E283 - Teaching Jewish History in America — with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela (Re-run)

This episode of Identity/Crisis was originally released on Tuesday, March 10, 2026

What does it mean to tell Jewish stories in a moment of political polarization and distortion?

On this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela to examine the role of the historian in public life: not to offer talking points or easy analogies, but to deepen public understanding in a time of simplification and certainty. Through a conversation about education, Jewish identity, and the place of Jews in American history, they consider why richer storytelling matters—and what it...