Book events

Events to come

My Second Favorite Country Book Launch: A Conversation with Sivan Zakai

June 2, 2022
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. ET via Zoom

Israel has long occupied a prominent place in the lives and imaginations of American Jews, serving as both a symbolic touchstone and a source of intercommunal strife. In his forthcoming book, My second favorite country, Sivan Zakai offers the first longitudinal study of how Jewish American children come to think and feel about Israel, tracking the evolution of their conceptions from kindergarten through fifth grade. Ultimately, she suggests that to take children’s ideas seriously and better prepare them for a world full of disagreements, a substantial shift in educational practices is needed.

In a discussion with panelists during this webinar, Zakai will explore implications for Jewish education theory and practice in light of key findings from the longitudinal study and findings from his book.

My second favorite country will be available in late June from NYU Press.

Register now

Book Launch Portraits of Adult Jewish Learning: A Conversation with Diane Tickton-Schuster

Fall 2022
through Zoom

Doing the Shabbat Book Launch: A Conversation with Joe Reimer

Fall 2022
through Zoom

Past events

Inside Jewish Day Schools: A Conversation with Alex Pomson and Jack Wertheimer

Book cover Inside Jewish Day SchoolsThursday March 24
through Zoom

What can we learn from the carefully crafted portraits of nine reputable Jewish day schools that vary in size, location, sponsorship, ideological orientation? How are these schools doing their job and how are school leaders responding to the pressing challenges facing day schools in the 21st century?

Authors Alex Pomson and Jack Wertheimer shared highlights from their 2022 book, Inside Jewish Day Schools: Leadership, Learning, and Community and responded to comments and questions from Amanda Pogany (Luria Academy), Daniel Held (UJA Federation of Greater Toronto) and Susie Tanchel (Hebrew College). Sharon Feiman-Nemser (Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education) moderated the discussion.