A virtual event presentation by Dr. Michael Meyer

The event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel

About The Event:

This lecture, based on my book “Above All, We Are Jews,” A Biography of Rabbi Alexander Schindler, will cover the career of a German Jew of East European extraction who redirected American Reform Judaism so that it would more realistically address the nature of American Jewry. Innovating in multiple areas, Schindler came to grips with the increasing rate of interfaith marriage even as he expanded the vision of a liberal Jewish faith. While chairing the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations, his deep personal friendship with Prime Minister Menachem Begin prevented a crisis between American Jewry and Israel. Using citations from his speeches and writings, this lecture will illustrate the importance of Rabbi Schindler within American Jewry of the 1970s and 1980s and his legacy for Reform Judaism today.

About The Speaker:

Michael A. Meyer was born in Berlin, Germany, and grew up in Los Angeles, where he graduated from UCLA with highest honors. His doctorate in Jewish history is from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, where he served as Professor of Jewish History for fifty years. He has also been a guest professor at three Israeli universities and served as president of the Association for Jewish Studies and international president of the Leo Baeck Institute. He is the recipient of three Jewish Book Awards and has published more than 200 scholarly articles and longer reviews. His books include The Origins of the Modern Jew, Response to Modernity: A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism, and Rabbi Leo Baeck: Living a Religious Imperative in Troubled Times. He is the recipient of an honorary degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Cross of Merit from the German Federal Republic.

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Richard Address

The Event was co-sponsored by Temple Emanuel

About The Event:

In this session, we will discuss the new life stage of Caregiving and how Jewish texts and tradition have approached this issue. Based on the 5th Commandment, we will examine how our tradition has looked at this life stage from the Talmud through contemporary commentaries. We will look at what it means to “honor” and “respect”, the issue of who and how an adult child “pays”, as well as when it may be permissible to cede care to a third party. We will look at difficult questions, such as do we need a new vocabulary for caregiving in light of technology and the challenges of “quality of life” and the emerging issue of Medical Aid in Dying.

*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OiZfmzcc-ywctGm64SGIQN7R2_TA0ZP7/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303465191084699356&rtpof=true&sd=true

About The Speaker: Rabbi Richard F Address, D.Min.: ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (1972), is the founder and director of Jewish Sacred Aging®, the website jewishsacredaging.com, and hosts the weekly “Seekers of Meaning podcast/tv show. Rabbi Address served congregations in California and New Jersey for over 25 years and also served on the staff of the Union for Reform Judaism for over three decades as the regional director for the Pennsylvania Council and then as founding director of the URJ’s Department of Family Concerns. He continues to teach and consult with congregations in areas related to the impact of longevity on congregations, families, and organizations. He has edited numerous articles and books dealing with issues of aging and is the author of “Seekers of Meaning: Baby Boomers, Judaism and the Pursuit of Healthy Aging”. Rabbi Address continues to teach at a variety of locations and is an adjunct at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Wurzweiler Social Work at Yeshiva University, and the Aleph Seminary. In addition, Rabbi Address serves on the board of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Southern N.J., co-chairs their Senior Services Committee, and co-chairs the Jewish Advisory Group for Samaritan Hospice/Healthcare in southern New Jersey. In January 2024, he was honored to receive the Isaac Mayer Wise award for lifetime service from the Reform Jewish community of Denver, CO. He is married to Jane Travis-Address and lives in Gloucester County.

A virtual event presentation by Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower

About The Event:
The cry, “Why Should We Be Excluded,” made by those individuals who were not able to bring the Paschal sacrifice is echoed by so many disabled Jews who have been left out of our community – our shuls, our schools, our communal programming due to inaccessibility and to invisibility in the community. The laws of the megillah were designed by our Sages to make the reading of the Book of Esther accessible. In this shiur, we will learn that the halakha places a major value on comprehension of the story and allows for a megillah to be written in all languages. This serves as a model for ensuring that all Jews are full and equal members of our communities.

*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16fjiAIl4H416EJuwA628LOMzA7Qk6qGcCVGGFftJQq8/edit?usp=sharing

About The Speaker:
Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower is Senior Scholar and Mashgichah Ruchanit at YCT Rabbinical School. Previously, she served as Academic Dean and Rosh Kollel at Yeshivat Maharat and as Rosh Beit Midrash and Director of the Full-time Programs of Drisha Institute. Devorah has taught Talmud and Jewish Law for 3 decades at Drisha, SAR High School, Hadar, YCT, and Maharat.