By Miriam Brosseau

ELI Talks has sparked nationwide conversations around inspired Jewish ideas, and we are excited to continue the conversation by re-launching the website, ELITalks.org.

By bringing together the 2-millennia-old tradition of Jewish discourse and the latest in digital technology, ELITalks.org provides Jewish educators and professionals with all the resources they need to deepen and expand on ideas presented in their favorite ELI Talks.

The refreshed site, designed and built by See3 Communications, has a sleek, modern look, improved functionality and search, and comes with an updated ELI Talks logo.

“We wanted to present each idea as pieces of a larger conversation about how all of us as Jews struggle, navigate, and find meaning in our Judaism in today’s world,” says ELI Talks Project Coordinator, Mary Rubenstein. “Every talk is accompanied by supplementary articles, videos, and other resources that deepen or expand upon the idea presented in the talk. The talks themselves are also more closely interconnected, making the catalogue function like a modern-day Gemara.”

Josh Woodlander, who led the site redesign, knows the importance of using the right technology to deepen opportunities for engagement. “Right from the beginning I was excited about this project,” says Josh. “Namely, because it was a rare case where the talent had out-shown and outgrown the costume. With ELI Talks we had the satisfaction of creating a new website presence befitting its stature.”

Among the many new useful features, the “Sources & Commentary” section of every video page allows you to explore the conversation further. ELI is proud to have partnered with Sefaria, a living library of Jewish texts, to include source sheets to accompany every talk. The source sheets were developed by a team of interns from top centers of Jewish learning including Mechon Hadar, SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva, and Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. These source sheets and the additional “commentary” featured alongside the talks make it easier than ever to spark conversation around inspired Jewish ideas, be it in your classroom, boardroom, or around the dinner table.

The site goes live today and can be found at the same address: www.ELITalks.org

With the launch of the new site, ELI is also releasing 16 brand new talks recorded last June, all of which can be accessed here. The talks feature a wide range of talent and ideas:

• Olga Gilburd, “Happiness and the Jewish Identity”
• Stephanie Goldfarb, “Dayeinu Education: Empowering Talented Teachers”
• Rabbi Yossi Kastan, “Where Are You Now: Building Authentic Leaders”
• Andrew Keene, “Jewish Standard Time, Revisited”
• Yuri Lane, “Beatbox Midrash”
• Rachel Levitt Klein, “Bubbe and the Rabbi’s Wife: a Lesson in Laughter”
• Eliana Light, “The God Gap”
• Rabbi Scott Perlo, “The Essence of Ritual”
• Jamie Sarche, “Death Rituals: Creating Jewish Life”
• Ben Schachter, “Shabbat is a Model of Creation: The Jewish Artistic Process”
• Jonnie Schnytzer, “Words of the Righteous and People in Love”
• Cantor Yvon Shore, “Rewording Time: The Secret to Relieving the Schedule Pressure”
• Anita Silvert, “Parent as a Verb: Our Adult Children”
• Rabbi Shlomo Slatkin, “The (Im)Perfect Soulmate”
• Tova Stabin, “From the Back of the Room: The Jewish Working Class”
• David Werdiger, “How to ‘Have’ Jewish Grandchildren”

The talks will be featured over the coming weeks on ELITalks.org as well as ELI’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels.

Want to know more about ELI Talks? Become a speaker, engage with the talks, or co-produce new content? Contact the ELI Talks team here.

Miriam Brosseau is Director of Engagement, Program Director of ELI Talks.