Friday, March 28; Shabbat Service – 6:30pm
Rabbi Marmur delivers the Shabbat Sermon.
Saturday, March 29; Lunch and Learn – 1:00pm
Struggling for Decency
This session moves from ancient Rome to the contemporary Middle East, considering the notion of decency as a guiding principle to help understand the troubling times in which we live. We will take a look at the origins of the Hebrew word used to denote decency, and ask how it might be identified, defended and promoted. We will look at the State of Israel, often idealized by defenders and demonized by detractors, and ask about the prospects for decency there, and everywhere else. Lunch will be provided free of charge.
Sunday, March 30; Adult Discussion – 10:30am
Anxiety and Hope
We are living through one of the most challenging periods of recent history. In this session, we will consider two aspects of the human condition, Anxiety and Hope. We will explore ancient Jewish sources to learn something about these concepts and the ways in which they have served, each in their own way, as engines of creativity. Our attempt will not be to pretend that everything is rosy, but rather to consider how Judaism at its finest strives to ensure that we are not paralyzed by our anxieties or misled by our hopes. A light breakfast will be served.
Rabbi Marmur is Associate Professor of Jewish Theology at HUC-JIR/Jerusalem. Until July 2018 he served as the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost at HUC-JIR, having previously been Dean of the Jerusalem campus. After some 20 years in administrative capacities, he now concentrates his energies on teaching and writing.
Born and raised in England, Rabbi Marmur completed a B.A. Degree in Modern History at the University of Oxford before moving to Israel in 1984. While studying for an M.A. in Ancient Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he completed his studies in the Israel Rabbinic Program of HUC-JIR in Jerusalem, and was ordained in 1992. For six years following his ordination, he worked as rabbi and teacher at the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa. He has been an employee of HUC-JIR since 1997.
Michael Marmur served for three years as Chair of the Board of Rabbis for Human Rights, and is still a member of its Board. He has lectured and taught courses in several countries around the world.
In Israel with Rabbi Kalisch, January 2025
