Presented by Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson
American Jewish University Goldstine Distinguished Scholar
Mordecai Kaplan rocked the Jewish world in 1934 with his brilliant, revolutionary Judaism as a Civilization, a comprehensive analysis of what ailed American Jewish life and a series of prescriptions to fix it. Embracing every aspect of Jewish life: faith, ritual, philosophy, language, peoplehood, ethics, there were no topics his great mind didn’t confront. A fearless visionary, his bold proposals created a generational agenda for change, revision, innovation, all for the sake of translating Jewish insight into the idiom and science of modernity.
It was his expectation that Jews of all stripes would flock to this progressive reconstruction, each in their own way. What happened along the way? How did he succeed in changing American Jewish life forever? And how did his insights miss important emotional, religious, and social realities that limited the spread of his ideas?
Join us to explore the enduring legacy of Mordecai Kaplan and discover how his ideas continue to shape Jewish life today.
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Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson is the AJU Goldstine Distinguished Scholar and has worked as the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies since July, 2000 while also serving as Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles. Rabbi Artson has long been a passionate advocate for social justice, human dignity, diversity and inclusion.
He wrote a book on Jewish teachings on war, peace and nuclear annihilation in the late 80s, became a leading voice advocating for LGBTQ+ marriage and ordination in the 90s, and has published and spoken widely on environmental ethics, special needs inclusion, racial and economic justice, cultural and religious dialogue and cooperation, and working for a just and secure peace for Israel and the Middle East. Formerly a Professor in the Philosophy Department, he is particularly interested in theology, ethics, and the integration of science and religion. He is also Rabbinic Leader of the Abraham Joshua Heschel Seminary in Potsdam, Germany, ordaining Conservative rabbis for Europe, after founding the first Conservative/Masorti seminary in Europe since the Holocaust. A frequent contributor to the Times of Israel and a contributing writer for the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, he maintains a public-figure Facebook page with over 90,000 followers.
Rabbi Artson is the author of 12 books and over 250 articles. He is currently completing a new book, Judaism Beyond Belief: Wisdom for People who Simply Want to Thrive.
We extend a special thank you to Andrew R. Ammerman for sponsoring our 2026 program lineup. He dedicates the semester’s learning in loving memory of Josephine and H. Max Ammerman and Stephen C.