Join us for "From Bowling Alone to Bonding Together: Strengthening Community in the Face of Polarization" with Dr. Robert Putnam, a world-renowned political scientist and best-selling author. Dr. Putnam is one of the most influential voices on social capital, civic engagement, and community-building. His groundbreaking work, Bowling Alone, explored the decline of community in American life, and his latest efforts focus on how we can rebuild social bonds in a time of division. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear from one of the foremost scholars on strengthening community in the face of polarization.

Dr. Robert Putnam

Robert D. Putnam is the Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the British Academy, and past president of the American Political Science Association, in 2006 he received the Skytte Prize, the world's highest accolade for a political scientist. 

In 2012 Barack Obama awarded Bob the National Humanities Medal, the nation’s highest honor for contributions to the humanities.  He has written fifteen books, translated into twenty languages, including Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Italy and Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, both among the most cited (and bestselling) social science works in nearly a century.  He has consulted for Presidents Carter, Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama, as well as presidents and prime ministers from the UK, Ireland, and Finland to South Korea and Singapore.

His most recent book, The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again (2020), is a widely praised study of broad 20th century American economic, social, political, and cultural trends. 

Check out our curated collection of Dr. Robert Putnam’s work!

• Join or Die - Netflix Documentary
• Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
• The Upswing – How America can come together again
• Harvard Kennedy School – "Restoring Social Capital in Polarized America" lecture
• PBS NewsHour Interview – Dr. Putnam on America’s growing division and how to rebuild community
• Interview with NPR – "Bowling Alone: 20 Years Later and What Has Changed"

The Bruce Tranen z"l Distinguished Speakers Series at Temple Sholom of Chicago, established in 2021 through the generosity of Bruce z"l and Jan Tranen, has created a legacy to continue our longstanding tradition of hosting thought leaders and visionaries who inspire action on the most pressing issues of our time. Over the years, our congregation has been graced by the presence of luminaries such as Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Goodall, Elie Wiesel, Thomas Friedman, Bryan Stevenson, and so many more whose messages of hope, resilience, and moral courage have profoundly impacted our community. Join us as we uphold this legacy, offering these enlightening lectures free to the public and fostering a community of informed inspired action.

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