Taught by Rinat Abastado, Doron Hovav, Rabbi Maurice Harris, and Reb Irwin Keller.

The Land of Israel sits centrally in the Jewish imagination – it is the setting of Torah, the site of great historical learning and the source of much of our mysticism. Our longing for this land sits inside of every Jewish prayer service and in many ways informs our identities as Jews of the Diaspora.

The modern State of Israel is trickier business. It is in part an answer to the persecutions experienced by Jewish communities for millennia. It has been a point of pride and a source of culture, science and Jewish re-invention. But it is also full of conflict – left vs. right, religious vs. secular, Ashkenazi vs. Mizrachi, and – perhaps most visibly and heartbreakingly – Israeli vs. Palestinian.

How can we hold this complexity? How can we be in service to a peaceful future?

These are among the questions we will explore in this short, 4-session introduction to the land of Israel, past and present. So fasten your seatbelts.

This class is foundational for all Ner Shalomers going on this May’s trip to Israel. It is also open to others who wish to come, learn, and discuss.

Four sessions:

Sunday, March 5th, 5:00 - 6:30 pm *
Reb Irwin: Israel in Jewish antiquity, liturgy, and imagination.
In person and on Zoom

Asynchronous – Please view video before March 21st
Rabbi Maurice Harris, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: How Did We Get Here and Where Could We Go from Here? [Video link will be given to course registrants.]

Tuesday, March 21st, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Doron Hovav: Israel’s History from Antiquity through the Establishment of the State
On Zoom only

Sunday, April 2nd, 5:00 - 6:30 pm *
Rinat Abastado: Israel’s Cultural Diversity and Internal Tensions
In person and on Zoom

* Participants of the Israel trip gather one hour earlier