About the series: This three-part series features three influential Jewish thinkers who wrestled with the deepest concerns of contemporary Jewish life after the Holocaust. Each of these thinkers is associated with a different way of being Jewish including Reform, Chabad and Modern Orthodoxy. Additionally, each thinker approached Jewishness from different intellectual lenses including Hegelianism, pastoral psychology and moral philosophy. These brilliant thinkers offer us ways of living a meaningful Jewish life by responding to the deepest challenges of our time.
The JSMG 2026 conference explores the ever-evolving relationship between Judaism, science and human flourishing. From antiquity to the present, Jewish thinkers have reflected on the meaning of happiness and flourishing through conversations with Western philosophers. Definitions of happiness and flourishing were at the core of how premodern Jews expressed their relationship to Judaism. In the twentieth century, happiness became a topic of scientific investigation.
About the lecture: There is no Talmudic tractate on sport. The Bible is mostly silent. Sholem Aleichem doesn’t write of games in the shtetl. Yet sports are far from absent in Jewish life. Is sport merely a neutral pastime picked up from other cultures or is there something Jewish in sport? This talk explores how Jewish thought and culture might engage with the meaning of sports and play. Can Jewish civilization offer a distinctive perspective on the role of sports and games in human life?
About the lecture: While Jews have sought belonging in many ways: education, arts, entertainment, science—sports fandom presents a distinctive understanding of what it means to be Jewish in America. Being a fan isn’t just about watching games; it’s about the stories we tell about our teams, our communities and ourselves. We will explore what these narratives might say about American Jewish identity.
This 30-minute session is reserved for ASU faculty, staff, and Teaching Assistants.
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AI Tools in Action: AI Chat Tools
This 30-minute session is reserved for ASU faculty, staff, and Teaching Assistants.
This workshop will be held online and will not be recorded. The use of automated bots, AI assistants, or other meeting recording devices is prohibited without the prior approval of event coordinators.
About the lecture: This lecture will focus on the ethical writings of Emmanuel Levinas and their implications for composing, performing and hearing music.
About the series: This series will address three aspects of the making, interpretation and apprehension of music: modes of perception, historically located social contexts and social responsibility or a musical ethics. All three of these overarching topics will be informed by Jewish sources and Jewish contexts.
This 60-minute session is reserved for ASU faculty, staff and TAs.
This workshop offers strategies for designing assignments that respond to the opportunities and challenges of generative AI. Participants will explore ways to support academic integrity, encourage critical thinking, and integrate AI meaningfully into course activities.
Generative AI in Practice: Strategies for Assignment Design
Important Details:
This 60-minute session is reserved for ASU faculty, staff, and Teaching Assistants.
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AI Tools in Action: Google Gemini for Education
Learn how to use Google Gemini for Education, Google’s AI-powered research assistant, to organize course materials, generate insights, and support student learning. This hands-on workshop, open to the ASU community, will explore practical teaching applications and AI integration strategies.
Target Audience: ASU faculty, staff, and Teaching Assistants.
About the lecture: This lecture will discuss two outstanding Jewish composers of overlapping generations, each a friend and admirer of the other, contrasting the very different ways each dealt with his Judaism in the years prior to and through the Holocaust.
About the lecture: This lecture will explore a way of understanding the emanation of the ten sefirot becomes the basis for my understanding of creating, performing and hearing music.
About the series: This series will address three aspects of the making, interpretation and apprehension of music: modes of perception, historically located social contexts and social responsibility or a musical ethics. All three of these overarching topics will be informed by Jewish sources and Jewish contexts.