National Jewish Retreat 2026: Full Schedule

Schedule is tentative and subject to change.

arrow_back View All Dates

7:30am EDT

Shacharit

Friday August 7, 2026 7:30am - 8:15am EDT

Ivanka

Friday August 7, 2026 7:30am - 8:15am EDT
Ivanka

Prayer service

9:15am EDT

The Khazars and the Jews: The True Story behind the Modern Myths

Friday August 7, 2026 9:15am - 10:05am EDT

Ivanka

Long before the Khazar Kingdom was distorted into modern antisemitic tropes, it was a real and complex empire with a compelling historical story. This session explores what scholars actually know about the Khazars, what they did and did not become, and how their history has been misused today. We will separate real history from modern mythmaking and uncover why the truth about the Khazars matters today.

Speakers

Dr. Henry Abramson

Friday August 7, 2026 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Ivanka

Lecture

10:20am EDT

Does Religion Produce Monsters? Faith, Fanaticism, and the Fine Line In-Between

Friday August 7, 2026 10:20am - 11:10am EDT

Ivanka

Faith has moved people to acts of courage, kindness, and sacrifice, and it has also been used to justify cruelty and control. When does devotion cross into fanaticism? This session examines how sacred ideas can be distorted by fear and power, and how authentic Jewish wisdom offers safeguards against faith becoming dangerous.

Speakers

Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Friday August 7, 2026 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Ivanka

Lecture

11:25am EDT

Why I Won't Let Darkness Win: How to Keep Living When Your Heart Keeps Breaking

Friday August 7, 2026 11:25am - 12:15pm EDT

Ivanka

Some stories challenge everything we think we know about resilience. Having endured loss and heartbreak that would break most people, Orit Mark Ettinger chose a different path. In this moving and inspiring presentation, she shares her family's extraordinary journey, the faith that sustained them, and the decision to keep choosing light, even in life's darkest moments.

Speakers

Mrs. Orit Mark Ettinger

Friday August 7, 2026 11:25am - 12:15pm EDT
Ivanka

Lecture

2:00pm EDT

Libel: When One Life Is Demanded to Save Many

Friday August 7, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

Ivanka

An accusation ignites a city and a Jew is executed, yet the accusers’ fury is not satisfied. Instead, a terrifying ultimatum is delivered: surrender a man in hiding, or the community’s leaders will pay with their lives. With no court, no protection, and no way out, the clock begins to run. Set in early seventeenth-century Poland and drawn from a true case, this story forces an impossible question with no clean answers. You are the judge. How does it end?

Friday August 7, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Ivanka

Mega Event

3:05pm EDT

AI vs. the Rabbis: The Classic Crossfire. Rewired.

Friday August 7, 2026 3:05pm - 3:55pm EDT

Ivanka

A fast-paced crossfire where rabbis go head-to-head with artificial intelligence.
The toughest questions. Instant responses. No time to prepare.
Ancient wisdom meets a brand-new mind in the ring.

Moderators

Rabbi David Nesenoff

Speakers

Rabbi Manis Friedman

Rabbi Manis Friedman is a world-renowned author, lecturer, philosopher, co-founder of the Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies, and founder of It’s Good to Know website. He is the most popular rabbi on YouTube and is the author of numerous books on relationships and ethics including, The... Read More →