Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish sat down with U.S. District Court Judge Roy Altman to discuss his new book Israel on Trial and the legal, historical, and moral arguments surrounding Israel, Zionism, antisemitism, genocide claims, apartheid accusations, and international law. Judge Altman shares his remarkable family history of survival through the Holocaust, immigration, and public service before examining the evidence behind Israel’s legitimacy as a state, the Jewish people’s indigenous connection to the land of Israel, and the misuse of legal terminology in modern political discourse. Blending history, law, personal narrative, and current events, this compelling conversation explores truth, justice, democracy, and the dangers of misinformation in today’s world.

Activist Rawan Osman shares her remarkable journey with Touro Talks guest host Sam Levine. Growing up in Lebanon, Osman was immersed in anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric. Today, she is a "recovering antisemite" and a powerful voice advocating for a Lebanon free of Hezbollah, an alternative future for the Middle East and coexistence between Arabs and Jews. Shaped by an education, media narratives and political ideology that blurred distinctions between Jews, Israelis, and Zionists, Osman explains how deeply ingrained beliefs are formed—and how one unexpected human encounter in France challenged everything she thought was true.

In this Touro Talks, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin reflects on the origins of his book about the Rebbe and what made the Lubavitcher Rebbe one of the most extraordinary Jewish leaders of the modern era. Drawing on personal family ties to Chabad and decades of observation, Telushkin explores the Rebbe’s mission to reach every Jew with unconditional love—and the rare phenomenon of a movement that continued to expand dramatically even after its leader’s passing. Telushkin also offers thoughtful perspective on today’s campus climate and antisemitism, and addresses the complicated question of messianism within Chabad.