JUDAISM
In the U.S., people of Jewish faith fall into three main denominations — Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. The denominations differ from one another in their views of Jewish tradition and interpretation of traditional Jewish law (halacha). About 35% of American Jewish believers identify as Reform.
Judaism 101
Like many non-Jews, I have known for ages that
the name or word “Israel” means
“One who contends (or wrestles) with God.”
But I never really “got” what that meant until
participating in Judaism 101.
Judaism: Sacred Texts
in Sacred Places
The Guibord Center’s visit to the magnificent Wilshire Boulevard Temple was awe-inspiring and educational for all who attended.
Decoding Rituals and
Symbols of Passover
The Seder is a ritual feast marking the beginning
of the Passover holiday. Inspired by Seder’s Message
of Freedom, a crowd joined The Guibord Center to enjoy
and learn about the ritual.
Creating a Sukkah for Sukkot
The Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) describes a sukkah as a symbolic wilderness shelter. Jewish believers build and use sukkahs as part of the weeklong Sukkot festival customs. The huts commemorate God’s provision for the Israelites in the wilderness after being freed from slavery in Egypt.
“Kabbalah: Journey Into the Cosmic Soul” and “Kabbalah and Grappling with Darkness”
with RABBI MORDECAI FINLEY
Rabbi Mordecai Finley is the spiritual leader of Ohr HaTorah
Synagogue. He has been teaching Jewish spirituality, mysticism
and related fields of study for more than 25 years. We are
honored to explore two aspects of Kabbalah with him.
The Bible, Women and Violence
with DR. AMY-JILL LEVINE
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine leaned on the altar, kicked off her heels
and took off into a topic she was eager to tackle.
“ANY TIME the Bible gives rise to something that’s violent – that’s a misuse of the text!…
To hold the Bible in one hand and to engage in violence with the other
is both a sin and an obscenity. That should be pretty clear.”
Understanding the Jewish Jesus
with DR. AMY-JILL LEVINE
“In order to understand Jesus fully, we need to have a sense
of how the people who first heard him understood him,
which means we need to know how his words
sounded to First Century Jewish ears. If we get the context
wrong, we’ll get him wrong.” ~ Dr. Amy-Jill Levine .
Gospel Politics
with DR. AMY-JILL LEVINE
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine enthralled and
challenged those who attended
Gospel Politics just prior to the
November 2012 elections.
Trouble in Families:
Abrahamic Texts Panel Discussion
with THE VERY REV. JOHN BAKAS, RABBI SUZANNE SINGER AND IMAM JIHAD TURK
This discussion shed light on some challenging texts of the major Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Jewish
HOLY DAYS
The Hebrew or Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar mainly used today for religious holidays. Observances begin at sundown the evening before the date specified.
Elie Wiesel
Eliezer Wiesel (1928-2016) was a Romanian-born American novelist, political activist, and Holocaust survivor of Hungarian Jewish descent. He authored more than 40 books, the best known of which is “Night.” This memoir describes his experiences during the Holocaust, including his time in several concentration camps.