“If I forget Thee, O Jerusalem”: The Idea of the Return to Zion in Jewish History

Date: Jun 07, 2021 - Jun 07, 2021

Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Sponsor: Online Learning

Location: Online

Category: Online Learning

“If I forget Thee, O Jerusalem”: The Idea of the Return to Zion in Jewish History

Part of our summer learning series, “A Wandering People: Jewish Journeys, Real and Imagined”

June 7, 2021, 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET

Exiled by the Romans almost two thousand years ago, Jews were compelled to sustain a connection to the Land of Israel from a distance. The longing to return to Zion emerged as a central motif in the liturgy and literature of the Jewish people and fueled Jewish creativity for centuries.

Join Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz to explore the implications of living in a state of longing, how Jews attempted to reconcile the dream of return with the reality of Jewish exile, and how this dream was adapted and transformed with the emergence of modern Zionism and a thriving Jewish diaspora.

If you have previously registered for another session in this series, your registration admits you to all sessions in the series, and you may attend as many as you’d like. 

Register for the Series

About the Series

As the pandemic surged and forced us into our homes, many of us dreamed with new intensity of being elsewhere. For Jews throughout the ages, the promises and perils of travel have been central to shaping the individual and collective experience. Notions of home and homeland have been redefined by Jewish wandering. Drawing on literary, spiritual, and historical sources and responses, JTS scholars will explore what happens when Jews—whether by force or voluntarily, whether in reality or in the imagination—travel from one place to another. View all sessions in the series

Note: The Zoom link for this session will be in the confirmation email that you will receive after you register.