SAPIR Conversations

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman hosted a conversation about the conflict over free speech on college campuses with Nadine Strossen, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and Ilya Shapiro, the director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute. Strossen and Kenneth S. Stern co-authored “SJP Still Deserves Freedom of Speech” in Sapir‘s War in Israel special edition, while Shapiro recently published “Where Free Speech Ends and Lawbreaking Begins” in The Free Press.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman was joined by Einat Wilf, former member of the Israeli Knesset for the Labor Party, and Michael Koplow, chief policy officer of the Israel Policy Forum (IPF). They discussed the short- and long-term impacts and implications of the October 7 attacks on Israeli and American conceptions of Zionism.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman is joined by Rabbi David Wolpe, visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School and the Max Webb Emeritus Rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, and Dr. Mijal Bitton, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and rosh kehillah at the Downtown Minyan in New York City. They discuss their recent SAPIR essays — Wolpe’s “Wisdom in the Face of Destruction” and Bitton’s “That Pain You’re Feeling is Peoplehood“ — and delve into how Jewish tradition conceptualizes the responsibilities of the Jewish collective in a time of war.

SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman interviewed Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, and Joel Rubin, a longtime leader in progressive foreign policy and Jewish communities about "The Israel–Hamas War and the Future of American Progressive Coalitions." They discussed the challenges and complexities of navigating progressive communities and coalitions in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre of October 7.

Chanan Weissman, director of the SAPIR Institute, and Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute, discuss Yehuda’s recent trip to Israel, the deep trauma facing Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora, and the ethical considerations of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.

Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue, and Rachel Fish, co-founder of the nonprofit Boundless, discuss the geopolitical impact of the war in Israel, the implications for the American Jewish community, and our collective responsibilities during this crisis and beyond.

This Conversation is presented in partnership with Park Avenue Synagogue.

As the war in Israel continues, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens is joined by SAPIR author Reuel Marc Gerecht, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to discuss and contextualize Hamas' attacks with developments in the broader region, offering a perspective on the consequences of Iran's aggression and sponsorship of terrorism. They discuss what to expect as the conflict unfolds in the coming days and weeks.

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Jonathan Greenblatt and James Kirchick, authors of “Complicit: Big Tech and Antisemitism" and "Censorship Is Not a Jewish Value"

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Dahlia Lithwick and Avi Schick, authors of "Between Charlottesville and Jerusalem" and "New York’s New Untouchables"

Director of the SAPIR Institute Chanan Weissman interviews Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens about SAPIR's Antisemitism issue, including his article, “Three Falsehoods About Antisemitism – and One Truth.”

Professor Avi Bell and the Israel Democracy Institute's Jesse Ferris discuss the complexities of judicial reform in Israel. Moderated by SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens.

Director of The SAPIR Institute Chanan Weissman interviews Rabbi Deborah Waxman, author of “Israel Is in Danger of Losing American Jewry”.

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Daniel Gordis, author of "Israel Is Less Fragile Than We Feared, More Fragile Than We Imagine"

Daniella Greenbaum interviews SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens about the newest issue, Israel at 75 and his contribution on Israel as a world power.

SAPIR Associate Editor Felicia Herman interviews Rokhl Kafrissen, author of “ The Jewish Future Needs Yiddish ”

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Allegra Goodman, author of “Judaism Without Borders, Diaspora Without Tears”

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews John Podhoretz, author of “‘A Swinging Bunch of People’ No Longer”

In this episode, SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Rabbi David Wolpe, one of the contributors to SAPIR's new Ethics column, Shivim Panim, and author of "To Err is Human; To Disagree, Jewish" in our newest issue.

In this episode, SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens talks with Prof. Joshua Katz about his recent SAPIR article, The Culture of the Canceled

In this episode, SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens talks with commentator and novelist Lionel Shriver about her recent SAPIR article, Are the Good Guys Winning the Culture War?

In this episode of SAPIR: Journal of Jewish Conversations, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens invites Michael Sandel to discuss his article on the  Limits of Meritocracy

In this episode of SAPIR: Journal of Jewish Conversations, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens invites Anshel Pfeffer to discuss his article on Jewish Life in Wartime Ukraine.

In this episode of SAPIR: Journal of Jewish Conversations, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens invites Shuki Taylor and Ben Jacobs to discuss Jewish Education.

In this episode of SAPIR: Journal of Jewish Conversations, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens invites Bethany Mandel to discuss her article on how Homeschooling Might Just Be Your Answer

In this episode of SAPIR: Journal of Jewish Conversations, Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens invites Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch to discuss his article on how Judaism and Zionism Are Inseparable

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Tune in to hear one of Britain's leading historians, Andrew Roberts, talk to Bret Stephens about the state of Europe and what his home country can learn from Israel. Read Roberts' piece in SAPIR here.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

How do we ensure that Judaism is carried on from generation to generation? In his article for the third issue of SAPIR, Rabbi Cosgrove identified a path forward aimed at reinvigorating a searching American Jewry. “It is only by way of mitzvot, the positive acts of Jewish identification, the language and behaviors of the Jewish religion, that Judaism will survive,” he writes. “Mitzvot are the mystic chords, the commitments and commandments by which one Jew connects to another–and, belief permitting, to God.” Cosgrove and SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens discussed this article and the ways the American Jewish community intersects with today’s cultural, social, and political issues in this live event at Park Avenue Synagogue.

In this fascinating conversation, Yossi Klein Halevi, Chloe Valdary, and Blake Flayton discuss the future of Zionism and the Jewish relationship with other communities. Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

In this especially timely discussion, Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Iranian-targets officer in the Central Intelligence Agency and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies discusses his contribution to SAPIR, which examines how Iran’s path toward nuclear weapons might ultimately be stopped (and whether Israeli military action may be necessary). Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Our guests take a deeper dive into their SAPIR contribution on reimagining a gap year program in Israel for every young Jew. Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Dara Horn and Bret Stephens discuss Horn’s contribution to our fourth issue – Dreams for Living Jews. Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Jonathan Rosenblum and Bret Stephens discuss Rosenblum’s contribution to our third issue – More Unites Us Than Divides us: A Haredi perspective. We explore ideas that are already bringing Jews from a wide variety of backgrounds together in Israel, and whether some of those lessons might translate in America.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, and Josef Joffe. What is the outlook for Jews in Europe? For Jews in America? Our three guests have written pieces exploring these questions. Be sure to read their pieces linked below:

Annika Hernroth-Rothstein: Two Weddings and a Sorrowful Wife

Josef Joffe: American Jews: A Threat Report

Bret Stephens: Is There a Future for American Jews?

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Howard Jacobson about his article "Advice to a Jewish Freshman" from Issue 3 of SAPIR.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Liel Leibovitz about his article "Seven Pillars of Wisdom for 21st Century Jews" from Issue 3 of SAPIR.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews James Kirchick about his article "Our Duty to Be Unimpressed" from Issue 1 of SAPIR.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Thane Rosenbaum about his article "The Eclipse of Jewish Cultural Power" and the Jewish role in American culture.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Ambassador Gold about his article Israel Enters The Modern World," the power and limits of diplomacy, and new opportunities for Israel in the Middle East.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Bret Stephens interviews Professor Ruth Wisse about her contribution to SAPIR’s second issue, The Allure of Powerlessness.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

NYU Professor and Author of Coddling of the American Mind, Jonathan Haidt interviews psychologist and writer Pamela Paresky about her SAPIR article "Critical Race Theory and the 'Hyper-White' Jew."

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens interviews Rabbi David Wolpe about his article "Social Justice for Moderns," recent events in Israel, our current discourse on social media and elsewhere, and what it portends for the future.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

Matti Friedman's contribution to SAPIR - "Eight Tips for Reading about Israel"- went viral during the most recent conflict between Israel and Gaza in May. Bret Stephens interviews Matti about his piece and how to read the news with a critical eye.

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.

SAPIR Editor-in-Chief Bret Stephens and Einat Wilf discuss her article for the inaugural issue, "How Not to Think About the Conflict."

Follow SAPIR Conversations so you'll never miss new episodes! You can also visit the "Conversations" page on our website to register for upcoming events and sign up for our email newsletter.