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Jewish scholar to speak at Temple Bat Yam

Al Goldberg

Temple Bat Yam, the congregation serving the Jewish communities of Lake Tahoe’s South Shore, the Carson Valley and Carson City, will present a Scholar-in-Residence weekend Friday and Saturday, with internationally renowned Jewish scholar and rabbi, Michael Boyden of Israel.

Anyone interested is welcome to attend either or both evening programs, to be held at the temple building, 3260 Pioneer Trail, in South Lake Tahoe. There is no charge; donations are welcome but not required.

Rabbi Boyden is an internationally known expert and speaker throughout North America, Europe and Israel on the Middle East conflict and the development of progressive (Reform) Judaism in Israel and throughout the world. He speaks and writes on both the political situation in the Middle East and the struggles of the progressive movement in the Jewish State of Israel, where more religious streams of Judaism are much larger and control the government agenda.



Friday night he will lead Shabbat (Sabbath) services beginning at 7:30 p.m. and will deliver a sermon appropriate to his areas of expertise. Saturday, beginning at 4 p.m., Rabbi Boyden will conduct a series of programs beginning with an “Ask the Rabbi” Symposium, in which attendees can ask any question of interest. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a brief Havdalah service, which ends the Sabbath, followed by a lecture and discussion entitled, “Israel and the Face of Terror – A Challenge for our World.”

Appetizers and beverages will be served Saturday evening. Desserts will be served following Friday night’s service.



Rabbi Boyden recently formulated a public statement for the progressive (Reform) Jewish movement entitled, “Where we stand on Israel.” It was endorsed by more than 130 Reform rabbis worldwide and has been adopted by the Board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the organization serving Reform rabbis in the U.S. He is a frequent guest speaker at Jewish congregations and organizations in Europe and North America and regularly writes on the Middle East crisis and the development of Reform Judaism in Israel for the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

He is past president of the Israel Council of Progressive Rabbis and serves as Director of its National Rabbinic Court. In these capacities, he represents the Reform (progressive) movement on the Ne’Eman Commission established by the Israeli government to resolve the conversation crisis in Israel. He also is active in the Jewish agency established in Israel to prepare candidates for conversion, working in cooperation with the Orthodox and Conservative Jewish movements.

He has founded two progressive Reform temples in Israel which primarily serve the needs of Israeli immigrants from North America and other countries.

Anyone interested in more information may call B. Jane Lommel at (775) 782-8788 or (775) 782-4666 in Gardnerville, or the temple at (775) 588-9042.


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