Vardit Ringvald is a professor of Hebrew at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., and is the director of a summer Hebrew language school run by Brandeis and Middlebury College in Vermont.

Ronald C. Kessler is a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He directs a project called the Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group Initiative, which is studying the psychological impact of Katrina on survivors of the storm.

Jon Levisohn is an assistant professor of Jewish education at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., and assistant academic director of the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education.

Mitchell Silver is a lecturer in philosophy at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. He is the author of Respecting the Wicked Child: A Philosophy of Secular Jewish Identity and Education. He says the most important issue facing American Jews today is maintaining a shared identity despite branch affiliations and secularism. 

Rabbi Or Rose is an associate dean of the Hebrew College Rabbinical School and director of the college’s interfaith and social justice programs. He was a speaker at the college’s event titled “The Future of Jewish-Muslim Relations: A Dialogue.”

Ellen Smith is a lecturer in Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. She is also principal of Museumsmith, a firm that helps museums with exhibitions and historic site interpretations. She has helped mount numerous exhibits on Jewish culture throughout the country.

Ilan Troen is a professor of Judaic studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. He is the founding editor of the journal Israel Studies, published three times a year, and has written 10 books on American, Jewish and Israeli history.

Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor who teaches in the philosophy and religion departments at Boston University. The 1986 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is also a prolific author whose books include his Holocaust memoir, Night, and several other volumes about that period. 

Steven T. Katz is a religion professor at Boston University, where he teaches a course on the Holocaust. He edited The Impact of the Holocaust on Jewish Theology and Wrestling With God: Jewish Theological Responses During and After the Holocaust. He has served as chair of the academic committee of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and is the […]