The Jewish Studies Program
The Jewish Studies Program supports regular course offerings in the literature and history of Second Temple Judaism, contributes to educational opportunities in the local community, and fosters interfaith dialogue rooted in a better understanding of Judaism and Christianity.
Kabbalah and the Founding of America
Fall 2023
The Louis and Frieda Cristol Endowment for Academic Programming in Jewish Studies presents "Kabbalah and the Founding of America" featuring Dr. Brian Ogren, Professor of Judaic Studies at Rice University.
Correcting Misrepresentations of Jews and Judaism in the Classroom, the Pulpit, and the Public Sphere
FALL 2023
The Louis and Frieda Cristol Endowment for Academic Programming in Jewish Studies presents "Correcting Misrepresentations of Jews and Judaism in the Classroom, the Pulpit, and the Public Sphere" featuring Dr. Chris Seeman, Professor of Theology at Walsh University.
Hate, Holocaust, and the Search for Humanity
Spring 2022
In Spring 2022, The TCU Department of Religion, worked with partners from Brite Divinity School and in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, to present the Hate, Holocaust, and the Search for Humanity Symposium, a series of events concerning the Holocaust and antisemitism.
Gates of Chai
Each fall, the Jewish Studies Program hosts the Annual Gates of Chai Lectureship in Contemporary Judaism. The lecture promotes informed, dynamic public dialogue and education on issues of relevance in contemporary Judaism. It is endowed through the generosity of Gates of Chai, Inc., in memory of Larry Kornbleet, and those family members of Stanley and Marcia Kornbleet Kurtz who perished in the Holocaust.
Previous Gates of Chai Speakers
1998 Chaim Potok, Authority and Rebellion: The Writer and the Community
1999 Rabbi Harold Kushner, How Good Do We Have to Be?
2000 Elie Wiesel, The Seduction and Dangers of Fanaticism
2001 Morris Dees, Responding to Hate: Voices of Hope and Tolerance
2002 Susan Estrich, Power, Politics and Social Justice in Contemporary Judaism
2003 Joel Siegel, Being Jewish in America
2004 Thomas Cahill, The Gifts of the Jews
2005 Bruce Feiler, Can we All Get Along? Jewish Perspective on Building Bridges Among Religions
2006 Ambassador Dennis Ross, Facilitating Peace in the Middle East
2007 Dr. Susannah Herschel with Rabbi Irwin Kula, Reversing the Gaze: Ideology, Identity and the Bible in the 21st Century
2008 Rabbi Harold Kushner, A Jewish-Christian Perspective on Atheism
2009 Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Human Rights: Are They Universal?
2010 Dr. Carol Meyers, Holy Land Archaeology: Past Meets Present
2011 Amy-Jill Levine, Jesus and Jewish-Christian Relations: Problems and Possibilities
2012 Dr. Burton L. Visotzky, In Abraham’s Tent: Jewish, Christian & Muslim Relations
2013 Judith Clurman and Dr. Bruce L. Ruben, Jewish Identity on Broadway
2014 Dr. Ted Merwin, Dressing for Success: Clothing and Jewish Identity in American Humor
2015 Bishop Brian Farrell and Rabbi David Rosen, Celebrating 50 Years of Catholic-Jewish Dialogue
2016 Rabbi Joseph Teluskin, The Sky is Not Falling: God, Love, and Money in Times of Crisis
2017 Dr. Charles Asher Small, Global Antisemitism as a Strategic Threat to the United States
2018 Dr. Jon Levenson, The Binding of Isaac and the Crucifixion of Jesus
2019 Dr. Adele Reinhartz, Jesus: Good Jew or Bad Jew?
2021 Dr. David H. Aaron, Coming to Terms with the Ethics of our Ancestors
2022 Rabbi Ralph Mecklenberger, Searching for Faith in the Age of Science
2023 Jonathan Greenblatt, Modern Antisemitism: An ADL Perspective