The Jewish Community Scholars Program began in 2001 in Orange County California to provide high level adult Jewish education. Technology has given CSP a global reach with partner synagogues in Israel, Europe and all of North America. As a partner synagogue, Temple Israel members have access to CJP’s vast array of live presentations from top notch scholars. CSP also has an extensive archive of past programs on You Tube.
25th Annual CSP Scholar in Residence featuring Professor Jonathan D. Sarna
Thursday Series: January 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (PT) and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (ET) live on Zoom
“From the Sidelines to the Ballot Box: the Political Evolution of American Jews”
American Jews went from a cautious, politically invisible minority to one of the most influential political communities in the country, and this four-part series traces the surprising—and often dramatic—story of that transformation. On January 8, Reluctant Citizens explores Jewish political neutrality in colonial America and the early republic, including fears of standing out, backlash, and accusations of dual loyalty, alongside the emergence of the first Jewish voters, litigants, and officeholders; on January 15, Union, Reconstruction & the Gilded Age (1840–1914) examines Jewish combatants and chaplains in the Civil War, General Grant’s Order No. 11 and its aftermath, and the growth of Jewish advocacy amid civil-rights and immigration debates; on January 22, From Eugene V. Debs to Lyndon Johnson follows the rise of Jewish progressive politics shaped by immigrant experience, labor activism, the New Deal coalition, and Jewish leadership in law, civil rights, and national political organizations; and on January 29, A House Divided surveys Jewish politics since the 1960s—realignment, Israel and social issues, the emergence of a growing Republican wing, generational divides and identity politics, and what 2026 might reveal about the next era of Jewish American political life. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING SESSIONS IN FEBRUARY 2026
