In honor of Senior Rabbi Robert N. Levine in his 25th year of leadership at Congregation Rodeph Sholom, we are offering a series of speakers designed to bring the community together around issues important to Rabbi Levine and Reform Judaism.  To RSVP for these events, please click here. 

Tuesday, May 23rd, 7:00PM

Denial, Truth and Memory: Anti-Semitism in Today’s World
With Deborah Lipstadt

Professor Lipstadt is an American historian, best known as author of the books Denying the Holocaust (1993), History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier (2005) and The Eichmann Trial (2011). A film based on her book, Denial, was made by Participant Media and BBC Films, and has been released in the United States and England. Lipstadt is currently the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University.  Dr. Lipstadt was a consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. In 1994 she was appointed by Bill Clinton to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, serving two terms.  She will be speaking on her scholarship and perspectives about Holocaust studies and cultural memory of the Shoah.

Rescheduled: Monday, September 11, 7:00PM

 Keeping the Faith: Perspectives on God, Belief, and Religion in Challenging Times
With Abigail Pogrebin in Conversation with Rabbi Robert N. Levine

Abigail Pogrebin is the author of the My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays; One Wondering Jew, which came out of her popular column for The Forward and which chronicles her experience researching and observing every holiday in the Jewish calendar.

Pogrebin is also the author of Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk about Being Jewish, for which she interviewed everyone from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Steven Spielberg about Jewish identity– a book that was featured on Charlie Rose and “Good Morning America,” and was adapted for the Off-Broadway stage, produced by Tony winner Daryl Roth. Pogrebin’s second book, One and the Same, delved into every aspect of growing up as a twin, including the author’s personal experience as an identical double.

Abigail was formerly a broadcast producer for Fred Friendly, Charlie Rose and Bill Moyers at PBS, then for Ed Bradley and Mike Wallace at 60 Minutes. She has been published in many magazines and newspapers including Newsweek, New York Magazine, The Forward, Tablet, and The Daily Beast. She moderates her own interview series at The JCC in Manhattan called “What Everyone’s Talking About,” where her guests have included Malcolm Gladwell, Tom Brokaw, Nora Ephron, Nicholas Kristof and Mario Batali. Pogrebin lives in Manhattan and is currently the President of Central Synagogue.