The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) invites established and emerging scholars to contribute innovative and creative research to a peer-reviewed academic volume exploring the Jewish future: how technological and scientific transformations will influence Jewish life, and how Jewish ideas and values might, in turn, shape those transformations.
We aim to publish the volume with a leading academic press.
We live amid unprecedented changes: large language models are reframing creativity and knowledge; scientific and technological breakthroughs are redefining what it means to be human. This project seeks contributions that analyze emerging trends and imagine constructive responses – showing how Judaism and the Jewish People can adapt, innovate, and flourish in this new era.
We welcome interdisciplinary and cross-field work from the humanities, social sciences, policy studies, and the natural and applied sciences – including philosophy, theology, Jewish studies, sociology, political science, economics, psychology, education, anthropology, environmental studies, computer science, engineering, data science, and bioethics. Collaborative submissions across disciplines are especially encouraged.
Editors
- Dr. Ghila Amati, JPPI, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Melton Centre for Jewish Education
- Prof. Yehonatan Givati, JPPI, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Law School
- Prof. Edieal J. Pinker, Yale School of Management
- Prof. Elli Stern, Yale Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Submission Guidelines
- Languages: English or Hebrew
- Length: 6,000–10,000 words (including references)
- Deadlines:
- Abstract (250 words): February 15, 2026
- Full article: September 1, 2026
- Review process: Double-blind peer review
Publication and Awards
- Selected papers will be published in a peer-reviewed volume
- Each accepted article will receive an honorarium of $3,000
- A first prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the most outstanding article by a non-tenure academic
- The prize will be presented at a distinguished ceremony celebrating the achievement of the winner
For inquiries and submissions:
ghila@jppi.org.il
To download the PDF file, click here.
The volume will include contributions by Prof. Avi Sagi, Prof. Laurie Zoloth, Prof. Hanoch Ben-Pazi, Prof. Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, Dr. Harris Bor, and others.
APPENDIX
Possible research topics for each of the four areas:
I. Spirit, Human, and Consciousness
The Metaphysical – Existential Question – Exploring the nature of the human being in the age of artificial intelligence: boundaries between human, machine, and consciousness from Jewish ethical, theological, halachic, and sociological perspectives.
- Artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation: implications for Jewish ethics, halacha, and philosophy.
- Artificial vs. human consciousness – what distinguishes them?
- Free will, algorithms, and moral responsibility.
- Moral and legal status of artificial entities.
- Virtual intimacy, love, and the limits of the human.
- Artificial intelligence and leisure.
- Shabbat observance in the era of automation.
II. Matter, Body, and Life
The Biological – Existential Question – Addressing the biotechnological revolution and the boundaries of life, family, and the body from Jewish theological, halachic, and sociological perspectives.
- Transhumanism and Judaism.
- Genetic engineering and the moral and halachick limits of gene editing.
- Artificial reproduction and surrogacy: implications for family and parenthood.
- Cloning and synthetic life: sanctity versus human creation.
- Life extension and digital immortality.
- The digital body: changing experiences of embodiment and sexuality.
- Halachic implications of automation and medical technology.
III. Society, Identity, and Nation
The Social – Public Question – Examining how technology transforms Jewish identity, Zionism, community, and education.
- Digital religion and virtual communities: online prayer, learning, and authority.
- Data privacy, surveillance, and ethical dilemmas.
- Cryptocurrency, digital economies, and Jewish law.
- Israel–Diaspora relations in the digital age: how digital platforms transform diasporic ties, collective memory, and transnational Jewish solidarity.
- Digital antisemitism, hate movements, and strategies of response.
- Digital memory and commemoration: virtual remembrance of the Holocaust and October 7 in the digital age.
- Educational innovation: AI, VR, and the future of Jewish learning.
IV. World, Creation, and Responsibility
The Ecological – Environmental Question – In an age when humanity can engineer life and alter the laws of creation, profound ethical and ecological questions arise regarding Jewish responsibility toward the world.
- Climate change, inequality, and technology through Jewish frameworks.
- The ethical responsibilities of Jewish communities in addressing global crises.
- Biodiversity preservation and Jewish law and theology.
- Animals and technology: moral status and the ethics of cultured meat.
- Jewish ecological thought as a framework for balance, restraint, and renewal.
Proposals addressing other relevant topics are welcome if they meaningfully engage with the theme of the technological revolution and the Jewish future.