An Afternoon of Learning on Jewish Text, Constructive Disagreement & Healthy Masculinity
Sunday, February 7th, 2027 | Sutton Place Synagogue, NYC
For over a decade, the loudest voices defining what it means to be a man have come from the Manosphere — an online culture of toxic masculinity, misogyny, and radicalization, often laced with antisemitism. Man Enough is our answer: a day of Jewish text study, real conversation skills, and a community panel that gives boys, girls who care about the boys in their lives, families raising boys, and the adults who care about healthy boys a deeper, sturdier model of manhood than the internet is currently offering.
Open to all - not appropriate for children under 5th grade, given the day's content.
Featured Panelists
Learning Sessions
This is not a lecture about what not to do, but a real dig into what Jewish text and Jewish values actually say about strength, leadership, anger, friendship, and being a man.
Every session is going to ask you to disagree — with the text, with each other, sometimes with yourself.
Community Panel
Featuring panelists who exemplify healthy masculinity and can speak to what it means to be a man in a way that goes deeper than just being a "mensch."
Bringing the text learning to real life. Panelists to be announced soon!
SCHEDULE
2:00 PM Doors Open & Registration, Snacks
2:30-3:00 PM Welcome & Framing
3:00-4:00 PM Class Rotation I — choose one of three sessions
4:00-5:00 PM Class Rotation II — choose one of three sessions
5:00 PM Break/Meal
5:45-7:00 PM Community Panel Discussion — open to all
More information coming soon…
Learning Session I Options:
Breaking Down the Manosphere
Naming the rhetorical patterns of online "alpha" culture — and practicing a Jewish, non-combative alternative.
Moral Foundations & the Masculinity Values Map
Why do good people land on such different ideas of manhood? A hands-on look at the values underneath the disagreement.
Led by Danny Swersky, award-winning educator.
Anger & the Space Between Stimulus and Response
Even Moses lost clarity to anger — three times. A practical, repeatable tool for the pause before you act.
Featured Panelists
Learning Session II Options:
Moses, The Reluctant Leader
Was Moses's admission that he couldn't carry it all alone a strength, or a failure? A live text debate on what leadership costs.
Brothers, Not Rivals
What does healthy male friendship require? A look at loyalty and sacrifice, paired with a practice in real listening.
Led by Rabbi Daniel Brenner, Moving Traditions
He Who Weeps
Four men of Tanakh — a patriarch, a fugitive, a viceroy, a king — all cry, for four different reasons. Is there one "right way" to show emotion, or does strength include knowing which moment calls for which response?
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Michael Valdes is a New York–based actor, singer, writer, theatre-maker, and multidisciplinary storyteller creating work across performance, writing, and digital media. A Cuban-Iranian Jewish American originally from Long Island, his work explores identity, belonging, culture, memory, and the complicated ways people understand one another. Michael is the founder of Hot Jewish Media and creator and host of Hot Jewish Energy, a digital platform exploring “pop culture through a Jewish lens” through cultural commentary, original storytelling, interviews, and podcasting. His work includes ANEMONE, his bilingual English-Hebrew play exploring friendship, Jewish and Israeli identity, grief, and belonging in the aftermath of October 7, as well as writing, speaking, performance, and digital storytelling throughout the Jewish community. Across mediums, Michael approaches complex conversations with curiosity, vulnerability, humor, and a willingness to embrace contradiction.
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Bio coming soon!
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Seth Golob is the Director of the Jackson Religious School and Family Engagement at Sutton Place Synagogue. His writing and educational projects have been featured in Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, The Smithsonian, The Jewish Education Project, Exploring Judaism, and FJMC’s Gesher Magazine. Seth was named one of USY Alumni’s 36 Under 36 in 2024 and is a Senior Educators Learning Fellow in Cohort 6 at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. He is the creator of Man Enough, a Jewish text study, constructive disagreement, and community conversation exploration. Man Enough is a response to toxic masculinity, especially the online Manosphere, and it gives boys, families, and the adults who care about them a deeper, sturdier model of healthy masculinity. Under Seth’s leadership, the religious school has defied national trends and grown in both numbers and engagement by blending Jewish values, practicality, experiential learning, and innovation. His proudest moments are raising two children with his wife, Sophie.
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Check back soon
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