Justice Brandeis, Thomas Jefferson, and America at 250 with Professor Jeffrey Rosen and Rev Paul Brandeis Raushenbush

On September 23rd, Professor Jeffrey Rosen joins our landmark virtual series to explore the intellectual foundations of Justice Louis Brandeis. As a self-described Jeffersonian, Brandeis famously drew inspiration from Jefferson’s Bill for Religious Freedom when authoring his landmark free speech opinion in Whitney v. California. In this session, Rosen will examine how Brandeis uniquely synthesized Jewish and Jeffersonian traditions within the American context. This discussion offers timely insights into Brandeis’s enduring legacy as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

More About Jeffrey Rosen:

Jeffrey Rosen is the CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center, a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. He was previously the legal affairs editor of The New Republic and a staff writer for The New Yorker.
Rosen is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Pursuit of Happiness and Conversations with RBG. His new book is The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America.

Rosen is a graduate of Harvard College; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School. He is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Law Institute. In 2024, the French government recognized him as a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

More about the Reverend Paul Brandeis Raushenbush

The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. An ordained Baptist minister, Rev. Raushenbush is a longtime interfaith leader and renowned advocate for civil rights and religious freedom. He works with affiliates, networks and leaders across the country to forge powerful alliances among people of diverse faiths and beliefs to build a resilient, inclusive multi-faith democracy. 

Rev. Raushenbush speaks regularly at colleges, faith communities and institutes around the country – including The Chautauqua Institute, the Center for American Progress, Council on Foreign Relations, the New America Foundation and the Aspen Institute. He is a frequent commentator on issues of religion, civil rights and social justice in media national outlets including CNN, MSNBC, NPR, CBS, ABC, CPSAN, The New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Newsweek, The Hill, the Guardian, HuffPost, Salon and Religion News Service. He has published two books and contributed essays to several volumes on faith in public life. 

Rev. Raushenbush also hosts the weekly podcast and radio show “The State of Belief,” in partnership with Religion News Service. Notable guests have included Timothy Snyder, Skye Perryman, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Katherine Stewart, Bishop William Barber, Rabbi Sharon Brous, Najeeba Sayeed, E.J. Dionne and Rob Reiner. 

Prior to coming to Interfaith Alliance, Rev. Raushenbush served as senior vice president of the Auburn Seminary, and as the founding and executive editor of HuffPost Religion. Rev. Raushenbush has also served as associate dean of religious life and the chapel at Princeton University and as the senior advisor for public affairs and innovation at Interfaith America. 

Rev. Raushenbush is married to the author Brad Gooch, and lives in New York City where they are raising their two children. He is the great-grandson of Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis and the great-grandson of the theologian Reverend Walter Rauschenbusch. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

So how does this all work? 

• By purchasing our 250 Years of Jewish Life in America series, you are gaining access to a year’s worth of events with the nation’s top Jewish historians. You will be able to watch them all live on Zoom, and they will also be recorded for later viewing. Each event will be one hour long.

Can I purchase a ticket to individual events if I don’t want to buy the full package? 

• Yes. (But the entire package for just $54 is quite a deal!)

How many events will there be?

• At least eight, spread out throughout the year.

What if I have more questions about how this works? 

• You can email events@70facesmedia.org.