This is a generation-defining moment. And like every such moment that has gone before, it is not only the crisis itself but also how we respond that matters most. 

The Penn community has responded heroically. Everyone has had truly difficult decisions to make. That we have done so together will contribute directly to the health and lives of members of our community and countless others. We will continue to do this guided by the best understanding and evidence for what will protect and save lives. 

Dear Katz Center community,

During the present public health challenge posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Katz Center needs to follow guidelines established by the University of Pennsylvania. This includes cancelling all public programs for the remainder of the semester, as well as our annual Meyerhoff Lecture. We are hoping to reschedule many of these events for another time in the future, so please stay tuned.

It is my pleasure to announce the Katz Center fellowship cohort for the 2020–21 academic year, tackling the theme of “America's Jewish Questions.”

Update: this issue is free online without a subscription through June 30, 2020.

JQR 110.1 is now available, online* and in print. 

In this issue:

Daniel Reifman uses semiotic theory to account for the fact that legal rationales play a relatively peripheral role in the construction of rabbinic legal discourse.

In a newly published study that draws on the first comprehensive data set of US-based Jewish philanthropic organizations, Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim and Mathew Brookner show that such organizations gave more than $46 billion in grants in the period between 2000–2015. Beyond what it reveals about the amount of money American Jews invest in philanthropy, the data is full of yet-to-be-tapped insights into the nature of American Jewish life today, including the importance of foundations in setting the Jewish communal agenda.*