JTS in your community

The Department of Community Development strives to increase the presence of JTS across the globe with public lectures and events, community programming, and adult education programs.

Regional Programming

To better serve the greater Conservative community, JTS maintains offices offering programming in the following areas:

Public Lectures and Conferences

Each year, JTS’s public lectures and conferences feature engaging personalities who tackle modern issues through a Jewish lens. These events, which are open to the community, provide a forum in which scholars, writers, and community leaders can explore the vital topics that affect our lives.

JTS Community Calendar

Our distinguished faculty speak across the country on a variety of Jewish issues throughout the year. This calendar highlights upcoming events that our faculty are participating in across the country.

Date

Location

Time

Details

March 9

The Tikvah Center for Law & Jewish Civilization at NYU School of Law

6:00–8:00 p.m.

Dr. Benjamin Sommer participates in an event entitled, "From the Bible to Kabbalah and Back: A Conversation"

March 11

The Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick, NJ

5:30–6:30 p.m.

Dr. Benjamin Sommer delivers a plenary address on "Dating Biblical Texts and the Perils of Pseudo-Historicism" at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the American Academy of Religion.

March 12–14

The United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong

Various

Dr. Alan Cooper serves as the scholar-in-residence to celebrate their twentieth anniversary.

March 14

Temple Emanuel, Woodcliff Lake, NJ

11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Dr. Benjamin Sommer lectures on "When Does Passover End? A Close Look at a Deceptively Simple Psalm."

March 19–21

Congregation Adath Israel, Merion, PA

Various

Dr. Shuly Schwartz serves as the scholar-in-residence, discussing a range of topics.

For additional information and to RSVP contact the Adath Israel office at (610) 934-1919.

April 16–17

Congregations Agudas Achim and Tifereth Israel, Columbus, OH

Various

Dr. Alan Cooper is the scholar-in-residence, discussing "Femininity and Biblical Law."

April 22

Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA

9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Dr. Benjamin Sommer delivers the keynote lecture entitled "A Little Higher than Angels: Heavenly Worship in the Book of Psalms and Early Judaism" at the Biblical Exegesis as Mystical Experience in Judaism and Christianity conference.

April 26

Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, New York, NY

7:00 p.m.

Dr. Beth Berkowitz discusses, "Christians and Jews Imagining Difference: Leviticus 18 and 'Their Laws'"
as part of the
"5 Scholars on the 5 Books" lecture series.
Seminary Shabbat

Students at JTS are taking a leadership role in supporting the spiritual needs of communities across the country through the JTS Seminary Shabbat program. Seminary Shabbat is a unique opportunity to witness firsthand the education of a future Jewish leader as students speak, teach, and engage members of their host community.

View the Seminary Shabbat schedule to see when we will be in your local synagogue. Questions about the program can be directed to Rabbi Abigail Treu.

The Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies

The Finkelstein Institute continues to provide a venue for advancing the dialogue at the intersection of religion and public affairs. The institute sponsors conferences on the theoretical, political, and theological dimensions of the controversial role of religion in liberal democracies, both in the United States and abroad, examining issues such as the role of virtue in liberal societies and the place of religion in national self-definition. The institute also sponsors conferences on the separation of church and state and bioethical issues such as stem cell research and cloning.

Community Development

Under the rubric of Friends of JTS, the Office of Community Development works closely with Conservative synagogues to create engaging adult education programs including: scholars-in-residence, videoconference learning, and Seminary Shabbatot. We tailor programming to fit each individual synagogue's need.