What Do We Owe the Stranger? — with Seyla Benhabib

About this episode

Yehuda Kurtzer and Seyla Benhabib discuss the moral and philosophical implications of migration and belonging in the context of rising cruelty towards immigrants in America.

What happens when liberal democracies stop seeing dignity as a universal right and begin treating it as something reserved for insiders? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with political philosopher Seyla Benhabib to explore the moral, political, and philosophical stakes of migration, borders, and belonging in America today. Against the backdrop of rising cruelty toward immigrants, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable people, they examine what happens when states retreat from their highest ideals and redraw the boundaries of who counts. Together, they discuss the fragility of human rights, the difference between borders and belonging, and why Jews—shaped by memories of statelessness, displacement, and exclusion—must take these questions seriously. This special live episode of Identity/Crisis was recorded as part of In the Face of Cruelty: Jewish Responsibilities to Neighbors and Strangers, a virtual day of learning on March 12, 2026. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS Here’s more from the Shalom Hartman Institute this week: Register to hear Masua Sagiv on Get Your Phil

People in this episode

Host: Yehuda Kurtzer

Guest: Seyla Benhabib

Topics covered

• migration
• borders
• belonging
• human rights
• immigration
• Jewish responsibilities

Keywords

• dignity
• liberal democracies
• asylum seekers
• statelessness
• displacement
• exclusion

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Shalom Hartman Institute

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