UNIVERSITY FOR A DAY ON JEWISH SECULARISM
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A CONVERSATION ON JEWISH SECULARISM
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David Biale and Naomi Seidman address sessions at 'University for a Day'
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Videos from University for a Day are now online - click here to watch edited segments
On Saturday, March 12, the Posen Foundation co-sponsored two innovative public programs: University for a Day on Jewish Secularism and A Conversation on Jewish Secularism. Both events took place at The New School in New York City, which collaborated with the Posen Foundation and the Center for Cultural Judaism to make both programs a great success.
Attended by nearly 200 participants, University for a Day brought together a select group of scholars from throughout the U.S. and Israel to offer a day-long series of mini-courses on Jewish Secularism. Dr. David Biale, recipient of the 2011 UC–Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement, gave the keynote address: Not in the Heavens: The Premodern Roots of Jewish Secularism. Following Dr. Biale was Dr. Naomi Seidman (Graduate Theological Union), who discussed Secularization and Sexuality, and Elliot Ratzman (Temple University), who presented Jewtopias! The Jewish Romance with Communism, Zionism, and America. Other mini-courses included Seinfeld–A Secular Jewish Icon, Jewish Folklore as a Venue for Jewish Culture, Global Secular Jewish Societies, and Freud, Psychoanalysis, and the Secular Subject.
View the full program
The day-long program was followed by a highly successful evening event, A Conversation on Jewish Secularism. The evening program was moderated by NPR’s Robert Siegel and featured Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Betraying Spinoza and the recently published 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction, and Dr. David Biale, author of Not in the Heavens: The Tradition of Jewish Secular Thought. The three participated in a highly engaging discussion that touched on the intellectual roots of Jewish secularism (including thinkers such as Benedict Spinoza), modern, secular Jewish identity, and the role of Jewish religion in a secular world. A Conversation on Jewish Secularism attracted more than 250 attendees, who were invited to participate in a Q & A session following the conversation. Video from the event available soon!
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David Biale, Rebecca Goldstein and Robert Siegel at 'A Conversation on Jewish Secularism'
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