Passover in a Time of Inhumanity and Destruction

Passover in a Time of Inhumanity and Destruction

From The Beinart Notebook by Peter Beinart

April 1, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

Peter Beinart speaks with Rabbi Dr. Ismar Schorsch about Jewish identity and moral leadership in the context of Israel's actions against Palestinians before Passover.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.com Rabbi Dr. Ismar Schorsch is chancellor emeritus of The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and the Rabbi Herman Abramovitz Distinguished Professor of Jewish history. He’s had a long, illustrious career of service to the Jewish community. Last year, we spoke after he wrote critically about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. In a time when so many Jews are hungry for moral leadership, Rabbi Schorsch’s courage and decency have been all too rare. I wanted to speak to him before the Passover holiday, as I and so many Jews are struggling to reconcile our Jewishness with opposition to Israel’s actions. I’m honored and grateful he agreed to speak with me again.

People in this episode

Host: Peter Beinart

Guest: Rabbi Dr. Ismar Schorsch

Topics covered

  • Passover
  • Jewish identity
  • Israel-Palestine conflict
  • moral leadership
  • Jewish community

Keywords

  • Passover
  • Jewishness
  • Israel
  • Palestinians
  • moral leadership
  • Rabbi Schorsch
  • Jewish community

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Jewish Theological Seminary

Places: Israel, Palestinians

More episodes of The Beinart Notebook

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Beinart Notebook podcast page.