Wise Hybrid Learning

YOU DON’T NEED TO GO FAR TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

From hundreds of miles away, experience great thinkers and ideas up close and personal.

How many times has your interest been piqued by a speaker or topic on Judaism, only for you to learn that the lecture was happening in New York, L.A. or even Israel? Wise Hybrid Learning brings conversations with the world’s most renowned Jewish thinkers directly to you, either in person or via Zoom.

Questions? Contact Celeste Lawler at 513.793.2997 or clawler@wisetemple.org

2023-2024 Schedule

Tree of Life: A Documentary Screening and Talk-Back

Bettina Ernst

January 14

Wise Temple member, current college student, and young filmmaker Bettina Ernst produced a documentary about a special Czech Torah Scroll and its journey from URJ Kutz Camp in New York to Prague, where it is playing a central role in the revival of the Czech Progressive Jewish Community. Join her for this special screening and discussion. 

Jewish Comic Book Characters

Dr. Jennifer Caplan, Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Chair in Judaic Studies, University of Cincinnati

February 11

Jennifer Caplan highlights the curious history of some of Marvel and DC Comics’ most notable Jewish characters. We will discuss the histories of Magneto, The Thing, Ragman, and Kitty Pride with a particular focus on the way Jewish writers and non-Jewish writers envisioned the characters differently.

Great Voices, Civil Rights and American
Jewry

Dr. Gary
Zola, American Jewish Archives & Hebrew Union College

March 10

Over the course of American history, rabbis and prominent members of the Jewish community frequently championed the cause of religious liberty and freedom of conscience. Professor Gary Zola will introduce us to the many ways in which American Jewry fought for “equal footing” under the law for themselves and, in the process of doing so, for others. This session will introduce participants to several remarkable primary source documents that illustrate American Jewry’s significant contributions to the process of broadening civil liberties in the American nation.

A Conversation with a Reform Rabbi in
Israel

Rabbi Ayala
Samuels

April 14

Rabbi Ayala Samuels, the current chair of Maram: Council of Reform Rabbis in Israel, joins in conversation with Rabbi Kamrass. What is the state of Reform religious thought and practice in Israel, and how is the rapidly changing Israeli political landscape impacting progressive Judaism in Israel?