UND Jewish Studies Scholar Series with Dr. Tsachi Slater
2025-01-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | 3202 Shalom Way, South Bend, IN 46615 US
On Wednesday, January 8th at 7:00 PM, Dr. Tsachi (Isaac) Slater will offer an in person presentation called “Rewriting the People of the Book: Three Modern Jewish Perspectives on Textual Authority.” Dr. Slater is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Jewish Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The lecture will take place at the Jewish Federation and will include light refreshments and a musical prelude.

ABOUT THE TOPIC - What does it truly mean to be “the people of the book” in the modern world? As Jewish thought entered modernity, a fascinating debate emerged about the nature of our relationship with sacred texts. This talk explores three thinkers who challenged and reimagined this relationship in different ways: Ahad Ha’am, who called for Judaism to break free from its textual chains; Moses Leib Lilienblum, who paradoxically defended biblical sanctity from a secular standpoint; and Shmuel Alexandrov, who crafted a fusion of tradition and innovation.

Through their contrasting visions, we’ll uncover how our own positioning shapes the way we read and interpret canonical texts. Their insights invite us to reexamine our relationship with Jewish textual tradition and question anew what authority these ancient words hold in our modern lives.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER - Dr. Tsachi (Isaac) Slater is Postdoctoral Fellow in Jewish Theology & Culture at the University of Notre Dame and a historian of modern Jewish thought focusing on the integration of philosophy, sciences and political activism in 19th and 20th-century religious thought. His research interests include Jewish anarchism and pacifism, interreligious contacts (especially between Judaism and Orthodox Christianity) and the intersection of religious and national identities.
