2026 Conference on the Jewish Left

Founded in 2024, Boston University’s annual “Conference on the Jewish Left” gathers together scholars, students, and global partners of the Jewish left. At a time when foundational principles of justice and democracy are under attack, the conference provides an educational space to bridge the academic-community divide, and to explore the Jewish left’s values, institutions, and impact. The conference aims to tackle pressing public questions and to empower the next generation of leaders to make a real-world difference in the critical challenges facing humanity and the earth today.

Recent News

• CURA publishes talks from the 3rd Annual Conference on the Jewish Left

• 2026 Conference on the Jewish Left featured on “On the Nose” podcast

• The Jewish Journal features the CURA Conference on the Jewish Left

• Haaretz publishes recent article on CURA’s Conference on the Jewish Left

• Religious News Service covers conversations and themes of the Conference on the Jewish Left

• The Daily Free Press describes CURA’s Jewish Left Conference as “a growing ecosystem of alternative Jewish institutions.”

3rd Annual Conference on the Jewish Left

Thursday, February 12, 2026
George Sherman Union • Boston University • 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston.
Attendees can register to attend the conference in-person or via livestream.

Schedule

9 – 9:10 • Welcoming Remarks by Jeremy Menchik

9:10 – 10:00 • Keynote Address: “Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza”
Speaker: Peter Beinart
Discussant: Marjorie Feld

10:20 – 11:10 • Morning Workshops (online or in-person)

11:30 – 12:20
Speaker: Dove Kent: “From Margin to Center, From Opposition to Power”
Discussant: Ian Lustick

12:20 – 1:30 • Lunch
A prayer by Rabbi Greg Hersh will be followed by lunch and an organizational showcase.

1:30 – 2:20
Speaker: Arielle Angel: “We Need New Jewish Institutions”
Discussant: Liana Krupp

2:40 – 3:30 • Afternoon Workshops (online or on-person)

3:50 – 4:40
Speaker: Fadi Quran: “Jewish Emancipation: A Blueprint for Collective Liberation”
Discussant: Michael Zank

4:40 – 5:00 • Closing Plenary led by Shaul Magid

5:15 – 7:00 PM • Closing Reception
Join us at the Howard Thurman Center, 808 Commonwealth Ave, Brookline, for live music and light appetizers. A cash bar will be available. 

For updates, subscribe to the Conference newsletter:

Sponsors

Anonymous Donor

Boston University Center for the Humanities

BU Center on Forced Displacement

BU Middle East and North Africa Initiative

Center for Critical Research on Religion

Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff

GRALTA Foundation

Krupp Family Foundation

Sobelstein Giving

Keep this event free and open to the public. Please donate.