To Life: Jews Exploring Nature, with Joel Greenberg

For generations, Jewish history has been told as the story of a people rooted in texts, scholarship, and community. But another, often-overlooked story unfolds in forests, fields, museums, and laboratories.

Join acclaimed naturalist and author Joel Greenberg for a conversation about his compelling new book, To Life: Jews Exploring Nature. Through the remarkable lives of eight Jewish scientists and naturalists—including botanists, ornithologists, ecologists, zoologists, and explorers—Greenberg reveals how curiosity about the natural world has been an important, if frequently unrecognized, thread in Jewish history and identity.

Blending biography, environmental history, and cultural insight, Greenberg explores how these pioneering figures advanced scientific understanding while navigating questions of heritage, belonging, and identity. Their stories span continents and disciplines, from the rediscovery of wild wheat in the Middle East to groundbreaking research on birds, mammals, spiders, reptiles, and ecosystems.

This thought-provoking program invites readers, nature lovers, and anyone interested in the intersection of science, culture, and the humanities to discover a richer understanding of both Jewish history and our relationship with the living world. A book signing and audience Q&A will follow the presentation.