Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Park Avenue Synagogue Lecture Series seeks to engage top scholars and notable intellectuals to address the major challenges facing American Jewry and to generate transformative thinking towards the continued revitalization of the Jewish community.

The series will examine the substance and significance of the relationship between American Jewry and the modern State of Israel. How can we create two vibrant and mutually interdependent centers of world Jewry while recognizing the particular challenges and opportunities each faces?

For North American Jewry, Israel represents opportunities for both solidarity and alienation as a new generation engages with Israel very differently than their parents’ generation. Can North American Jewry be political and philanthropic stakeholders in Israel’s well-being and simultaneously voice criticism towards the country it defends so vigorously? To what degree does the Israeli Jewish community feel a shared destiny with world Jewry? How shall non-Orthodox Diaspora Jewry hold close a Jewish state that does not embrace or even recognize the Jewishness of its most ardent supporters?

This lecture series will open dialogue on these questions and many more. We shall explore the emerging narratives of Israeli and American Jewry and examine the points of contact and disconnect between the two. Representatives from across the political spectrum will share different recommendations on how to move forward, with an eye towards helping our community express its own voice in this critical conversation.

Cost per person:
$36/lecture

Click here to register for Dan Senor’s lecture.

Dan Senor
Dan Senor is an author, investor, and television commentator on global affairs. He is currently a senior advisor to Elliott Management, a New York-based investment fund. He is also adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to rejoining the investment management business, Dan was one of the longest serving civilian officials in Iraq, where he served in 2003 and 2004 as a Senior Adviser and the Chief Spokesperson for the U.S.-led Coalition. For his service, he was awarded the highest civilian honor by the Pentagon. Dan also served as a Pentagon adviser to Central Command in Qatar. Dan completed his BA at the University of Western Ontario and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; he completed his MBA at Harvard Business School. Dan is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle. He writes frequently for the Wall Street Journal, and has also been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, and Time.