University Synagogue

Pitzer College Professor Phil Zuckerman will speak on “Goodness and Godlessness”

Friday, 5/25, 8:15 p.m. (“Shabbat Alive” services at 7:00 p.m.)

Professor Zuckerman, who grew up as a Reconstructionist, is a Professor of Sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA and the author of a number of books on secularism and its values, including “Atheism And Secularity,” “Faith No More” and “Society Without God.”  He will discuss what we know sociologically about non-religious people and non-religious cultures.  Based on his research among secular people, his thesis will be simple: religious faith is not necessary for a good, healthy society or a good, meaningful life.  Co-sponsored by Tom and Andra Ellingson and Irvine United Congregational Church.

Eli Alony of the Ir David /City of David Foundation in Israel will speak on “Biblical Archeology: Fact Or Fantasy?”

Friday, June 1, 8:00 p.m. at Shabbat services 

Over the last decade, a stunning archaeological excavation has been underway to reveal one of humankind’s most important cities, Jerusalem. Buried under the sands of time for more than two thousand years, the original city of Jerusalem from the Bible, known as the City of David, was recently discovered concealed beneath a small hilltop outside of today’s Old City walls. Renowned archeologists grasp the shovel in one hand and the Bible in the other to guide them in their search to dig up the core of the city that was home to Kings David and Solomon and the stage for the Bible’s most compelling stories. Mr. Alony is responsible for developing and implementing educational programming in North America and Europe, including presentations to members of the Senate on Capitol Hill.  He has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yeshiva University and a Law degree from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law and is a highly passionate, knowledgeable and experienced speaker, with the unique ability to bring the historic experience alive and make it relevant to people of all ages and backgrounds.  Sponsored by Mike and Amy Morhaime.

 Tel Aviv Mayor, Ron Huldai, will speak on the topic “The Centrality of Tel Aviv to Israel’s Future”  Friday, 6/22, 8:15 p.m.  (“Shabbat Alive” services at 7:00 p.m. )

First elected in 1998 after a lengthy military career and recently nominated for the 2012 World Mayor Prize, Labor’s Ron Huldai has sought to continue Tel Aviv’s economic growth as well as promote its tolerance and diversity, often against the wishes of orthodox government ministers and the country’s religious leaders.  Huldai leads a city which is a vibrant and affluent 24/7 destination, dubbed by the lifestyle magazine, Wallpaper, as the “Mediterranean’s new capital of cool.” Recently, Tel Aviv was ranked 42nd on Foreign Policy’s Global Cities Index and acts as the nation’s financial hub and the Middle East’s second richest city. This in itself leads to an uneasy array of cohesion issues, as seen in 2009, when the Mayor faced down a demand by the Israeli Interior Ministry to cancel the city’s longstanding annual Gay Pride event.  The Wall Street Journal described Tel Aviv as Europe’s main technology hub, saying that Israel’s business and culture urban center eclipsed European competitors like Berlin and London.  Sponsored by the Merage Foundations.

Comedian, author and musician David Zasloff will present, for all ages, “Shofar Palooza:  A Hysterical, Historical Musical Celebration of Judaism”

Friday, 8/17/12, 8:15 p.m.  (“Shabbat Alive” services at 7:00 p.m.)

David Zasloff, called the “Victor Borge of the shofar,” is a stand-up comedian who has performed in a wide variety of venues around the world.   He is also a master musician and jazz vocalist who plays seven instruments, one of them being the shofar. Known as “the most interesting Shofar blower in the world,” he is the only person who plays, on the shofar, The Flight of the Bumble Bee and other popular songs, including Summertime, Old Man River, songs from West Side Story, The Star Spangled Banner and Hava Nagila. He’s received rave reviews, describing him “as a bolt of greased lightning,” “an entertainer and showman par excellence,” “intelligent and witty” and “one of the great performers of our time.”

Professor Lawrence Baron will speak on “The Wandering Jew: The Jewish Immigrant In World Cinema.”

Friday, 10/12, 8:15 pm. (“Shabbat Alive” Services at 7:00 p.m. )

Professor Baron will discuss his new book, “The Wandering Jew: The Jewish Immigrant in World Cinema,” comparing the depictions of Jewish immigrants in several national cinemas such as the United States, Israel, France and Mexico.  His presentation will combine film clips, anecdotes, background and history which will provide an historical and intellectual perspective on the immigrant experience in Jewish films, such as The Jazz Singer, Hester Street, Sallah, Like a Bride and Little Jerusalem.  Professor Baron holds the Nasatir Chair in Modern Jewish History at San Diego State University and directs its Jewish Studies Program. He received his Ph.D. in modern European cultural and intellectual history from the University of Wisconsin and he is the founder and current president of the Western Jewish Studies Association.  Sponsored by Tom and Andra Ellingson.

Dr. Marc Michael Epstein will speak on “Mystics, Messiahs and Madmen.”   Co-sponsored by CSP

Friday, 1/25/2013,  8:15 pm. (“Shabbat Alive” Services at 7:00 p.m.)

In Jewish history, from Bar Kokhbah, at the time of the Jewish rebellion against Rome to Jesus to the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Jewish history is full of people who were all failed Messiahs. What is the messianic mystique in Jewish religious culture? How and why did these men and women attract followers willing to follow them, literally, all the way – sometimes out of Judaism as we know it?  How has the messianic impulse been sublimated and transformed in movements like Christianity, Socialism and Zionism?  

Dr. Marc Michael Epstein, Professor of Religion at Vassar College and its Director of Jewish Studies, teaches courses on medieval Christianity, religion, arts and politics, and Jewish texts and sources. A graduate of Oberlin College, he received his PhD at Yale University and did much of his graduate research at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His most recent book, The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative, and Religious Imagination, was selected by the London Times Literary Supplement as one of the best books of 2011. Co-sponsored by the Community Scholar Program.