Can We Talk? An Experiment in Civil Discourse

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Focus: Immigration and Refugees

Our nation is deeply divided politically and it has become very personal. Family members have stopped speaking over political differences. Our tradition offers a creative alternative path. The Jewish model of machloket l’shem shamayim/an argument for the sake of heaven is a way for people to disagree passionately in an atmosphere of mutual respect. In this series, we aim to apply this ancient Jewish method to the current American political divide. Through personal storytelling, role playing exercises, and in depth analysis of classical Jewish texts, we will be exploring the key Jewish and American ethical values that underlie the full range of political positions on the issues of immigration and refugees.Among the questions we will consider:

• How do our own personal stories shape the way we see the world morally?
• What are our moral hot buttons, and where do those passions come from?
• How do we navigate the creative tension between the collapsing of boundaries and the drawing of boundaries?
• When is crossing boundaries a Jewish value? What moral boundaries are sacrosanct to us? How are the values of boundary drawing/crossing relevant to where we stand on immigrants and refugees?
• What is the range of Jewish attitudes on The Other? When do we identify with The Outsider and when do we see her as a threat?
• Do we see our encounter with the non-Jewish world as a source of enrichment or danger?

Come join us for a thoughtful and mind-expanding series!

Opening Session, with Rabbi Amy Eilberg: Sunday, October 22 • Dinner: 5:00 PM, Session: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Five Wednesday Night Sessions, with Rabbi Rosenbaum, Dr. Mark Jones, and John Hale: Wednesdays, November 1, 8, 15, 29 & December 6, Dinner: 6:15 PM, Session: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee: $150 for the series (including all dinners)

Register at h-nt.org/CD