The Tikvah Fund is White Christian Nationalism: "Jewish" Leadership Conference led by Bill Barr and Hillsdale College
David Shasha
The Rising Generation:
Will Our Children Defend America, Israel, and Jewish Civilization?SUNDAY,
OCTOBER 29, 2023 | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL, NEW YORK CITYLIMITED SEATS REMAINING. RSVP TODAY.
Dear friends,
Students have been back in school for a few weeks now. From the youngest children to the women and men studying at universities, the possibility and promise of a new school year stand before us. All of us can remember teachers who have made a profound difference in our lives; and at their best, schools can play an indispensable role in the perpetuation of Jewish life. Alongside parents, teachers transmit the sacred and civilizing wisdom of the Jewish tradition and Western culture to the rising generation.
But many parents are worried these days, and they have reason to be. Political activism has crowded out of the curriculum deeper, more lasting forms of learning. Students today are forced to navigate through a world changed irrevocably by new technologies. And anti-Semitism has returned to American public life. All of that is challenge enough. But on top of it all, parents are worried about something even more fundamental and precious. Even when the classroom manages to avoid political sloganeering, and technology is wisely controlled, still the Jewish moral and intellectual traditions that have dazzled the world for more than two thousand years are slipping through our fingers.
I have the privilege of editing Tikvah’s magazine of Jewish thought and culture, Mosaic, and of hosting our weekly podcast. In the course of that work, I get to collaborate with outstanding writers, educators, rabbis, and public servants, and so I have the opportunity to think about everything that matters to the Jews. It’s at this time of year that I can’t help but wonder about the most important civilizational question: how are our children going to think about these things when it’s their turn to shoulder the Jewish inheritance?
Those are the concerns that animate this year’s Jewish Leadership Conference. Will our children come to see why the United States deserves our gratitude and our devotion? Will our children come to understand why Israel is truly indispensable for the Jewish people, and for the world? Will the rising generation of Jewish students form a secure link in Judaism’s golden chain?
On Sunday, October 29 in New York City, the Jewish Leadership Conference will convene some of the most interesting voices in the Jewish and educational worlds together with Tikvah’s community of parents, friends, and supporters. Among other guests and speakers, joining us this year will be:
- A keynote discussion between former attorney general William Barr, former solicitor general Paul Clement, and Princeton University professor Robert George on religion, education, and the courts
- Ruth Wisse and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on the arts of Jewish formation and the purposes of Jewish learning
- Larry Arnn and Alana Newhouse on building institutions
- Elliott Abrams and Eric Cohen on how to revitalize Jewish education in the United States
- Dan Senor, Michael Doran, and Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer on the future of Israeli democracy
This year, the Jewish Leadership Conference will confer Tikvah’s annual Herzl Prize on the eminent writer and teacher Leon Kass, and we will award Jennifer and David Millstone with our inaugural Jewish Parents Forum prize.
Please note space is extremely limited. All contributions support Tikvah's educational work and are tax-deductible less $125 per person. If you have any questions, you can reach out to Alexandra Rosenberg, Tikvah's Senior Director of Development, by email (arose...@tikvahfund.org) or by phone (646-218-9022).
I look forward to seeing you next month,
Jonathan Silver
Warren R. Stern Senior Fellow of Jewish Civilization
Co-Chair, Jewish Leadership Conference