Taus Lecture Series



	Taus Lecture Series Selected Monday nights, 7:30-9:00 pm Now in its thirtieth remarkable year! We celebrate the 30th year of this remarkable series of lectures. Our congregation, as well as our larger South Bay community, has been enriched by this noteworthy program. To help mark this occasion, we have developed a logo combining "30" with the Hebrew letter lamed which has the numerical value of thirty. In a delightful coincidence, the letter lamed is the first letter of the Hebrew word lo-meid, which means "study" or "learn." The Taus Lecture Series is perhaps the only one of its kind in Southern California. Under the chairpersonship of Esther Taus, Ph.D., the Series brings noted scholars and academics to Temple Beth El for an evening of thought provoking learning and dialogue. Each session offers a thorough exploration of a subject of Jewish interest presented by a distinguished faculty member from a Southern California college or university. Series subscription available; nominal cost per individual lecture. Click here to access the registration form.	2012 September 10-Jacob: The Ancestor of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Professor Marvin Sweeney October 15-How Jews Have Thought about G-d in the Holocaust: Our interactive session will look at various ways that Jews have wrestled with the thorny concern of how a benevolent Deity could have let the Holocaust--or, by implication, any other senseless act of hatred that targets the lives of innocent people occur. Rabbi J.B. Sacks October 22-The Development of the Psychology of Religion as a Science. Professor Edward Hughes October 29-Zionism and Its Discontents: Examining the early debates over Zionism and their legacy for Israel today. Professor Gary Gilbert November 19-The Paradox of American Exceptionalism: A consideration of American Foreign Policy from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Chris Gantner, Ph.D. November 26-Jews of the American South: Tracing the place of southern Jews from the colonial period through their presence in small towns in the nineteenth century, the dilemmas posed by the Civil War, issues they confronted in the civil rights movement, and finally their movement to the large cities of the South. Examining the sense of "otherness" of southern Jews, as different from the majority Gentile South, as well as from Jews of New York. Professor Arlene Lazarowitz December 3-Taking Students to Israel and the West Bank: In May, ten students from LMU went on a two-week trip to Israel and the West Bank. Since LMU is a Catholic university, it's no surprise that most of the students were Christian. What might surprise people is that it was led by a Jewish professor from Israel and a Muslim professor from Canada. Professors Amir Hussain and Gil Klein (both from the Department of Theological Studies) will talk about their experiences taking students on this trip. Professor Amir Hussain December 17-Cancelled, Rescheduled to January 28 2013 January 7-Random Thoughts on Jesus and Judaism, Jews in the Vatican, and Christian Zionism: Exploring Jewish Complacency, Ignorance, and Fear. Professor Zev Garber January 14-A discussion about the novel Indignation by Philip Roth: An examination of Jewish life in the New York and New Jersey area in the 1950s. Professor Abe Ravitz January 28-The Kabbalah of You: A guide to unlocking your hidden potential. Rabbi Yitzie Magalnic was born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York where the world headquarters of the Chabad movement is located. He spent his first year of rabbinical college in Israel and in 1986 Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Schneerson sent him to Seattle, to continue his rabbinical studies and be involved in the life of the Jewish community. He received his Rabbinic Ordination from the United Lubavitcher Yeshiva in 1989. In 1990 Rabbi Yitzie Magalnic established the Chabad Jewish Center in Palos Verdes. February 4-Between Heaven and Earth: Holiness and Repentance During the Days of Awe: "Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah avert the evil decree." While the three pilgrimage festivals celebrate God's intervention in the life of this world, the Days of Awe mark a period of introspection, during which we seek to enter God's world. In helping us achieve this goal the Mahzor draws on ancient Jewish mystical texts that record journeys into the divine throne room, where heavenly travelers bear witness to the beauty of the divine glory. In this lecture we will take a journey through select passages of the Mahzor using these ancient mystical texts as a lens to focus our attention on the relationship between mystical ascent, holiness, and repentance during the Days of Awe. Professor Yechiel Shalom Goldberg February 11- People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks: This book traces the survival of an illuminated Hebrew manuscript from its creation in 15th Century Spain through centuries of anti-Semitic threats of destruction, including the Inquisition and the Nazis. Professor Agnes Yamada February 25-The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Formation of Mexican Identity Professor Carlos Piar March 4-Jewish Murals in Los Angeles Janna Fisher March 18-Moved to May 6 April 15-Israel Education on U.S. Campuses Today: Challenges, Hysteria, and Reality: What is happening on the campuses? What role can people on and off campus play in educating the new generation about Israel? Professor Jody Myers May 6-Holy Heretics and Religious Rebels: In every generation, the Jewish people had its own outsiders, outliers, and outlaws who gave us new truths, deeper faith and more joyous song. In their own unique ways, they brought us closer to God. Let's meet a few of these special souls so that we might better recognize them in our own time! Rabbi Ed Feinstein June 3-Lessons from the 2012 Presidential Election: The People Voted, Now What? The Honorable Joe Hicks
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