John F. Kennedy asserted, “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” Spanning the founding era to modern times, we will explore the risks, challenges, and choices of eight American Jews who challenged injustice, stood by their convictions, and took responsibility for the Jewish community and broader society. Bringing their speeches and letters into conversation with Torah and Jewish values, we will examine the competing obligations they faced and consider what their decisions ask of us today.
Registration Coming Soon.
Rabbi Charles Savenor is the executive director of Civic Spirit, a nonprofit dedicated to furthering the mission of civic education and its goals of educating, inspiring, and empowering faculty and students towards civic belonging, knowledge, and responsibility. He previously served for eight years as director of congregational education at Park Avenue Synagogue, where he oversaw lifelong learning, inclusion, Israel engagement, and travel education. A graduate of Brandeis University, he received his rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary.