A New Platform for Jewish Conversation and Community, where ideas are exchanged, diverse voices are heard, and community is built, one conversation at a time.

Sun, Jan 25, 2026 @ 1pm | JCC Columbus

As an educator and a proud mother of two wonderful children, Danielle Sharkan is deeply committed to both personal and professional growth. Danielle is passionate about nature, yoga, and all things Israel — especially its vibrant culinary culture. She’s had the privilege of living in Canada, Israel, and Argentina. Sharing Shalom is a book to help parents and teachers discuss antisemitism with children in a very tangible and accessible way. This book is inspired by a real life experience Danielle had in third grade.

 Raised in Vancouver, Canada, Selina Alko grew up immersed in culture and creativity.  Her Turkish Jewish father-–a painter and businessman who spoke seven languages–– and her Jewish mother who worked in the family’s century-old metal recycling company, filled her world with rich stories, diverse viewpoints, and an appreciation for both art and resilience.

    $10 | Family Event

    Thurs, Feb 19 @ 7:00 PM | JCC Columbus

    Kimberly Brooks is an American artist and author. Her work blends figuration and abstraction with a focus on subjects related to memory, reality, history, representation, and identity.

      $10

      Wed, March 25 @ 7:00 PM | JCC Columbus

      Yonah Jeremy Bob is an author and Israeli-based journalist who has worked at The Jerusalem Post since 2012 and currently serves as senior military correspondent, intelligence analyst and Literary Editor. He frequently lectures in Israel and the United States on security, spy wars, diplomacy and politics.

         

        Tues, April 28 @ 7:00 PM | JCC Columbus

        Acclaimed lecturer and teacher, Professor Pamela Nadell is the author of America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today (W.W. Norton), winner of the 2019 National Jewish Book Award—Jewish Book of the Year. The book was also published in Hebrew. Her new book Antisemitism, an American Tradition, investigates the dark history of how this hate threaded across the American past from colonial times to today. Already acclaimed as “the book that the world needs now,” Antisemitism, an American Tradition will be published on October 14, 2025 (W.W. Norton) and was supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholars Award. She has testified before Congress three times and was the fourth witness in the congressional hearing with the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania. Her other books include Women Who Would be Rabbis: A History of Women’s Ordination, 1889-1985, a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award in Women’s Studies.

        Pamela earned a doctorate at Ohio State University, a B.A. from Douglass College, Rutgers University, and studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

          Mon, May 11 @ 7:00 PM | JCC Columbus

          From the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Volunteer, the powerful true story of a Jewish lawyer who returned to Germany after World War II to prosecute war crimes, only to find himself pitted against a nation determined to bury the past.

          At the end of the Nuremberg trial in 1946, some of the greatest war criminals in history were sentenced to death, but hundreds of thousands of Nazi murderers and collaborators remained at large. The Allies were ready to overlook their pasts as the Cold War began, and the horrors of the Holocaust were in danger of being forgotten.

          In a time when the history of the Holocaust is taken for granted, The Prosecutor reveals the courtroom battles that were fought to establish its legacy and the personal cost of speaking out. The result is a searing portrait of a nation emerging from the ruins of fascism and one man’s courage in forcing his people––and the world––to face the truth.

            Jonah Platt, Podcast Host

            Wed, Sep 10, 2025
            7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

            Learn More About Jonah

            Sarah Hurwitz, Author & Former White House Speechwriter

            Thurs, Oct 16, 2025
            7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

            Learn More About Sarah

            Lihi Lapid, Israeli Author

            Fri, Nov 14, 2025
            11:30 am – 1:30 pm

            Learn More About Lihi

            Danielle Sharkan, Author w/ Illustrator Selina Aiko
            Family Friendly Event

            Sun, Jan 25, 2026
            1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

            Learn More About Danielle

            Kimberly Brooks, Author

            Thurs, Feb 19, 2026
            7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

            Learn More About Kimberly

            Yonah Jeremy Bob, Author & Israeli-based Journalist

            Wed, Mar 25, 2026
            7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

            Learn More About Yonah

            Pam Nadell, Author

            Gaynor Lecture
            Tue, Apr 28, 2026
            7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

            Learn More About Pamela

            Jack Fairweather, Author

            Mon, May 11, 2026
            7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

            Learn More About Jack

            Gramercy Books is the official book seller for JChats. Books will be available at each event for purchase.

            All details and dates are subject to change at any time. 

            Why Support JChats? Your sponsorship brings powerful Jewish programming to life — helping to fund top-tier speakers, keep events accessible, and foster connection across our community.

            We’re proud to launch JChats with the generous partnership support of the Carol Folkerth Fund for Jewish Inspiration, and invite others to join in sustaining this meaningful new initiative. 

            Sponsorship Levels & Benefits Subject to Change 

            Visionary Thinker – $10,000

            8 reserved seating tickets per event
            Access to pre-event VIP receptions
            Prominent name/logo recognition on stage, screen and website

            Inspiration Builder – $5,000

            6 reserved seating tickets per event
            Access to pre-event VIP receptions
            Name/logo recognition on stage, screen and website

            Learning Leader – $2,500

            4 reserved seating tickets per event
            Access to pre-event VIP receptions
            Recognition on screen and website

            Community Connector – $1,000

            2 tickets per event
            Access to pre-event VIP receptions
            Recognition on screen and website

            Conversation Starter – $500

            4 complimentary event tickets
            Recognition on website

            Questions? Contact Eva Golden at egolden@columbusjcc.org

            Thank you to our 2025-26 Sponsors

            Visionary thinker

            Carol Folkerth Fund for Jewish Inspiration

            Inspiration Builder

            Learning Leader

            Jennie and Seth Cammeyer
            Carol and Jeff Folkerth
            Ginny and Mike Schlonsky

            Community Connector

            Clemy and Bob Keidan 
            Andrew Smith and Lavea Brachman
            Rose Kaplan Fund for Youth Literacy
            Sarah and Michael Blumenfeld
            Melissa and Ronnie Conn
            Lewin Family / Hamilton Parker
            Julie and Doug Cohen
            Laura and Adam Weiser
            Sunny and Mark Masser
            Amy Grace and Doug Ulman
            Carol and Rob Steiner
            Leslie and Kurt Malkoff
            The New Albany Company
            Rose Caplan Endowment for Youth Literacy

            Conversation Starter

            Rose Luttinger

            Updated 10.16.25