When Did “Israel” Begin? The twelve tribes of Israel  —fact of fiction, solid history or made-up myth?

It’s a fascinating mystery that deeply matters to who and what the people of Israel are really all about – today, worldwide.
Our fourth monthly session of Judaism:  Born Divided traces tribal truths, well guarded secrets and surprising stories about siblings that never existed, family ties that forged not one but two kingdoms, brutal battles that tore them apart, and the power of political stories that solidify claims to power despite disputes and different narratives. Tracing the twelve tribes reveals how Judean editors rewrote history—and how recovering suppressed northern models might expand our imagination for pluralistic Jewish peoplehood today.

Join for a close reading of biblical texts in conversation with archeology and critical history, including Finkelstein’s The Forgotten Kingdom, Avrum Burg’s “Israel Should Triumph Over Judah,” and Shira Golani’s ‘The Two Blessings of the Twelve Tribes’.

Read this prior to LIVE program