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Embark on a year-long intellectual journey with the Rabbi Sacks Tidewater Community Book Club, an initiative supported by the Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
In response to recent challenges faced by the Jewish community, this series seeks to deepen our understanding of Jewish values and unite disparate elements through the exploration of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' profound teachings. Throughout 2024, participants will read and discuss six books covering a spectrum of significant Jewish ideas, from the connection to the land of Israel to the relevance of biblical narratives in the modern world.
The events, hosted every two months at various synagogues across Tidewater, will feature guided discussions and provide an opportunity for fellowship. Whether reading in advance or joining the discussions, participants are encouraged to deepen their connection with "the people of the book."
Watch this short video where Rabbi Sacks discusses why he wrote the next book we will discuss: Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence.
Previous books discussed
The first book in the six-event series was Future Tense: Jews, Judaism and Israel in the 21st Century.
Written in 2009 and referencing past armed conflict in Gaza, it was a particularly appropriate beginning to the series considering the recent violence in Israel. A lively interactive discussion ensued, touching on the main themes of the book and its central premise calling for a Judaism engaged in the world. As Rabbi Sacks states, “We are in danger of forgetting who Jews are and why, why there is such a thing as the Jewish people, and what its place is within the global project of humankind.”
Future Tense challenges the narrative that Jews are destined to be hated and a people that forever shall dwell alone. For Sacks, this isn’t the Jewish story. The book argues that without a positive vision, Jews will split apart. This unity requires a shared religious commitment, “Without the covenant of faith, there is no covenant of fate. Without religion, there is no global nation.” Sacks notes the paradox of Jewish continuity, “when it was hard to stay a Jew, people stayed Jewish, when it became easy to be a Jew, people stopped being Jewish.” Staying Jewish requires a level of connection beyond ethnic or culture identification. Maintaining an identity requires duty, commitment, and loyalty.
The book concludes with a call for the Jewish people to engage in the world and unite Torah with chochma (wisdom). It is a call to action, to understand the world and bring the light of Torah out to improve it. As noted in the title, Future Tense, Judaism is a forward-thinking religion. The golden age of the Jewish people is yet to come.
at the Reba & Sam Sandler Family Campus
The second book in the six-event series was The Great Partnership: Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning.
“The Great Partnership” begins by explaining why so many view religion and science as incompatible. It then makes a forceful case for why religion matters and directly addresses major challenges to faith.
The book starts with contrasting accounts of the world. One narrative describes a universe where random chance overwhelmed massive improbability, resulting in the spontaneous formation of life with ever-increasing complexity. There is no purpose or higher meaning; we simply exist in a brief instant of time along the continuum of infinity. Our actions and thoughts are no more than preprogrammed responses from our genetic code of no moral consequence.
An alternative offers a universe called into being from an entity outside it. Under the laws that we call nature and understand as science, Homo sapiens became sentient and endowed with free will to make moral choices. These choices have consequences that endow life with meaning. As Sacks describes, “The meaning of the system lies outside the system. Therefore, the meaning of the universe lies outside the universe. That was the revolution of Abrahamic monotheism.”
Sacks makes the case that Judaism in its original form complements scientific advancement without serious theological difficulties. Utilizing classic Jewish sources, he discusses how religious faith is not threatened but may even be strengthened by scientific advances that include the universe's origins and evolutionary biology. Ultimately, “Science takes things apart to see how they work. Religion puts things together to see what they mean.”
For some, science alone serves the function of religion. However, science has no space for empathy or to account for human dignity. The search for meaning is made, not discovered, and we find it in the stories we tell, the prayers we say, and the rituals we perform. We don’t have to choose between embracing science and pursuing faith as we navigate our lives.
Thanks to the generous support of the Bartel Family, in honor of their parents and grandparents, Alan & Dolores Bartel, the following accessibility accommodations are available for these community programs (depending on the program location). Accommodations must be requested at least a week prior to the event.
Thank You!
We look forward to seeing you for the Rabbi Sacks Tidewater Community Book Club.
The June 16 meeting will be held at Temple Israel, located at 7255 Granby Street in Norfolk.
You will receive a confirmation email shortly.
Thank you,
Sierra Lautman
Senior Director, Jewish Innovation
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater
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