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Scholar-in-Residence: A Weekend of Learning with Shira Telushkin

Upcoming Sessions

1. Friday, November 21, 2025 1 Kislev 5786

5:45 PM - 9:00 PM

2. Saturday, November 22, 2025 2 Kislev 5786

9:30 AM - 6:30 PM

Register



Scholar-in-Residence Program

Judaism in the 21st Century: A Weekend of Learning with Shira Telushkin

Friday, November 21st -  Saturday, November 22nd

Friday Night

  • 5:45 PM: Shabbat Dinner
     
  • 7:00 PM: Shabbat Services with Rabbi Greenspan and Cantor Apt
     
  • 8:00 PM: Gourmet Dessert Oneg sponsored by the Adult Education Committee
     
  • 8:15 PM: Should Moral Differences Ever End a Friendship? A Jewish Perspective
    Jewish life has always celebrated the role of friendship in the good life, but these relationships can come at a cost. Through a look at three famously difficult friendships in Jewish history, we'll consider our obligations to our friends, the limits of those obligations, and what to do when people we love hold opinions we hate. 

Saturday

  • 9:30 AM: Shabbat Services with Rabbi Greenspan and Cantor Apt. 
    D'var Torah by Shira Telushkin: Holy, Not Good: How to Understand Our (Sometimes) Selfish Saints
    Stories abound in the Jewish tradition of sages, mystics, and scholars who abandon their families or flee from the needy in pursuit of God, Torah, or prayer. How do we understand these stories, and by extension, the human need for holiness, even when such holiness comes at the expense of serving others? These questions offer new perspectives for all of us trying to balance time for ourselves with the needs of others, and guidance on reclaiming the mystery of the divine relationship. 
     
  • 12:00 PM: Kiddush luncheon followed by a session led by Shira Telushkin: A Century of Change for the American Rabbi
    One hundred years ago, American rabbis were all men, ordained at only a handful of schools, and almost exclusively served pulpits. Today, the American rabbinate is a diverse, broad spectrum of Jewish leaders, more likely to be focused on community work than congregations, and ordained at over a dozen different institutions (and counting). What does this mean for the future of American Jews, and the future of Jewish leadership? We'll look at how the mechanics of becoming a rabbi have changed, how the needs of American Jews have changed, and why the skills of the rabbi will likely adapt and change in the next one hundred years of American Jewish life, all through anecdotes, data, and stories from the history of American rabbis. 
     
  • 4:30 PM: Seduah Shlishit - A light meal followed by learning and discussion: Bentel Brief
    The early 1900s advice columns in Yiddish newspapers are full of letters from Jewish men and women who have fallen in love with non-Jewish partners, no longer believe in God, are curious about socialism, and otherwise struggle with many questions that have resurfaced in Jewish life today. These glimpses into the Jewish past can put modern debates into perspective and shed light on the enduring role of advice in the Jewish tradition. There will also be ample time to debate and offer our own advice to these past letter-writers! 

Register by November 14th.         
                                                        

This program is sponsored by the Adult Education Committee. 

About Shira Telushkin:

Shira Telushkin is a journalist and scholar who has been reporting on American Jewish life for more than a decade. She spent three years producing Unorthodox, the podcast of Tablet magazine, and has written advice columns for both Tablet and the Forward. Shira is a professor at the City University of New York, where she teaches religion reporting. Her work has appeared in The New York TimesThe Washington PostThe Atlantic, and many other publications. She holds a BA in Religious Studies from Yale University and an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School. Her first book, How to Forsake the World: What Those Who Leave Society Can Teach Those Who Stay, will be published by HarperCollins next year.


Dinner Menu (subject to change)

Entrée Choices:
• Chicken Schnitzel
• Serengeti Eggplant Curry (vegan)



Sides:
• Butternut Mashed Potatoes
• Garlic Roasted Broccoli
• Noodle Kugel
• Garden Salad
• Challah


Example: Gluten free, vegan, food specific allergies
$30 per person
$18 per youth
Free

Disclaimer: Beth Shalom makes every effort to accommodate a variety of dietary needs. However, Beth Shalom is not an allergy-free environment. While gluten-free options are available, we cannot guarantee the absence of cross-contamination. All food served is nut-free, but some items may be prepared in facilities that are not nut-free. If you have a life-threatening food allergy, please contact the office in advance.

 

$10 per person


The fee for dinner does not cover the Friday night Oneg or Saturday Kiddush. To defray costs, or if you are not able to attend but would like to support our Scholar-in-Residence programs, please consider making a donation.
 
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Wed, October 29 2025 7 Cheshvan 5786