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Scholar in Residence Weekend - February 1-3, 2019


 

Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman is the Founding Director of Sinai and Synapses, an organization that bridges the scientific and religious worlds and is being incubated at Clal- The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.

Rabbi Mitelman’s writings about the intersection of religion and science have been published in the books, "Seven Days, Many Voices" and "A Life of Meaning" (both published by the CCAR press), as well as on The Huffington Post, Nautilus, Orbiter, Science and Religion Today, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and My Jewish Learning. He has been an adjunct professor at both the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and the Academy for Jewish Religion and is an internationally sought-out teacher, presenter, and scholar-in-residence.

From 2007 t0 2014, Rabbi Mitelman served as Assistant and then Associate Rabbi of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, and he appeared on Jeopardy! in March 2016. He lives in Westchester County with his wife, Heather Stoltz, a fiber artist, and their daughter and son.

This program was made possible by a generous donation from the Hinkes Family.

Friday, February 1 - Congregational Shabbat Dinner at 6:15 pm 

Do We Talk About Science and Religion?
For centuries, religion provided answers for our ancestors to all of life’s questions. But, as modern Jews, we usually look to science to tell us where we came from, who we are, or even how we should act. So how should we look at, think about and talk about the relationship between science and religion in today’s world?

Saturday, February 2, Kiddush Lunch following 9:15 am services
d’var Torah during services:

Evolution of Morality
When we think about Darwinian evolution, we often think about fierce competition for resources, or how our genes influence our kids’ height, or how it might clash with religious teachings. But, in fact, evolution by natural selection can help us understand the roots of morality, which can then inform Jewish law and Jewish ethics.
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Saturday, February 2, 6:00 pm Havdalah - Wine, Dessert & Learning 

Is Genetic Engineering Allowing Us to Play God?
As CRISPR helps us edit genes, new technology floods us with reams of new information instantly, and with immortality seemingly within our grasp, is science replacing God? What happens as our ethical and religious structures struggle to keep up?
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Sunday, February 3, 11:00 am
Sponsored by BSO USY

There Are Places I Remember: How Memory Works, and How It Doesn’t
As Jews, we constantly recall the past and seek to bring it into the present. So what do current scientific findings say about the way memory works? Why do we remember some things and not others? Is memory an accurate record of the past – and how does the question shape who we are?
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Wed, March 20 2019 13 Adar II 5779