Why Do We Pray?
For many modern Jews, prayer raises more questions than answers. In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer reflects on Hartman’s latest limited podcast series Thoughts & Prayers, and explores some of the centra...
14 Apr 39min
Staying Human in the Age of AI — with David Zvi Kalman (Re-release)
This episode was originally released on October 13, 2025 At a time of unprecedented leaps in technology and ethical questions about artificial intelligence, one scholar seeks answers from an unlik...
7 Apr 53min
A Hollywood Midrash: The Making of The Prince of Egypt
Can a Hollywood blockbuster be the most important piece of Passover liturgy produced in a generation? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Rabbi Professor Burt Visotzk...
31 Mar 54min
What Do We Owe the Stranger? — with Seyla Benhabib
What happens when liberal democracies stop seeing dignity as a universal right and begin treating it as something reserved for insiders? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down w...
24 Mar 45min
The Zionist Paratroopers and the Meaning of Heroism — with Matti Friedman
What do our narratives of heroism do for the Jewish people—and what do they hide? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with journalist and author Matti Friedman to discuss his...
17 Mar 44min
Teaching Jewish History in America — with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
What does it mean to tell Jewish stories in a moment of political polarization and distortion? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela to exa...
10 Mar 53min
Purim and Diaspora Power— with Barbara Spectre
In the Megillah, Jewish safety depends on proximity to power — passing, hiding, and selectively revealing, and all the fraught calculations that come with minority life. On this episode of Identity/C...
3 Mar 47min
On Not Standing Idly By
When immigration policies turn violent and inhumane, how do we decide when to show up, who we stand beside, and what we’re willing to risk when the stakes feel both immediate and overwhelming? Thi...
24 Feb 30min
