Shabbat B’yachad – Israel’s 75th Birthday

Join us this Friday for Shabbat B’yachad as we celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday! We will welcome the ARS students to lead us in some songs and prayers for peace. The evening will feature a talk, The Tribes of Modern Israel (description below), by Rabbi Jethro Berkman, Program Officer in Jewish Education at the Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership.

Rabbi Jethro Berkman recently taught a class for TOS called Israel 101, in which the participants had the opportunity to explore and understand the challenges presented by Israel’s recent election outcomes. Join us as we celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday and explore the beauty and tension of Israel’s deep diversity and look toward a future of possible democratic coexistence. 

During the talk, we will have a special program just for the kids. Registration is required. Dinner is $20 for adults, free for children 18 and under. REGISTER HERE. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Stacey Boisvert. 

5:15pm: Tot Shabbat (Chapel)
6:00pm: Dinner (Penn Spero)
7:00pm: Shabbat Service with speaker, Rabbi Jethro Berkman (Chapel) – dessert to follow

The Tribes of Modern Israel
During services, we will welcome Rabbi Jethro Berkman to speak about The Tribes of Modern Israel. The recent upheaval in response to proposed judicial reforms has brought the rifts in Israeli society into full view. But these rifts, perhaps best described as profound divisions among the several “tribes” of modern day Israel, have roots that go back to the founding of the state in 1948 and beyond. In contemporary Israel, Arab, Secular, National-religious, Ultra-orthodox and Mizrachi sectors, each driven by deeply held convictions, struggle to live together in the same state. As we celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday, we will explore the beauty and tension of Israel’s deep diversity and look toward a future of possible democratic coexistence.