Scholar Lectures
Zack Bodner, Pacific Northwest Regional Director, AIPAC
Monday, February 6
6:00 p.m. Dinner hosted by Amba, Kosher Cuisine
7:00 P.M. Dessert and discussion in the Adult Lounge
Throughout the Arab world, protesters have taken to the streets in unprecedented numbers to demand political change. Please join us for a candid and open discussion with AIPAC’s Pacific Northwest Regional Director, Zack Bodner, as we examine these dramatic events and their implications for U.S. and Israeli interests.
As AIPAC’s Pacific Northwest Regional Director, Zack Bodner works with the communities in Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Northern Nevada and Alaska, organizing the political and grassroots efforts of pro-Israel activists. His portfolio includes congressional briefings, lobbying, grassroots organizing, political party work and coalition building. He has spoken to numerous groups throughout the region on everything from the U.S.-Israel relationship, to Israel-related policy on Capitol Hill, to the geo-political climate of the modern Middle East, to the importance of grassroots political involvement.
For over 50 years, AIPAC has worked to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Israel by lobbying Congress about legislation that strengthens the partnership between these two democracies. Today, AIPAC is broadening and deepening the U.S.-Israel bond by working to secure vital aid for Israel and to promote strategic cooperation between the two nations, to develop sound U.S. anti-terrorist policies and to stop rogue nations such as Iran, Iraq, and Libya from acquiring nuclear weapons.
This event is sponsored by Anshei Isaiah and Temple Isaiah’s Israel and World Jewry Committee.
3rd Shabbat Service with David Ellenson, Rabbi, Ph.D.
Friday, March March 16, 7:30 p.m.
Dr. David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and I.H. and Anna Grancell Professor of Jewish Religious Thought, is a distinguished rabbi, scholar, and leader of the Reform Movement. He is internationally recognized for his publications and research in the areas of Jewish religious thought, ethics, and modern Jewish history. Join us for a catered dinner at 6:15 p.m. ($20 per person) followed by a 7:30 service, during which Rabbi Ellenson will speak. The service will be followed by an Oneg. Rabbi Ellenson’s visit is funded by the Mimi Epstein
Memorial Fund. Click here visit the Eat, Pray, Learn webpage where you can reserve and pre-pay for the dinner.
An Introduction to Islam for Jews: How Do We See Each Other?
Rabbi Reuven Firestone, Ph.D.
Sunday, March 25, 4:00 p.m.
Rabbi Dr. Reuven Firestone is professor of medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, Senior Fellow of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, and founder and co-director of the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement in Los Angeles. Author of seven books and over eighty scholarly articles on Judaism, Islam and their relationship with one another and with Christianity, Rabbi Firestone has lived in Israel and Egypt. He received his Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from New York University. This lecture is the third in a four-part series presented in partnership with the Jewish Federation and Community Foundation of the East Bay and the Contra Costa JCC. Visit www.jfed.org/bookfestival for more information about the series.