum and the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC. From 2010 to 2015, he was president of Colgate University, where among other accomplishments he is credited with helping the university complete its nearly half billion-dollar fundraising campaign, leading the development and initial implementation of a university-wide strategic plan, and increasing the diversity and academic caliber of its educational programming. Dr. Herbst earned his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University, and a master’s degree and doctorate in political science from Yale University. He is the author of the award-winning “States and Power in Africa” and, with several co-authors, the just-published “Making Africa Work.”