The Battle for Jewish Identity on Campus - Roundtable Talk (Z3 Podcast Ep. 26)

In this special episode of the Z3 Podcast, host Rabbi Amitai Fraiman is joined by two guests involved with Jewish life at UC Berkeley: Rav Maya Zinkow, Campus Rabbi, and Dr. Masua Sagiv, Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies and Senior Faculty member at the Shalom Hartman Institute. In this roundtable discussion, all three reflect on their recent visits and experiences in Israel and explore the emotional and political divide between the realities on the ground in Israel and the discourse in the U.S., particularly on college campuses. The conversation dives into the challenges Jewish students face navigating campus life, where progressive movements often clash with Zionism during a time where social media amplifies misinformation and extremist narratives, complicating conversations about Israel, and leaving students caught between popular opinion and their Jewish identity. Rav Maya and Dr. Sagiv discuss the delicate balance of providing pastoral care to students while also encouraging critical thinking on complex issues like Israel, Zionism, and Jewish identity. This episode offers a thoughtful discussion on the intersection of Jewish education, campus activism, and the future of Jewish identity in both Israel and the diaspora. About our guests: Rav Maya Zinkow Rabbi Maya Zinkow is the Campus Rabbi at UC Berkeley Hillel. She received rabbinic ordination and a Master’s in Jewish Women and Gender Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary as a Wexner Graduate Fellow. While studying at JTS, Maya served as a rabbinic intern at the Columbia/Barnard Hillel and at Romemu on the Upper West Side. Before starting her rabbinic studies, Maya graduated from Barnard College with a degree in English literature and creative writing, and followed her love of text to the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, where she learned Torah for two years and now serves as summer faculty. You can follow her on instagram at @ravmayaz Dr. Masua Sagiv Dr. Masua Sagiv is the Koret Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at the Helen Diller Institute at U.C. Berkeley School of Law, and a Senior Faculty member of the Shalom Hartman Institute based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She writes and teaches on questions of law and nationality, religion and state, anti-Semitism, Jewish peoplehood, and dynamics of change in Israeli society. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, Masua was the Academic Director of the Menomadin Center for Jewish and Democratic Law at Bar-Ilan University, and taught at the Schools of Law at Bar-Ilan University and Tel-Aviv University. To hear more from Dr. Sagiv, listen to Episode 5 of the Z3 Project Podcast.