View the video of the event

Critical Conversations is an annual Spertus Institute program
that brings together high-profile experts and activists
to address the most critical issues of the day.

This year our presenters focused on antisemitism—its current
manifestations and what can be done to combat it,
both within and beyond Jewish communities.

Critical Conversations is generously funded
by the late Eric Joss.

2023 Presenters

Dr. Miriam F. Elman is Executive Director of the Academic Engagement Network, a DC-based organization that counters antisemitism and anti-Israel activities on college campuses. She is also the Research Director in the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC). In 2018, she was named one of “the top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life” by the Algemeiner.

Dr. Dov Waxman is an internationally recognized expert on topics including contemporary antisemitism and American Jewry’s relationship with Israel. He is a political science professor at UCLA, where he serves as director of the Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. He writes for publications including the Washington Post, Guardian, and Atlantic Monthly and is a frequent commentator on television and radio.

Nancy K. Kaufman served for many years as the CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) and for two decades as the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston. She is a senior advisor for the leadership team of SRE Network, a group of 150+ Jewish community organizations committed to safety, respect, and equity.

Dr. Lila Corwin Berman is a professor of history at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she directs the Feinstein Center for American Jewish History. She chairs the Academic Council of the American Jewish Historical Society and is a co-founder of the Jewish Philanthropy Research Initiative. Her current research examines the history of Jewish citizenship in the United States.

2023 Moderator

Dr. Dean P. Bell is Spertus Institute's President & CEO. In addition to his role at Spertus, Dr. Bell served as Associate Editor of the two-volume Antisemitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution.

This was Spertus Institute’s 2023
Alex and Klara Tulsky Presentation on the Jewish Future.

Thank you to sponsors AllianceBernstein and Levenfeld Pearlstein.