When It’s Easier to Hide: Jonah, Antisemitism, and Moral Courage
Part of the JTS High Holiday Webinar Series, 鈥�Standing Together: Prayer, Presence, and the Power of Community鈥�
This session is based on聽this essay聽in our current聽High Holiday Reader.
With Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor and Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American 绿帽社 History, JTS
As we prepare for the Days of Awe, the Book of Jonah calls us not only to repentance, but to responsibility鈥攅specially in a fractured and fearful world. In this session, Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz explored Jonah鈥檚 reluctance to engage, his desire to retreat, and God鈥檚 challenge to him鈥攁nd to us. The Book of Jonah summons us to engage and build bridges鈥攅ven with those who may seem distant or hostile. This session engaged what it means to be brave and morally grounded when it would be easier to turn away鈥攁nd how, like Jonah, each of us has the power to make a difference.
About the Series
The High Holidays invite us into a season of profound reflection鈥攏ot only on who we are as individuals, but on how we show up for one another and the world. This three-part webinar series explores the emotional and spiritual heart of this sacred time, focusing on the themes of vulnerability, responsibility, and connection.
Together, we鈥檒l consider what it means to pray with presence, to engage meaningfully with others鈥攅ven across difference鈥攁nd to see these days not just as a personal journey, but as a call to collective transformation. Whether you are returning to familiar rituals or seeking a new way in, this series offers space to reflect, connect, and prepare with intention.
