• REGISTRATION FORM

     

    Tenth Annual Jewish University for a Day - Online

    Sunday, April 18th

  • Thank you for joining Stony Brook Hillel for our tenth annual Jewish University for a Day! This year, we are thrilled to be partnering with: Hillel at Baruch, Hillels of Westchester, Hofstra Hillel, Hunter Hillel, Tanger Hillel at Brooklyn College, Schechter School of Long Island, and Queens College Hillel.

    We invite you to join us on Zoom for a prompt start at 9:30am on Sunday, April 18th. You can be assured that your transaction is secure and your information is kept private.

    All sessions will be recorded. If you miss a session, or want to rewatch a session, they will be available for 72 hours following the event to those who have registered. Information on how to access the recordings will be shared after the event.

     

    View our sponsorship opportunitites and event registration fees

    Click here for the schedule of the event

    Read more about our esteemed presenters

    Order books written by our presenters

  • SESSION 1 - The Arts

    9:30am-10:50am
  • SELECT ONE OF TWO OPTIONS:

     

    OPTION ONE - Have I Got A Cartoon for You!

    Presenter: Bob Mankoff

    Bob Mankoff grew up in Queens during the 1950s and 1960s.  As a kid, he visited the Borscht Belt and reveled in the hilarious performances of Jewish comedians such as Jerry Lewis, Buddy Hackett and Rodney Dangerfield. These early experiences helped shape Mankoff’s view of life and led him to become a master practitioner of humor and cartoons at some of the top publications in America, including the New Yorker, where he was a cartoonist and then Cartoon Editor. Most recently, Mankoff compiled “the best Jewish cartoon book ever”, with dozens of cartoons from a variety or Jewish artists. Mankoff talks about his career, Jewish humor, the creative process and shares his favorite cartoons.

     

    OPTION TWO - The Jewish Soul of Leonard Cohen

    Presenter: Michael Posner

    Leonard Cohen was not just a singer/songwriter poet and novelist. He was the quintessential seeker. He variously investigated Sufism, hare krishna, the I Ching, the demanding world of rinzai-hi Zen Buddhism, classic Christian texts, and finally the ancient Hindu wisdom of Advaita Vedanta. But through it all, he never abandoned his core belief in Judaism and the God of the Old Testament. Although elements of all his spiritual quests may be found in his work, it is his Jewish soul that ultimately speaks the most forcefully and eloquently. Cohen biographer Michael Posner will explore Cohen’s 50-year dialogue with Judaism.

  • By selecting an option below, you or anyone in your household may join either session, neither session, or both sessions for a multi-device household.

    All registered participants who are sharing an email address with us will be receiving the Zoom links to all of the sessions closer to the event.

  • (Session 2) Plenary - 18 Questions about God: My Journey as A Wondering Jew

    11:05am - 12:30pm
  • Presenter: Abigail Pogrebin

    For more than a decade, award-winning author and journalist Abigail Pogrebin has pursued two questions that have tugged at her: what does it mean to be Jewish, and how can one live a more meaningful Jewish life? For answers, she interviewed 62 of the most famous Jews in America---from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Joan Rivers, from Steven Spielberg to Natalie Portman—spent a year observing all 18 Jewish holidays and co-hosted the podcast Parsha in Progress with an Orthodox rabbi. Most recently, she took her boldest step yet: she asked a group of the country’s top rabbis and scholars a series of challenging questions about God. Pogrebin shares what she has learned about Judaism, and herself.

  • By selecting an option below, you are still welcome to not attend this session.

  • SESSION 3 - Politics and the World

    1:15pm-2:30pm
  • SELECT ONE OF TWO OPTIONS:

     

    OPTION ONE - Today's German Jews

    Presenter: Dekel Peretz

    More than 200,000 Jews live in Germany today during a period of rising anti-Semitism and right-wing extremism. A few are Holocaust survivors, many are Russian emigrees and Israelis. Why did they choose Germany? Why do they stay? What are their hopes for the future? This session will explore these questions with a live presentation from Berlin by Dr. Dekel Peretz, an Israeli resident of Germany who has been a top guide in Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden and the ShUM cities, the cradle of Ashkenazi tradition, for over a decade. He currently holds a PhD in German-Jewish history and spearheads efforts to rebuild the main sanctuary of the Fraenkelufer Synagogue, destroyed by the Nazis, as a community and cultural center.


    OPTION TWO - Israel, Now What?: The Prospects for War and Peace in the Mideast

    Presenter: Professor Shai Feldman

    A quarter century after Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, Israel is again dealing with a mix of uncertainty as it confronts the policies of a new U.S. administration, ongoing political turmoil at home, the strategic realignment of several Arab states and the uncertain fate of the Iran nuclear deal. Is the two-state solution permanently dead? Can Iran be contained? What policies should President Biden pursue?  What factors have radically changed Israel in the past 25 years? Are we closer to peace or war? Professor Shai Feldman, a top expert on strategic and nuclear issues in the region, and the new president of Israel's largest public college, provides his assessment.

  • By selecting an option below, you or anyone in your household may join either session, neither session, or both sessions for a multi-device household.

    All registered participants who are sharing an email address with us will be receiving the Zoom links to all of the sessions closer to the event.

  • SESSION 4 - Stony Brook Hillel Alumni Presenters

    2:45pm-4:00pm
  • SELECT ONE OF TWO OPTIONS:

     

    OPTION ONE - Crypto Jews: Coming Out of the Shadows 

    Presenter: Anna Correa, Stony Brook Class of 2020

    Since the Spanish Inquisition, crypto (hidden) Jews have been living in Latin America with two identities, originally suppressing their Jewishness to avoid persecution, but practicing in secret. The recent explosion in DNA testing has prompted a growing number of crypto-Jews to come out of the shadows, rediscover their roots and explore what the experience has meant for their families. This session will delve into the lives of two individuals who have traced back their secret Jewish identity to honor their ancestors and themselves, the presenter's own emotional experience and family history as a self-proclaimed “B’nei Anusim,” and what obstacles the incoming Latino population faces in re- entering the Jewish world.

     

    OPTION TWO - Jews and Tattoos

    Presenter: Andrew Zucker, Stony Brook Class of 2020

    The idea of Jews with tattoos may seem like a contradiction in terms. But despite a presumed Torah prohibition, a growing number of Jewish teens and young adults appear to be "getting inked," many with Jewish-related symbols, while some rabbis are debating both the interpretation of the prohibition and whether the prohibition is still relevant today. This presentation will explore the history of Jews and tattoos, the halachic debate and  answer one question every Jewish mother asks? Can someone with a tattoo be buried in a Jewish cemetery? The presenter's senior capstone project, including video interviews with students, serves as the basis for this presentation.

  • By selecting an option below, you or anyone in your household may join either session, neither session, or both sessions for a multi-device household.

    All registered participants who are sharing an email address with us will be receiving the Zoom links to all of the sessions closer to the event.

  • Participant One Information

  • Participant Two Information

    Participant two will be receiving the zoom links for ALL of the sessions to their email address and will be able to choice the courses they prefer at that time.
  • Sponsorship Opportunities and Event Pricing

     

    Your sponsorship of Jewish University for a Day helps Hillel achieve our mission to create a welcoming home for students to explore their relationship with Judaism, Israel, and each other.

    As a thank you for sponsoring Jewish University for a Day, your giving amount will result in recognition the day of the event as well as admission to the virtual program. Those who sponsor over $180 will be invited to an exclusive lunch time chat with our plenary speaker, Abigail Pogrebin. Sponsorships above the $540 level include a Stony Brook Hillel tote bag as well as one or two books of your choice from our esteemed presenters.

     

  • All sponsors of $540 or more will receive a book of their choice from one of our esteemed presenters

  • All sponsors of $1,000 or more will receive two books of their choice from our esteemed presenters. Pleae indicate your second book choice below.

  • Payment Information

  • Checks can be made out to Stony Brook Hillel and mailed to us directly at:

    Stony Brook Hillel
    Student Union Suite L11
    Stony Brook, NY 11794-3200

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