Scholar In Residence – Dr. Eric Caplan

We are excited to welcome Dr. Eric Caplan as our Scholar in Residence for a full weekend of learning!
Dr. Caplan is an associate professor of contemporary Judaism and Jewish education at McGill University and chair of its Department of Jewish Studies. Eric is a founder and Vice-President of the Mordecai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood (https://kaplancenter.org).

Saturday, March 11 – Beth El Synagogue
*In-person learning

9:00 am – Dr. Caplan will give the d’var Torah during Shabbat morning services

12:30 pm (following Shabbat lunch) – join us for additional learning and conversation
Universalist Commitments vs. Tribal Demands: A Continuing Tension in Jewish Social Justice Work
In this session, we will read and discuss contemporary perspectives on how Jews can most constructively balance their obligations to the Jewish people with their responsibility to respond to the needs of other Americans and to significant global social justice challenges.

Sunday, March 12 – Mayim Rabim Congregation, Friends Meeting House, 4401 York Avenue South
*In-person and accessible via Zoom 

3:00 pm – registration required here 
Balancing Keva and Kavanah in prayer: A look at the contemporary landscape
In this session, we will read a selection of contemporary voices on how to keep Jewish prayer fresh. We will also look at selections from the current prayer books of Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Renewal Judaisms that illustrate their different approaches to balancing keva and kavanah. Ultimately, the goal of this session is to introduce tools that can enrich your prayer life.

This Scholar In Residence weekend is co-sponsored by Beth El’s Community Learning @ The Well, Mayim Rabim and Hineni