Event Videos

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation is deeply committed to elevating dialogue between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious communities. This year's Church-wide study of the Old Testament presents a unique opportunity for members to better understand and learn from our Jewish neighbors, who have engaged with these scriptures for thousands of years. Each month, a Widtsoe Foundation friend or board member will host a live online conversation and Q&A with a leader or scholar from the Jewish community about an upcoming topic from the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum. This series will serve to educate Latter-day Saints about the rich history of Jewish scriptural interpretation and application, while at the same time modeling meaningful interfaith conversations and empowering Latter-day Saints to do the same in their own communities. For this live event, we talked about the story of Elijah (1 Kings 18-19, 2 Kings 2) from a Jewish perspective with BYU Religious Studies Center Director Jared Ludlow and special guest Dr. Kristine Garroway.

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation is deeply committed to elevating dialogue between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious communities. This year's Church-wide study of the Old Testament presents a unique opportunity for members to better understand and learn from our Jewish neighbors, who have engaged with these scriptures for thousands of years. Each month, a Widtsoe Foundation Board Member will host a live online conversation and Q&A with a leader or scholar from the Jewish community about an upcoming topic from the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum. This series will serve to educate Latter-day Saints about the rich history of Jewish scriptural interpretation and application, while at the same time modeling meaningful interfaith conversations and empowering Latter-day Saints to do the same in their own communities. These events will be made available on The Widtsoe Foundation YouTube Channel and podcast soon after the live event. For this live event, Widtsoe Foundation Board Member Laura Redford discussed the story of Ruth from a Jewish perspective with Dr. Ora Horn Prouser. Ora Horn Prouser is Executive Vice President and Academic Dean at The Academy for Jewish Religion, a pluralistic rabbinical and cantorial school. After studying Bible, ancient Near Eastern Studies, and Education in college and graduate school, including receiving her PhD in Bible, she has been teaching Bible on the graduate school level for twenty five years. Her first book, Esau's Blessing: How the Bible Embraces Those with Special Needs brings together her love of Bible, and her ability to relate the biblical text to contemporary issues in our society. She lives in New York with her husband, and is the mother of three children.

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation is deeply committed to elevating dialogue between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious communities. This year's Church-wide study of the Old Testament presents a unique opportunity for members to better understand and learn from our Jewish neighbors, who have engaged with these scriptures for thousands of years. Each month, Widtsoe Foundation Director Dr. Jacob Rennaker will host a live online conversation and Q&A with a leader or scholar from the Jewish community about an upcoming topic from the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum. This series will serve to educate Latter-day Saints about the rich history of Jewish scriptural interpretation and application, while at the same time modeling meaningful interfaith conversations and empowering Latter-day Saints to do the same in their own communities. For this live event, we talked about the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) from a Jewish perspective with special guest Rabbi Ilana Schwarzman. Rabbi Ilana is a third-generation rabbi and serves Beth Haverim Shir Shalom in Mahwah, New Jersey. Before coming to BHSS, she spent 8 years at Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City, Utah. She studied Hebrew at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel, and was ordained from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rabbi Ilana views the contemporary synagogue as a home for prayer, spirituality, social action, study, leadership, and engagement. Her joy lies in the interplay between intellectual Judaism and personal relationships. She also believes that music is a powerful vehicle through which we can connect to each other and God. She resides in Hillsdale, NJ with her husband Art and their young daughter.

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation is deeply committed to elevating dialogue between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious communities. This year's Church-wide study of the Old Testament presents a unique opportunity for members to better understand and learn from our Jewish neighbors, who have engaged with these scriptures for thousands of years. Each month, Widtsoe Foundation Director Dr. Jacob Rennaker will host a live online conversation and Q&A with a leader or scholar from the Jewish community about an upcoming topic from the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum. . This series will serve to educate Latter-day Saints about the rich history of Jewish scriptural interpretation and application, while at the same time modeling meaningful interfaith conversations and empowering Latter-day Saints to do the same in their own communities. These events will be made available on The Widtsoe Foundation YouTube Channel and podcast soon after the live event. For this live event, we spoke about The Passover (Exodus 12-13) from a Jewish perspective with special guest, Rabbi Robbie Harris. Dr. Robert A. Harris is professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at The Jewish Theological Seminary, teaching courses in biblical literature and commentary. Dr. Harris also lectures on biblical narrative and Jewish liturgy in congregations and adult education institutes around the country and frequently lectures about Passover. He has served as a rabbi in several congregations in the United States and Israel, including the Pelham Jewish Center in Westchester County, New York, and Moriah Synagogue in Haifa, Israel. Dr. Harris has continued his love for congregational work for the past 20 years by serving Temple Beth Shalom in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the High Holidays, and frequently visits there during the year as well.

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation is deeply committed to elevating dialogue between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious communities. This year's Church-wide study of the Old Testament presents a unique opportunity for members to better understand and learn from our Jewish neighbors, who have engaged with these scriptures for thousands of years. Each month, Widtsoe Foundation Director Dr. Jacob Rennaker will host a live online conversation and Q&A with a leader or scholar from the Jewish community about an upcoming topic from the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum. This series will serve to educate Latter-day Saints about the rich history of Jewish scriptural interpretation and application, while at the same time modeling meaningful interfaith conversations and empowering Latter-day Saints to do the same in their own communities. These events will be made available on The Widtsoe Foundation YouTube Channel and podcast soon after the live event. For this live conversation and Q&A, we talked about the story of Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 42-55) from a Jewish perspective with special guest Rabbi Annie Tucker. Rabbi Tucker is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, New York, having previously served congregations in both suburban Chicago and Princeton, NJ. A Wexner Graduate Fellow, she did her undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania and then earned a master's degree in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, continuing on in the Seminary's rabbinical program where she was ordained in 2006 with a concentration in Pastoral Counseling. Rabbi Tucker is the incoming Secretary of the Rabbinical Assembly where she also chairs their Joint Placement Commission. One of the highlights of her work is teaching Bible BaBoker (Morning Bible), a Shabbat morning class on the weekly Torah portion.

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation is deeply committed to elevating dialogue between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious communities. This year's Church-wide study of the Old Testament presents a unique opportunity for members to better understand and learn from our Jewish neighbors, who have engaged with these scriptures for thousands of years. Each month, Widtsoe Foundation Director Dr. Jacob Rennaker will host a live online conversation and Q&A with a leader or scholar from the Jewish community about an upcoming topic from the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum. This series will serve to educate Latter-day Saints about the rich history of Jewish scriptural interpretation and application, while at the same time modeling meaningful interfaith conversations and empowering Latter-day Saints to do the same in their own communities. Those who attend the live event will have an opportunity to submit questions to our conversation partners. These events will also be made available on The Widtsoe Foundation YouTube Channel and podcast within one week of the live event. For this live event, we talked about the Sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22) from a Jewish perspective with special guest Rabbi Mark S. Diamond. Rabbi Diamond is a senior lecturer in Jewish Studies at Loyola Marymount University, where he teaches interfaith relations, Jewish thought, and Israel studies. Along with Professor Andrew Reed (BYU), he recently co-edited the book Understanding Covenants and Communities: Jews and Latter-day Saints in Dialogue. He is also a past president of the Los Angeles Council of Religious Leaders and has led study tours of judicatory officials, clergy, diplomats and community leaders, including a mission to the Vatican and Jerusalem highlighted by an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation is deeply committed to elevating dialogue between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious communities. This year's Church-wide study of the Old Testament presents a unique opportunity for members to better understand and learn from our Jewish neighbors, who have engaged with these scriptures for thousands of years. Each month, Widtsoe Foundation Director Dr. Jacob Rennaker will host a live online conversation and Q&A with a leader or scholar from the Jewish community about an upcoming topic from the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum. . This series will serve to educate Latter-day Saints about the rich history of Jewish scriptural interpretation and application, while at the same time modeling meaningful interfaith conversations and empowering Latter-day Saints to do the same in their own communities. These events will be made available on The Widtsoe Foundation YouTube Channel and podcast soon after the live event. For this live event, we talked about the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3) from a Jewish perspective with special guest Dr. Tamar Frankiel, former provost of the Academy for Jewish Religion, California. Dr. Frankiel has authored several important books on Jewish spiritual life, including Loving Prayer: A Study Guide to Everyday Jewish Prayer and The Voice of Sarah: Feminine Spirituality and Traditional Judaism. Tamar and her husband Hershel have lived in California for more than three decades, mostly in Los Angeles. Hershel was born in Poland and survived the Holocaust as a child, hidden by a Polish family. They have 5 children and 12 grandchildren, who live in Los Angeles, Chicago, Jerusalem, London, and Cincinnati.