Valley Beit Midrash

A virtual event presentation by David M. Elcott, PhD

ABOUT THE EVENT:

At a moment when liberal democracy is so deeplythreatened and we search to understand how this can beoccurring at this point in history, a new prize-winninganalysis Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of LiberalDemocracy by David Elcott comes to offer a cogentexploration of the ways religious identity fuels illiberalnationalist and populist democracy across the globe, fromthe United States to Israel, from India to Indonesia. Elcott, a powerful analyst who has taught in Jewish communitiesacross North America and interfaith settings around the world,allows us to better understand the revolts against a political, socialand economic order that values democracy in a global andstrikingly diverse world, while encouraging people of faith topromote foundational support for the institutions and values of thedemocratic enterprise from within their own religious traditionsand to stand against the hostility and cruelty that historically haveresulted when religious zealotry and state power combine.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Born to a Holocaust refugee and growing up poor in semi-rural California, David went on to receive his doctorate from Columbia University, where he now serves as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Justice, teaching in a college degree program for men incarcerated at Green Haven maximum security prison. He was the VP of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Interfaith Director at AJC, and the EVP of Israel Policy Forum.  He recently retired as the Tasub Professor at the NYU Wagner School of Public Service. Married to Rabbi Shira Milgrom with four married children and ten grandchildren, along with Faith, Nationalism and the Future of Liberal Democracy, he authored A Sacred Journey and co-authored the upcoming Sevenfold Path: A Traveler's Guide to Jewish Wisdom with his wife Shira and On the Significance of Religion in Immigration Policy.  David has been a frequent radio, TV, and podcast presenter as well as a popular op-ed columnist for a wide range of written media.