Jewish Ideas in the Land of Hope

Teaching the American Story From Biblical Perspectives

August 1 - 5, 2022 in New York City

Jewish Ideas in the Land of Hope

Teaching the American Story From Biblical Perspectives

August 1 - 5, 2022 in New York City

It is no accident that the founders of America turned to the Hebrew Bible, nor that successive presidents have done likewise, because there is no other text in Western literature that draws these themes—history, providence, covenant, responsibility, the need to fight for freedom in every generation—together in a vision that is at once political and spiritual… Israel, ancient and modern, and the United States are the two supreme examples of societies constructed in conscious pursuit of an idea.

—Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Mission Statement

America is not in any way a tale of perfection, and its history has many failures, but its uniqueness lies in the fact is a tale of a country that proclaimed a glorious ideal and at its best strives to achieve it. Given the profound role that biblical ideas have played in impacting the Founders, Americans that still revere the Bible have a unique role to play in safeguarding the story of America’s past and thereby preserving its future. Yeshiva University’s Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, in partnership with YU’s Azrieli Graduate School for Jewish Education and Administration, seeks to offer a program for high school educators, both Jewish and Christian, who are uniquely positioned to tell—both in the classroom and in public—the story of both America’s creation and its biblically-inspired values.

Program Overview

Utilizing the YU Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought’s books Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land: The Hebrew Bible in the United States and Esther in America, as well as Wilfred McClay’s best-selling Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story, the week-long in-person seminar will focus on the Hebraic ideas that biblical texts have given to America, and the obligation that those who care about the Bible owe this remarkable country in defending its story. These conversations will then be transformed into a book, edited by Rabbi Dr. Soloveichik and Dr.McClay.