The Zalman C. Bernstein Memorial Lecture in Jewish Political Thought, named for an extraordinary individual who was a central visionary of the Shalem Center and its leading backer, is dedicated to assisting in the development of the ideas that are central to the Jewish political tradition, an area of special interest to Mr. Bernstein.

View the ivitation to the 2011 Zalman C. Bernstein Memorial Lecture.

2010's lecture on “The Role of Higher Education in a Young Jewish Republic" was delivered by Professor Eva Brann of St. John's College in Annapolis.  At St. John’s, she is one of the college’s longest-serving and most respected tutors; she has been a mentor to students and tutors alike, and a model for the “examined life” the St. John’s Program encourages.

Watch a video of the 2010 Zalman C. Bernstein Memorial Lecture.

2009's lecture on “The Conflict Between Rights and the Common Good" was delivered by Professor Amitai Etzioni of George Washington University. Etzioni, who has been ranked among the top 100 American intellectuals, is a noted proponent of “communitarianism.” He offered his views and insights into the role of community and the common good, and spoke about their relation to individual rights in Western society.

Photographs of the 2008 Zalman C. Bernstein Memorial Lecture.

Past ZCB lecturers have included:

2010

Eva Brann, “The Role of Higher Education in a Young Jewish Republic"

2009
Amitai Ezioni, “The Tension Between Rights and the Common Good”

2008
Yirmiyahu Yovel, "Stages in the Western History of the Will: From Philo to Augustine, Descartes to Hegel"

2007
Suzanne L. Stone, “Is There Justice in History? A Jewish View”

2006
Moshe "Bogie" Yaalon, "The IDF and the Israeli Spirit"

2005       
Natan Sharansky, "The Political Thought of Theodor Herzl"

2004       
Jeremy A. Rabkin, "The Jewish Tradition and the Modern Idea of National Sovereignty"

2003       
Amnon Rubinstein, "Zionism and the Family of Nations: The Exception or the Rule?"

2002       
Fania Oz-Salzburger, "The Jewish Sources of Inspiration for Western Ideas of Liberty"

2001       
Ruth Gavison, "The Jewish State: A Theoretical Justification and Its Desired Character"

2000       
Ruth Wisse, "Jewish Political Strategy in the Diaspora: What Went Wrong"

1999       
Irving Kristol, "The Jewish Political Tradition: A Neo-Conservative View"

Zalman Chaim Bernstein (1926-1999) was a deeply committed Jew, a successful entrepreneur, a great philanthropist of the Jewish people, and a true partner in the Shalem Center's vision. 

Known to most of the world by his English name, Sanford, Zalman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in difficult economic circumstances. At age eighteen he enlisted in the navy, and served as a naval supply officer in the Second World War. Upon completion of his service he went to college, earning a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting, followed soon after by a master's degree in economics from Harvard. He worked for several years as an economic advisor for the Marshall Plan, through which he helped to revive the European economy on the basis of free markets. After a number of subsequent positions in the business world, in 1967 Zalman founded Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., a new company responsible for the investments of private individuals, companies, pension funds, and foundations. Today, Bernstein & Co. is one of the most successful investment companies on Wall Street.

Zalman also cared deeply about what Judaism had to offer Jews of all persuasions, and the success of Bernstein & Co. allowed him to explore various means of contributing to his goal of Jewish unity. One result is the Avi Chai Foundation, which he founded to help bring Jews of all backgrounds, in both Israel and abroad, closer to Judaism and to one another. He also demonstrated a deeply felt Jewish nationalism, believing passionately in his people's right to develop and express its uniqueness through its own independent state. In 1990, Zalman immigrated to Israel, where he continued to involve himself in various projects on behalf of the Jewish state.