Beyond Common Ground: The Places That Hold Us Together

What if some of society’s biggest challenges—from climate change and crime to terrorism and social fragmentation—could be addressed not with more seawalls, prisons, and other forms of “gray infrastructure,” but by investing in the places and systems that bring people together?

In the new book Beyond Common Ground, political scientist Rabbi Dr. Daniel Aldrich makes the case for social infrastructure: the physical and virtual spaces that foster connection, trust, and collective action, from parks and libraries to community centers and radio programs. Drawing on research from across the globe, Aldrich shows how these seemingly ordinary institutions can generate extraordinary benefits, strengthening social capital and helping communities become more resilient in the face of crisis.

Join Aldrich for a conversation about why social infrastructure has been so often treated as a “Cinderella service,” what happens when we invest in it instead, and how it might serve as a “polysolution”—an approach capable of addressing multiple, interconnected crises at once. Beyond Common Ground offers both a new way of thinking about resilience and a practical challenge: What would happen if we designed our communities around connection?

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Rabbi Dr. Daniel Aldrich received his Semichas (ordinations) from Rav Dan Channen and from Rav Aharon Schenkolweski in Jerusalem, and he is an alumnus of the Darche Noam Yeshiva of Jerusalem. He received his PhD and MA from Harvard University, his MA from UC Berkeley, and his BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rabbi Aldrich is rabbi at the KTM synagogue in Brighton and previously was rabbi of Torah v'Chesed and Purdue Hillel in Indiana, Am HaTorah in MD, and the interim rabbi in Adelaide, Australia. Aldrich, Dean's Professor of Resilience at Northeastern University, has published 5 books, more than 115 peer reviewed articles, and had his work mentioned by the New York Times, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, among other outlets. His work in Jewish outreach resulted in his nomination as a Jewish Community Hero. His wife, Yael, is the Executive Director of the Daughters of Israel Mikvah and they have four children.

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