An emergency operation on Rosh Hashanah at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem tell a story that says more about Israeli identity than many take away from a visit to the Kotel. It’s all about who was in the operating room: a Russian-born Jewish surgeon, an ultra-Orthodox nurse, and an Arab anesthesiologist.
WATCH ›Grappling with Israel's Evolving Identity
"Part of the challenge for all of us," says Daniel Gordis, "is to become less wedded to our own positions than to an open engagement with a changing reality," says Israel analyst Daniel Gordis in the latest Defining Zionism session. In conversation with Anti-Defamation League National Director Jonathan Greenblatt, Gordis discusses writers and the soul of the Jewish state, a quintessential Israeli experience in a Hadassah operating room, competing narratives of Jews as survivors and pioneers, Palestinian self-determination, his new book, "Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn," and more.
Filmed live on November 18, 2016 at Temple Emanu-el's Skirball Center, in partnership with the Jewish Week. Presented here in five easy-to-watch (and share) clips.
DISCLAIMER: Hadassah is not affiliated with the featured speakers who participate in the Discussing/Defining Zionism series, or with their affiliated organizations. The opinions and viewpoints expressed by the speakers do not necessarily reflect Hadassah’s positions and Hadassah does not endorse or make any representations regarding the speaker or information presented by such speaker.
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Join Daniel Gordis as he discusses the following topics:
Must-See Israel: Diversity at Ein Kerem
Art, Poetry and the Soul of Israel
"Part of the challenge for all of us," says Daniel Gordis, "is to become less wedded to our own positions than to an open engagement with a changing reality," something Israel’s writers have demonstrated time and again.
WATCH ›
Like a DNA Strand: Intertwined
A look at how anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are tightly wound together. The end result is that it's hard to imagine what true Zionism would look like if allowed to thrive unfettered by anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
WATCH ›
From Zionism to Palestinian Self-Determination
"My belief in a Palestinian state stems from my Zionism," says Gordis. He shares his thoughts on the two-state solution and spotlights a Palestinian leader he thinks deserves to rise in the ranks of Palestinian leaders who can work toward peace.
WATCH ›
How the Shoah Shapes Israeli Thought
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Jews as victims? Jews as pioneers? How the legacy of early Zionism and the Holocaust create competing narratives.
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Defining Zionism in Easy-to-Watch Segments
The subject of Zionism is too important to rush through. Now you can enjoy Defining Zionism at your convenience.
Speakers are filmed in several short (3 to 5 minute) segments. Each segment is a different topic. This means you can “binge watch” a speaker’s videos all at once, or a couple at a time.
We encourage you to use the comment section to discuss these engaging videos and to let us know how you like the new format.
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