In Jewish thought, there is a profound distinction between a מלחמת רשות Milchemet Rishut, a permitted war, and a מלחמת מצוה Milchemet Mitzvah, a necessary war. Embedded in this distinction are the ethics that infuse a document that animates the spirit of Israel’s military, רוח צה״ל Ruach Tzahal. We will study that document and consider its applicability in the aftermath of October 7th. This program is part of our “Where Are You In Relation to Israel?” series. New participants are welcome at any time.

Register: t-b-s.me/relations

During our series, our topic titles will include:

• Israel in Perspective: Zionism as a Response to Modernity
• Israel in Perspective: The Zionist Idea
• One State, Many Midwives
• A State of Ideals is not the Same as an Ideal State
• Be Careful What You Pray For
• Not All Wars Are the Same
• The Story of Hatikvah

All sessions will be recorded. Rabbi Elyse Pincus Abrahams will be joining Rabbi Katzew throughout the series to bring additional wisdom and insight.

Our Teacher: Rabbi Jan Katzew

Rabbi Katzew, PhD is Associate Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought and Education and Senior Educator of the EMA Program at HUC-JIR. After serving for six years as rabbi/educator at The Community Synagogue in Port Washington, NY, Jan became a Jerusalem Fellow and earned a doctorate at the Hebrew University in Jewish Thought and Education. For fifteen years Jan led a team of educators at the Union for Reform Judaism that was responsible for designing, developing, and implementing curricular resources for early childhood centers, congregational schools, day schools and adult learning communities throughout the world. Since its inception in 2008, Jan has been a senior consultant to the iCenter for Israel Education, mentoring students from multiple graduate schools and seminaries to become Israel educators, a task made even more important after October 7, 2023. Jan is the author of popular and scholarly articles in multiple fields that include Interfaith dialogue, Mussar, Medieval Hebrew Poetry, Israel Education, Moral Development, and educational philosophy and practice.

Since 1948, many prayers for the State of Israel have been created. We will study several different versions of the prayer, each of which reflects the articulated relationship of a movement or an individual Jew to the State of Israel. This program is part of our “Where Are You In Relation to Israel?” series. New participants are welcome at any time.

Register: t-b-s.me/relations

During our series, our topic titles will include:

• Israel in Perspective: Zionism as a Response to Modernity
• Israel in Perspective: The Zionist Idea
• One State, Many Midwives
• A State of Ideals is not the Same as an Ideal State
• Be Careful What You Pray For
• Not All Wars Are the Same
• The Story of Hatikvah

All sessions will be recorded. Rabbi Elyse Pincus Abrahams will be joining Rabbi Katzew throughout the series to bring additional wisdom and insight.

Our Teacher: Rabbi Jan Katzew

Rabbi Katzew, PhD is Associate Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought and Education and Senior Educator of the EMA Program at HUC-JIR. After serving for six years as rabbi/educator at The Community Synagogue in Port Washington, NY, Jan became a Jerusalem Fellow and earned a doctorate at the Hebrew University in Jewish Thought and Education. For fifteen years Jan led a team of educators at the Union for Reform Judaism that was responsible for designing, developing, and implementing curricular resources for early childhood centers, congregational schools, day schools and adult learning communities throughout the world. Since its inception in 2008, Jan has been a senior consultant to the iCenter for Israel Education, mentoring students from multiple graduate schools and seminaries to become Israel educators, a task made even more important after October 7, 2023. Jan is the author of popular and scholarly articles in multiple fields that include Interfaith dialogue, Mussar, Medieval Hebrew Poetry, Israel Education, Moral Development, and educational philosophy and practice.