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Israel Today: A Conversation with Dr. Andrew Rehfeld
April 25, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Dr. Andrew Rehfeld, President of Hebrew Union College, will join us to share his critical insights into the current state of modern democracy in Israel. A leading political scientist and Professor of Political Thought, Dr. Rehfeld will address Israel’s position as a Jewish and pluralistic state during this time of conflict and turmoil and will consider the potential for advancing sustainable resolution in this challenging context.
Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., is the 10th President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. A leading political scientist and distinguished Jewish communal leader, Dr. Andrew Rehfeld’s career has bridged both the academic and Jewish professional worlds as tenured faculty member in Political Science at Washington University (2001-2019) and as President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis (2012-2019).
The author of The Concept of Constituency (Cambridge University Press, 2005), among many other scholarly articles, his academic research focuses on contemporary democratic theory, the history of political thought, and the philosophy of the social sciences.
He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science (2000) and a Master of Public Policy (1994) from the University of Chicago, and a B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, in the Philosophy Honors Program at the University of Rochester (1989).
Rehfeld is an advocate for pluralism, inclusion, and racial and social justice, and an activist in combatting antisemitism, advancing peace and security for the state of Israel, and strengthening the ties binding Jews worldwide.
This program will include a discussion of NATIONALISM WITHOUT KNEECAPPING: reflections on Zionism and particularism as a means to our universal ideals. At Israel faces a singular crisis of identity as a democratic state, how should we be responding? How do we inspire love of the Jewish People and Israel when that particularistic commitment can sometimes feel at odds with our universal commitments to Justice, Democracy, and Human Rights? HUC’s commitment to Liberal Zionism recognizes that Justice requires a deep and thick commitment to a particular community precisely in order to advance our universal values. Dr. Rehfeld will discuss the ongoing politics in Israel with these broader themes as the frame.