2021 Herzl Prize laureate Ruth Wisse will examine the meaning and responsibilities of Jewish sovereignty in an age when romantic illusions about diaspora life have dangerously resurfaced. The past two years have taught us hard lessons about what it means to live “among the nations” as belligerents and bystanders. Self-government represents a fundamental transformation in Jewish history and calls on contemporary Jews to shoulder the obligations that sovereignty imposes. Dr. Wisse will seek to illuminate the claims an independent State of Israel has on the politics of the Jewish people.

Wall Street Journal editorial board member Elliot Kaufman will sit down with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to discuss the American fight against anti-Semitism, the future of New York, and the state of American conservatism. . Drawing on her leadership in Congress—including her historic confrontation with university presidents over their failure to protect the civil rights of Jewish students—Congresswoman Stefanik will address the challenges facing New York’s Jewish community, the erosion of civic order, and the urgent need for leaders willing to defend religious freedom and the rule of law. As New York enters a pivotal political moment, this conversation will explore what the restoration of our institutions requires, how public officials can effectively combat the normalization of anti-Semitism, and the role that principled leadership must play in rebuilding the foundations of the state that has long been home to America’s largest Jewish community.

How do young Jews understand the past, present, and future of the American experiment? As America approaches its 250th anniversary, outstanding students from Tikvah’s educational programs will reflect on the profound connection between Jewish ideas and the American experiment. These young leaders represent the best of how the rising generation can engage with the enduring questions of Jewish and American civilization. Each student will address a distinctive theme—religious liberty, federalism, the biblical roots of America, and more—exploring how Jewish principles have shaped American ideals and how the promise of this country has enabled Jewish flourishing. This symposium offers a glimpse into the future of Jewish leadership in the United States, as students who have devoted themselves to serious study in Tikvah’s fellowships bring fresh insights to the meaning of America’s founding.

After decades of friendship and alliance-building between traditional Jews and Christians, recent years have seen the rise a deeply troubling development: a concerted effort on the part of some prominent media personalities and politicians to turn American Christians against Israel and the Jewish people. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik will examine this phenomenon and explain why it represents both a great moral failure and a fundamental threat to the civilizational foundations of American society. Drawing on this country’s exceptional history as well as his own work with Christians friends of the Jewish people, Rabbi Soloveichik will show why those who seek to divide Jews and Christians in the United States threaten the very principles upon which America was built.

Over the last two years, we have witnessed seismic changes across the Middle East. In this session, Elliott Abrams and Walter Russell Mead—two of America’s most distinguished foreign policy minds—will engage in a wide-ranging conversation about the future of the region and America’s role there. Drawing on Abrams’s unparalleled experience at the highest levels of the White House and State Department, and Mead’s penetrating analysis as an author and strategist, they will examine how the Trump administration has transformed the paradigms of Middle Eastern politics. In the wake of Israel and America’s stunning joint victory in the 12-Day War and the American-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, Abrams and Mead will address the most pressing questions facing policymakers: the future of Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and Judea & Samaria; the proper role of American military power in the region; the challenge posed by China and the opportunity presented by India; the influence of Gulf Arab states in Washington; and the strategic choices that will shape the Middle East and America’s place in it for years to come.

This year, Tikvah honors Ben Shapiro, Bari Weiss, and Dan Senor with the Herzl Prize for their extraordinary achievements in building new media institutions that have reshaped the American landscape. Rather than merely lamenting the failures of legacy media, these three visionaries created the Daily Wire, the Free Press, and Call Me Back, platforms that have—in a short time—become essential voices for truth and informed citizenship. In an era when the media landscape has become a hotly contested front in the war against the Jews and against America, they have demonstrated uncommon courage in defending Israel and combating the lies that threaten Jewish flourishing and American democracy. Moderated by Mosaic editor Jonathan Silver, this conversation will explore their assessments of American society and public affairs, the modern Jewish condition, the future of Israel, and the imperative to renew American culture. Our laureates will also reflect on the formative educational experiences that shaped them into the builders they have become, offering insight into how serious thinking and moral courage can renew institutions and change the national conversation.