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Part of our spring learning series, Israel at a Crossroads—Expanding the Conversation 

With Dr. Arnold M. Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought; Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership; and Rabbi Gordon Tucker,  Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement 

In a time of deep internal division and existential challenges for Israel, what are the most urgent issues facing the Jewish state today—and how can American Jews meaningfully engage? Professor Arnold M. Eisen, Rabbi Gordon Tucker, and Rabbi Ayelet Cohen of 91¿ì²¥ had a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation based on the themes that emerged at the Israel at a Crossroads Convening. Together, they explored how Jewish values can guide us in responding to this critical moment: bridging divides, sustaining hope, and strengthening our collective future. 

About the Series

This series builds on the discussions from 91¿ì²¥â€™s Israel at the Crossroads convening, bringing 91¿ì²¥ alumni into conversation about the evolving challenges of Israeli identity, culture, and collective resilience. Through explorations of art, spirituality, and national memory, we will consider how Israeli society navigates questions of belonging, pluralism, and meaning in this complex moment. By engaging voices from across disciplines, Expanding the Conversation seeks to illuminate the ways individuals and communities are shaping Israel’s cultural and spiritual landscape today. 

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Part of the series, Israel at a Crossroad — Expanding the Conversation

With Rabbi Naomi Kalish, Harold and Carole Wolfe Director of the Center for Pastoral Education, 91¿ì²¥, and Rabbi Annabelle Tenzer, Chaplain at Hadassah Hospital-Ein Kerem

Trigger Warning–this program includes descriptions of violence and trauma.

How do individuals experiencing trauma find the strength to support others in crisis? Rabbi Naomi Kalish, Harold and Carole Wolfe Director of the Center for Pastoral Education at 91¿ì²¥, discusses this and other topics withRabbi Annabelle Tenzer, chaplain at Hadassah Hospital-Ein Kerem. Together, they will explore how trauma survivors can also serve as caregivers and highlight key organizations working to provide emotional and spiritual support. This conversation offers insights into resilience, compassion, and communal care in times of crisis.

About the Speakers

Rabbi Naomi Kalish is the Harold and Carole Wolfe Director of the Center for Pastoral Education and assistant professor of Pastoral Education. Prior to coming to 91¿ì²¥, Rabbi Kalish taught clinical pastoral education (CPE) at New York–Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) to students from diverse religious, denominational, national, and cultural backgrounds. Rabbi Kalish has served on the Interprofessional Education Faculty at Columbia University Medical Center, where she has taught a course, Spirituality and Healthcare, to students in diverse healthcare educational programs. She has taught chaplaincy and pastoral care courses and programs for the Academy for Jewish Religion, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Yeshivat Maharat, and 91¿ì²¥.

Rabbi Annabelle Herciger-Tenzer serves as a chaplain at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where she offers spiritual care to patients, families, and staff. She previously worked at the hospice of the French Hospital in Jerusalem, supporting individuals and families at life’s most tender moments. Ordained as Rabbi at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem where she certified in spiritual care, she offers an approach grounded in Jewish tradition and enriched by decades of personal and professional experience.

About the Series

This series builds on the discussions from 91¿ì²¥â€™s Israel at the Crossroads convening, bringing 91¿ì²¥ alumni into conversation about the evolving challenges of Israeli identity, culture, and collective resilience. Through explorations of art, spirituality, and national memory, we will consider how Israeli society navigates questions of belonging, pluralism, and meaning in this complex moment. By engaging voices from across disciplines, Expanding the Conversation seeks to illuminate the ways individuals and communities are shaping Israel’s cultural and spiritual landscape today. 

Download Sources

Part of our series,Israel at a Crossroads—Expanding the Conversation

With Rabbi Matt Berkowitz, President-elect, The Schechter Institutes, Inc.

On January 29, 1902, Boris Schatz wrote a letter to Theodor Herzl about establishing an art school in Palestine; in 1903, the two met in Vienna and Schatz pleaded the case for a revolution of visual art that would accompany the nascent Zionist Movement.  He received Herzl’s blessing, and that meeting led to the founding of the Bezalel School in 1906.  Art became a powerful language for the national aspirations of the Jewish people. 

In this session, we explored classical works of pre-State and Israeli art that reflect the ethos of the Zionist vision.  Visual art and the artists behind these creations were in animated conversation with classical and modern Zionist voices.  We reflected on the extent to which the material artistic culture of Israel reflects and engages compelling spiritual and national visions of Zionism and a State for the Jews, in light of current events and the ways artists and cultural institutions are responding to this moment. 

Rabbi Matt Berkowitz is the incoming president of Schechter Institutes, Inc., Jerusalem, and is an artist and founding partner of Kol HaOt, a studio project that weaves art and Jewish learning together in compelling and cutting-edge ways.  He was ordained by and worked for 91¿ì²¥ of America for 24 years. 

About the Series

This series builds on the discussions from 91¿ì²¥â€™s Israel at the Crossroads convening, bringing 91¿ì²¥ alumni into conversation about the evolving challenges of Israeli identity, culture, and collective resilience. Through explorations of art, spirituality, and national memory, we will consider how Israeli society navigates questions of belonging, pluralism, and meaning in this complex moment. By engaging voices from across disciplines, Expanding the Conversation seeks to illuminate the ways individuals and communities are shaping Israel’s cultural and spiritual landscape today. 

This series builds on the discussions from 91¿ì²¥â€™s Israel at the Crossroads convening, bringing 91¿ì²¥ alumni into conversation about the evolving challenges of Israeli identity, culture, and collective resilience. Through explorations of art, spirituality, and national memory, we will consider how Israeli society navigates questions of belonging, pluralism, and meaning in this complex moment. By engaging voices from across disciplines, Expanding the Conversation seeks to illuminate the ways individuals and communities are shaping Israel’s cultural and spiritual landscape today.