Kindness As A Political Value

Yehuda Kurtzer delivered the Hartman Institute's inaugural Dan Rubin Memorial Lecture, titled 'The Moral Mandate of Kindness', on October 25th in San Francisco. The lecture was recorded live before a audience and is now available as a podcast episode.

The lecture was given in honor of Dan Rubin, a beloved Hartman board member, who was passionate about the institute's podcasts. The Hartman Institute has a recording studio named in his honor.

Yehuda Kurtzer argued that kindness can be more than just a private virtue, but a foundation for building a healthy society. He drew on rabbinic texts, the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr., and modern democratic thought to explore whether kindness can function as a genuine political value.

The lecture is part of the Identity/Crisis podcast, produced by Michele Siegel. A full transcript of the episode is available.

## Why it matters At a time of rising political fear and social distrust, the concept of kindness as a political value is particularly relevant. It raises questions about how to practice moral courage, resist fear, and build communities capable of sustaining both disagreement and democracy. The lecture explores what it would mean to elevate acts of loving-kindness from a personal ethic to a foundation for building a healthy society.

The Hartman Institute's inaugural Dan Rubin Memorial Lecture marks an important conversation about the role of kindness in society. As the world grapples with increasing polarization and social unrest, the idea of kindness as a political value offers a unique perspective on how to build a more compassionate and equitable world.