Religious Studies Professor Elizabeth Alexander delivered our second Learning Together Lunch Hour Series of the semester on “Ancient Judaism and Contemporary Ties to Israel.” She began by illuminating the difference between conceptions of religion derived from Protestantism and the broader understanding of religion in Jewish tradition. While the former focuses on individual belief, Judaism, she argued, is based upon communally inherited and enacted traditions and ways of life. As Professor Alexander explained, Jewish people began as an ethnic group inhabiting Israel amidst different conquering empires that defined and redefined their identity, but always with relation to the land. Thus, for many Jews, the geographic, ethnic, spiritual, and societal elements of life are bound together in Judaism and cannot be separated. Professor Alexander hoped this historical context would help people understand why many contemporary American Jews feel a strong connection to Israel and enable more informed conversation between all who discuss the complex nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.