Welcome Yehuda Kurtzer
November 17–19, 2026
About Yehuda Kurtzer
Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute and a leading thinker and author on the major challenges facing the Jewish people. Yehuda received his doctorate from Harvard University in ancient Judaism and rabbinics and served as the inaugural Chair of Jewish Communal Innovation at Brandeis University. Yehuda is a trusted voice on how to navigate the complicated moral, spiritual, and political questions of the day with depth and sophistication.
How do we remain a connected community when we don’t all think alike?
Programs for Every Part of Our Community
Whether you’re a high school student, a Jewish professional, or simply looking to explore Torah and Jewish learning, there’s something for you!
The Year of Civil Discourse is excited to welcome Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, to Louisville for three days of learning, conversation, and connection.
Across several programs, Yehuda will invite different parts of our community to explore questions of Jewish identity, Israel, belonging, disagreement, and what it means to remain a connected Jewish community even when we hold deeply different views.
Dialogue circles will take place before and after the series with Yehuda Kurtzer. If this is your first time in a dialogue session, or if you’ve already been participating, you’ll find something new to learn and discuss with others in the community.
Registration for dialogue circles accompanies event registration.
Pre-Event Dialogue Circles
Monday, November 9 – 5:30 – 7 p.m. at The Temple
Wednesday, November 11 – 5:30 – 7 p.m. at JFCS
Sunday, November 15 – 3 – 4:30 p.m. at the Trager Family JCC
Post-Event Dialogue Circles
Sunday, November 29 – 3 – 4:30 p.m. at the Trager Family JCC
Monday, November 30 – 5:30 – 7 p.m. at The Temple
Wednesday, December 2 – 12 – 1 p.m. at JFCS
Tuesday, November 17 | 5:00–7:00 p.m.
A program created especially for teens exploring what it means to be Jewish today. The conversation will look at Jewish identity and belonging, Israel, antisemitism, disagreement, and the questions young Jews are navigating in their relationships with the broader world.
For high school-age students.
Wednesday, November 18 | 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join Yehuda and Louisville clergy for a community Torah study connecting Jewish texts and tradition to the conversations at the heart of the Year of Civil Discourse.
Together, we’ll explore what Jewish tradition can teach us about disagreement, community, leadership, responsibility, and Jewish peoplehood.
Open to the community.
Wednesday, November 18 | 7:00–9:00 p.m.
How do we remain one community when we don’t all think alike?
Join Yehuda Kurtzer for an evening exploring some of the most important questions facing American Jewish life today: our evolving relationship with Israel, the different ways we understand Jewish identity and belonging, where communities draw boundaries, and how we create meaningful space for disagreement without allowing those differences to sever our relationships.
The evening will include conversation, reflection, and opportunities for audience participation.
Open to the Louisville Jewish community.
The Year of Civil Discourse creates opportunities for Louisville’s Jewish community to listen with curiosity, engage respectfully across differences, and strengthen our relationships with one another.
We hope you’ll join us for one—or more—of these opportunities.
This event is made possible in part by Jewish Heritage Fund