A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Reuven Firestone

The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ

About The Event:

What does the Qur’an say about Jews? “Israelites,” “Jews,” “People of the Book.” Even “rabbis.” These are all terms found in the Qur’an. Some have claimed that the Qur’an is antisemitic, while others have argued that it values Jews. What does the Qur’an say? This text study will examine the range of Qur’anic writings about Jews to gain a solid understanding of the status of Jews in the Qur’an. We will then consider how these verses have been interpreted in Muslim tradition.

About The Speaker:

Reuven Firestone is Regenstein Professor in medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, and affiliate professor of religion at the University of Southern California. Author of eight books and over one hundred scholarly articles on Judaism, Islam, their relationship with one another, and with Christianity, Professor Firestone lectures at universities in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East as well as throughout North America. His books include Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam, Who Are the Real Chosen People, Introduction to Islam for Jews, Introduction to Judaism for Muslims, and Holy War in Judaism. Active on the boards of numerous scholarly journals and boards and commissions treating interreligious relations and dialogue, Firestone is an ordained rabbi, received his Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from New York University, and served as Vice President of the Association for Jewish Studies and President of the International Qur’anic Studies Association.

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Avi

The event was co-sponsored by Congregation Or Tzion

About The Event:

The challenge of expressing our feelings is not just an issue for children. From the Pentateuch to Pixar, we will explore how we might better deal with complex emotions.

*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sfbgWHSQKsNE7Gv7YM6Y2uWYN67IkEEZwFJFVbLJmoQ/edit?tab=t.0

About The Speaker:

Rabbi Avi Orlow is the Scholar-in-Residence at Foundation for Jewish Camp. He has a deep love of irreverent, relevant, and revealing Torah and blogs religiously at saidtomyself.com.

A hybrid event (in-person and virtual) by Rabbi David Kasher

The event was co-hosted by Temple Chai

About The Event:

We sometimes speak of holiness as if it were entirely ethereal, having nothing to do with our physical selves. But Leviticus, the book of the Torah most focused on holiness, is also profoundly interested in the human body. Beginning with sacred dietary practices and then moving to rituals that deal with health, sex, birth, and death, Leviticus offers a rich framework for understanding how the body can serve as a vessel for sacred living. This ancient holiness code invites us to integrate the physical and spiritual dimensions of life, challenging modern assumptions about the separation between body and spirit.

*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13UcLDLcCO6X0PXsFv7UVPaPIIOEFDq__2orn-oOPkyk/edit?usp=sharing

About the Speaker:

Rabbi David Kasher is the Director of Hadar West, based in Los Angeles. He grew up bouncing back and forth between the Bay Area and Brooklyn, hippies and Hassidim – and has been trying to synthesize these two worlds ever since. He received rabbinic ordination at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and a doctorate in legal studies from Berkeley Law. He has served as Senior Jewish Educator at Berkeley Hillel, Director of Education at Kevah, and Associate Rabbi at IKAR. He is the author of ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary, and the host of the Torah podcast, Best Book Ever.