October 7^th and its aftermath marks a turning point for North American Jewry. Many Jews, traumatized by the atrocity of October 7^th, have fiercely defended Zionism and Israel’s war, while other Jews, horrified by the destruction of Gaza, have embraced anti-Zionism. Professor Shaul Magid will explore the possibilities of North American Jewish life that continue to critique Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people while reaching beyond both Zionism and anti-Zionism. He will argue for a constructive Diasporism that refocuses Jewish life away from Israel and within the communities in which we live.

Shaul Magid is Visiting Professor of Modern Judaism and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University. He previously taught Jewish Studies at Dartmouth, Indiana University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and Rice University. He was ordained in Jerusalem and has served as the rabbi of the Fire Island Synagogue since 1997. His many books and essays include, most recently, The Necessity of Exile: Essays from a Distance (Ayin Press, 2023) and Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical (Princeton University Press, 2021). He is a member of the American Academy for Jewish Research and the American Society for the Study of Religion. 

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