blogs/brentspodek

Dear Friends:

It always feels as if we go from 0 to 60 miles an hour as we transition from late summer to post-Labor Day. As we gear up for the jump to light speed, there are two important events I want to make sure you know about.

The first is that we're very, very excited to be welcoming Ruth Calderon to BHA on September 15 to speak about Modern Israel and Ancient Texts: Forgiveness and the Days of Awe.  

Dr. Calderon is the founder of two secular, pluralistic and egalitarian centers for the study of traditional texts in Israel, and she served briefly as a member of the Knesset, where she taught Talmud to the notoriously divided Parliament during her introductory speech. In the words of Jay Michaelson, "If Ruth Calderon did not exist, it would be necessary to dream of someone like her." Thanks to the support of the Dutchess County Jewish Federation, there is no fee for this program, but we do ask that all participants register.

The second is regarding our trip to Israel and the West Bank in June 2017. This is a trip which will take us beyond the tourist fantasy of Israel and into the real beauty and challenges that face Israelis and Palestinians living in this land. We'll be having an info session about the trip on October 6 and more information about the trip as a whole is available here. 

The Days of Awe are soon up on us, and we're starting up our full range of spiritual practice, learning, justice and more. I'm so excited to begin this year with you!

With blessings,

Brent