They take on the questions congregants are asking today: Is this “the beginning of the end” of American Jewry? How should a rabbi think about the pull toward aliyah while leading a community in America? Rabbi Berman shares the personal struggle he experienced before making aliyah, the guidance he received from Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l, and the perspective that experience has given him in helping rabbis think through these questions for themselves and their communities. Drawing on Ezra, Esther, and the Olei Bavel, they explore galut and Eretz Yisrael as lenses for understanding our moment — and what it means, wherever one lives, to place oneself “in the history” of the Jewish people.

The conversation then turns outward: the story behind Rabbi Berman’s benediction at the presidential inauguration, his New York Times essay on Zionism, and the opportunities he sees for rabbis to bring a distinctly Jewish voice into the broader public square — engaging faith leaders, civic leaders, and leading thinkers in the consequential conversations shaping American society today.

A conversation for every rabbi asking: What is my role — and what is my platform — in this moment?