Xenophobic Demagogue or National Savior?! Can We Discuss This Constructively?

His rise to power came at the expense of minority groups. His legacy has been an area of endless controversy. How do we understand the intentions of Pharaoh to enslave the Israelites in the beginning of the Book of Exodus? How did the commentaries over the last 2000 years disagree over interpreting his intentions?  How can a close text study of these ideas contribute to healthier, more constructive conversations about political leaders today – especially those we don’t agree with?

For a podcast on the subject, see www.elmad.pardes.org/2012/01/5772-shemot-why-would-one-nation-oppress-another/.

Click here for a Pardes 360 by Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth on Pharaoh and Trump for Parshat Shemot.

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About Daniel Roth

Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth is the Director Emeritus of the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution and an adjunct faculty member. He taught at Pardes for over twenty years and is now the Director of Mosaica - The Religious Peace Initiative. He also teaches graduate courses on religion and peace building at Bar-Ilan University’s Conflict Resolution, Management and Negotiation Graduate Program, as well as at Tel Aviv University’s International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation, and at Hebrew University’s Coexistence in the Middle East summer program. Roth initiated Pardes's Mahloket Matters: How to Disagree Constructively and the 9Adar Project: Jewish Week of Constructive Conflict, known in Israel as DiburHadash: The Israeli Week of Mediation and Dialogue. Roth is a regular lecturer of MEJDI (multi-narrative) Tours and National Geographic. He was a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution. He holds a Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University’s Conflict Resolution Program, MA in Talmud from Hebrew University, B.Ed in Jewish Philosophy and Talmud from Herzog Teachers’ College, and studied for eight years in Yeshivat Har-Etzion during which time he received rabbinic ordination. Click here to read more.

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