September 3, 2024 — Wisdom Without Walls (WWW), an innovative Jewish nonprofit committed to fostering meaningful online discussions with leading Jewish thinkers, is thrilled to announce a partnership with The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), a respected name in Jewish publishing. This collaboration represents a powerful step forward in making deep, engaging Jewish content accessible to Jews everywhere through virtual conversations.

Wisdom Without Walls is a virtual Jewish community that connects participants with respected Jewish leaders—ranging from renowned authors and rabbis to musicians—for intimate, online discussions. With modest funding and a small team led by Dr. Sandra Lilienthal and Rabbi Jeff Salkin, whose most recent book is Tikkun Ha’Am: Repairing Our People – Israel and the Crisis of Liberal Judaism, WWW is rapidly gaining recognition as “the little Jewish startup that could.”

With speakers like Liel Leibovitz and Yossi Klein Halevi, WWW’s virtual conversations offer Jews everywhere the opportunity to explore serious Jewish ideas in an inclusive, open environment. Hosting twice-monthly virtual discussions, many of which sell out or have waitlists, WWW is quickly becoming a vital space for Jewish intellectual life.

Since 1888, The Jewish Publication Society has been the preeminent not-for-profit publisher of books at the heart of Jewish life in the English-speaking world. The mission of JPS is to promote accessible scholarship, presenting the very best of Jewish learning in an intellectually rigorous and engaging way to a broad public. As a non-partisan, non-denominational organization, JPS brings voices from across the Jewish tradition, past and present, into conversations at the heart of contemporary life, ensuring that Jewish sources continue to speak in an ever-changing world.

“This partnership with JPS elevates the mission of Wisdom Without Walls,” said Dr. Lilienthal, co-founder and co-director of WWW. “By collaborating with such a respected organization, we are able to offer our community access to some of the brightest minds in Jewish thought, bringing their voices directly into the living rooms of Jews everywhere.”

The partnership features a series of online conversations showcasing JPS authors and scholars, providing WWW participants with the opportunity to engage directly with leading figures in Jewish scholarship. Upcoming events will include in-depth discussions with JPS authors, such as Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz on “Open Judaism: Finding Your Place in the Jewniverse,” Rafael Medoff on Holocaust-related topics for International Holocaust Day, and Geoffrey Claussen on Mussar. These virtual conversations will bring high-level Jewish dialogue into Jewish homes, making meaningful ideas accessible to Jews from all over.

“We believe that through this partnership, we can further our mission of making high-level Jewish scholarship accessible to a wider audience,” said Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz, Director Emeritus of The Jewish Publication Society. “This collaboration is a natural fit, and we are excited to see the conversations and connections that will emerge from these events.”

For media inquiries please contact Ellie Krasne at ellie@elliekrasne.com.

For more information about the partnership and to register for upcoming Wisdom Without Walls events, visit www.wisdomwithoutwalls.org.

Wisdom Without Walls is a nonprofit, nondenominational online learning community that fosters intimate conversations with Jewish thought leaders. Founded on the principles of intellectual engagement and communal inclusivity, WWW aims to bridge diverse perspectives through respectful dialogue.

Upcoming Wisdom Without Walls and Jewish Publication Society author conversations:

• Rabbi Barry L.Schwartz – Open Judaism: Finding Your Place in the Jewniverse, September 11, 2024
• Rafael Medoff – The Eternal War Against the Jews, January 22, 2025
• Geoffrey Claussen – Musar for a Divided Jewish Community, February 5, 2025
• Marc Katz – Getting Off Your Soapboxes: Rabban Yochanan and The Power of the Pragmatic Compromise, February 19, 2025
• Yiscah Smith – What a Great Time to Bring God Into the Conversation!, March 2, 2025
• Elliot Dorff – Jewish Ethics in Complicated Times, March 19, 2025
• Nancy Berg – Exile and Empathy, April 2, 2025
• Donniel Hartman – Who Are the Jews—And Who Can We Become?, April 27, 2025
• Pamela Barmash – Can Jewish Law Help You Resolve Today’s Ethical Quandries and Inspire Your Spirit?, May 7, 2025