- This event has passed.
2nd Annual Living the Jewish American Experience Lecture Series
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: Dell JCC
Join us for the second annual Living the American Jewish Experience lecture featuring Dr. Dean P. Bell, President and CEO of the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, who will speak on “Jews Have Never Lived in a Vacuum: Interreligious Engagement and the American Jewish Experience”.
An expert on the history of Jews’ interactions with other religions and groups, Dr. Bell will use that lens to present new ways to think about interreligious engagements for today and the future.
Since arriving in New Amsterdam (now Manhattan, NY) in 1654, Jews have been actively engaged in, and significantly affected, by the broader social, economic, political, cultural, and religious trends and developments around them. They have experienced significant accomplishments as well as significant challenges. Jews’ thinking about their religion and their relationships with other Jews and non-Jews have evolved as they have navigated their place in a democratic and generally welcoming American society.
Today, the age-old concerns of Jews and their communities are often front-page news. Dr. Bell will offer us an insightful perspective of a 372-year journey as America begins to celebrate 250 years since declaring its independence and establishing itself as a place where, for the for first time in the modern era, Jews might enjoy all the rights and privileges of all other citizens.
