September 22, 2026- Why is Reproduction a Religious Issue?
Why is reproduction a religious issue? What can religious values teach us about reproduction, and what role, if any, should those values have in public policy and personal health? This conversation, part of the Samantha Woll Dialogues, brings together experts on religion, health, and law to discuss these issues before a public audience. The conversation will be moderated by Lisa Harris, director of Michigan Medicine’s new Center for History, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Ethics in Medicine. Panelists will include Terri Laws (University of Michigan, Dearborn), whose scholarship focuses on the relationship between religion and health; Rabea Benhalim (University of Colorado Law School), who publishes on abortion in Jewish and Islamic law; and Cara Rock-Singer (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), whose book, Gestating Judaism: The Corporeal Technologies of American Jewish Religion, shows how religious tradition is transmitted through reproductive practices.
October 6, 2026- Can Israelis and Palestinians Talk Through Poetry?
This conversation, part of the Samantha Woll Dialogues, brings together two writers, Almog Behar and Ayat Abou Shmeiss, both of whom use the language of poetry to explore their own identities: Jerusalem-born Behar looks to his family roots in Iraq and Turkey to advocate for the restoration of Arabic to its place in Jewish culture, and Jaffa-born Abou Shmeiss expresses her dual identity as a Muslim-Palestinian and as an Israeli citizen in her award-winning poetry and human rights advocacy. The panel will be moderated by Raoul Wallenberg Institute Fellow Stephanie Kraver, a scholar of modern Arabic and Hebrew literature who specializes in transcultural exchange, expressions of mourning, trauma theory, and translation.
October 27, 2026- Should Universities Strive to Bridge Division?
This panel brings together three former university presidents to explore whether colleges and universities have a responsibility to bridge social, political, and religious divides and, if so, whether they are succeeding and how they can do better. University of Michigan President Emerita Mary Sue Coleman will moderate the exchange, which will also feature Brian Rosenberg, president emeritus of Macalester College and author of ‘Whatever It Is, I’m Against It’: Resistance to Change in Higher Education; and Teresa A. Sullivan, president emerita of the University of Virginia and former provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan.
November 17, 2026- Should Hate Speech be Protected?
What does the law say about hate speech? What speech is protected by the First Amendment? Should hate speech be protected? This conversation, part of the Samantha Woll Dialogues, will explore some of the contentious societal and legal issues surrounding free speech and hate speech. Panelists will include James Loeffler, director of the Stulman Program in Jewish Studies at Johns Hopkins University and author of Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight Over Free Speech in Modern America, and Suzanne Nossel, Lester Crown Senior Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, former CEO of PEN America, and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. The conversation will be moderated by Richard Primus, Theodore J. St. Antoine Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan.
