In the Beginnings: The Dual Foundations of Judaism
06/11/24 • 56 min
A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. David Harbater
Co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion & BMH-BJ
About the Event:
Throughout history, billions of people worldwide have studied the biblical account of creation without realizing that there is not one account but rather two separate and competing accounts. Through a careful reading of the text, we will explore these two accounts and the perspectives that emerge from each regarding such fundamental questions as the nature of God, the characteristics that distinguish human beings from other species, the role that God calls upon us to fulfill in the world, and the relationship that God envisions between men and women.
*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ohi3XGFxoe3Dj_q6lD5G0jaaEnktkrqm/view?usp=sharing
About the Speaker:
Rabbi Dr. David Harbater teaches Bible and Jewish thought at Midreshet Torah v’Avodah, the Amudim Seminary, and the Women’s Beit Midrash of Efrat. He previously served as a lecturer in Jewish education at Herzog College; as a curriculum writer for the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, a project of the Hebrew University; and as a teacher of Bible, Jewish thought, and Talmud in a variety of frameworks, both in Israel and in the United States. He studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion, Yeshiva University, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg, and earned his PhD in education from the University of Haifa.
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A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Dr. David Harbater
Co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion & BMH-BJ
About the Event:
Throughout history, billions of people worldwide have studied the biblical account of creation without realizing that there is not one account but rather two separate and competing accounts. Through a careful reading of the text, we will explore these two accounts and the perspectives that emerge from each regarding such fundamental questions as the nature of God, the characteristics that distinguish human beings from other species, the role that God calls upon us to fulfill in the world, and the relationship that God envisions between men and women.
*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ohi3XGFxoe3Dj_q6lD5G0jaaEnktkrqm/view?usp=sharing
About the Speaker:
Rabbi Dr. David Harbater teaches Bible and Jewish thought at Midreshet Torah v’Avodah, the Amudim Seminary, and the Women’s Beit Midrash of Efrat. He previously served as a lecturer in Jewish education at Herzog College; as a curriculum writer for the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, a project of the Hebrew University; and as a teacher of Bible, Jewish thought, and Talmud in a variety of frameworks, both in Israel and in the United States. He studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion, Yeshiva University, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg, and earned his PhD in education from the University of Haifa.
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Previous Episode
Sovereignty, Violence, and Morality: Zionism and the Ethics of Judaism
A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller
Beth El Phoenix co-hosted the event
About the Event:
The current conflict that has seen a revival of the discussion regarding the Jewish right to establish a state in the Land of Israel has occasioned a renewed focus on the dynamics of sovereignty. Beyond a doubt, implementing Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael is the essential dimension of political Zionism.
In this seminar, I propose to examine how religion interacts with sovereignty and with the nationalist impulse that it nurtures. Among the questions considered are: Can the mingling of religion and state function constructively or must their interplay always be toxic, resulting in harmful and oppressive outcomes? Can God and religious values curb the excesses of nationalist fervor? How does the seductively alluring nature of power factor into the Zionist expression of Jewish sovereignty? And can there be a Zionism that embraces God, but does not aspire to sovereignty? We will study a variety of sources, ranging from the writings of the Rabbi of Satmar (an avowed anti-Zionist) to the messianic exhortations of the Rabbis Kook (father and son) and the settler rabbis of Gush Emunim (the Bloc of the Faithful) and the pacifist thought of “One of the Passionate Rabbis” – אחד הרבנים המרגישים. We will see how these teachings inform and shape Israeli politics and foment the extremism that is evident today. And we will discover the sober voices of the tradition that promote constraint and a limitation on the unfettered exercise of power.
*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t0gs9wE3u3yL9Kw7Swc8JNFPbcH91Grj/view?usp=sharing
About the Speaker:
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller is a faculty member at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He recently celebrated 40 years of working with students and faculty as the Executive Director of the Yitzhak Rabin Hillel Center for Jewish Life at UCLA, where he is now Director Emeritus.
Chaim was ordained at Yeshiva University where he completed a Masters in Rabbinic Literature. He has lectured in the Departments of Sociology, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA, and the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He is a faculty member of the Wexner Heritage Foundation. Chaim was the founding director of the Hartman Fellowship for Hillel Professionals and a founding member of Americans for Peace Now.
Chaim was a rabbinic consultant to Barbra Streisand during the film Yentl. He and his wife Dr. Doreen Seidler-Feller, a clinical psychologist, are the parents of two children.
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What’s A Nice Jewish Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This? Jews, Prison, and Spirituality
A virtual event presentation by Dr. Elaine Leeder
The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel
About the event:
For the last twenty-eight years Elaine Leeder has been working in prisons, first at Elmira Correctional Facility, then San Quentin, and now in prisons all over California. Her teaching, then running self-help groups and now doing Victim/Offender Dialogues, has shown her that there is redemption, remorse, and contrition behind the walls. People can be transformed even in the most oppressive of circumstances.
Leeder will discuss the Jewish values like Teshuvah, Chesed, and Tikkun Olam that deeply inform her work. She will describe the forgiveness she sees in victims (or victims’ families) for some of the most horrendous of crimes like murder, kidnapping, rape, and robbery. Her presentation will focus on real situations that will inspire and touch you in profound ways. Her growth has been deeply informed by these powerful stories.
About the speaker:
Elaine (Sneierson) Leeder is a Professor Emerita of Sociology and the Dean Emerita of the School of Social Sciences at Sonoma State University. Previously she was a Professor at Ithaca College, Ithaca NY. She has 48 years of distinguished accomplishments and experience in academia and public service. Leeder is listed in Who’s Who of America Women, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who of American Teachers. Her awards include a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellowship, Visiting Scholar status at the United States Holocaust Museum, outstanding teaching awards, research and travel grants, and numerous awards from student and community agencies. She is a co-founder of the Jewish Studies program and the producer of the Holocaust and Genocide Memorial Grove and the Anne Frank tree installation at Sonoma State University. Leeder has an MSW from Yeshiva University, an MPH from the University of California at Berkeley, and a PhD from Cornell University, and has published six books and numerous articles. Her book The Family in Global Perspective: A Gendered Journey is based on her Semester at Sea voyages in 1992, 1999, and 2013. One of her books My Life with Lifers: Lessons for a Teacher, Humanity Has No Bars describes her work in prisons in NY and CA where she taught, ran groups, and now does victim-offender dialogues. Her exemplary career encompasses roles as professor/teacher, psychotherapist, consultant, author, and advocate for social justice. Visit her at www.elaineleeder.com
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