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Stuart Schoffman

Stuart Schoffman is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and editor of its new magazine, “Havruta: A Journal of Jewish Conversation.” He began his writing career at Time magazine, served for 17 years as a columnist at the Jerusalem Report, and publishes and lectures widely, combining Jewish scholarship with current events. Prior to his aliyah in 1988, he worked in Los Angeles as a screenwriter, and has taught film at USC and Tel Aviv University. He wrote the recent documentary “Eyes Wide Open,” which explores the experience of American Jews visiting Israel. His translations from Hebrew include books by the Israeli authors David Grossman and A.B. Yehoshua. A native New Yorker, he is a graduate of the Yeshivah of Flatbush, Harvard, and Yale.

Israel in the Movies

Arts and Performance, Israel, Teen Approved

Israeli films are getting better all the time, winning awards in many countries. We will watch and discuss scenes that reflect the Israeli experience and raise challenging questions of ethics and Jewish identity. We will also discuss how Israel is portrayed in American movies.

Pluralism and the Jewish Personality

Identity and Responsibility, Teen Approved

Two Jews, three opinions, goes the joke: we are hard-wired for pluralism. We shall see how pluralism is rooted in traditional religious sources, and discuss its future. Does pluralism have its limits?

Why Israel Matters

Identity and Responsibility, Israel, Teen Approved

Every conscious Jew today lives with Israel as a fact of their lives. How does Israel affect you, even if you don’t live there? What role should American Jews play with regard to Israel? An insider’s view, buttressed by Jewish texts old and new.

Peace and Truth in the Jewish Tradition

Identity and Responsibility, Teen Approved

For the sake of peace, is it permissible to bend the truth? Fascinating stories from rabbinic texts explore the themes of peace, truth and reconciliation -- among Jews, and between Jews and other people. We will carefully study these texts as a group.

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