October 2018 - Explore Dangerous Religious Ideas With Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva

​In celebration of our 70th anniversary, Community Synagogue of Rye brings back one of our own – Rabbi Dr. Rachel S. Mikva – who now serves as the Herman Schaalman Chair in Jewish Studies and InterReligious Institute Senior Fellow at Chicago Theological Seminary.
 
She works at the cutting edge of theological education, training religious leaders who can build bridges across cultural and religious difference for the critical work of social transformation.  With a passion for justice and academic expertise in the history of scriptural interpretation, Rabbi Mikva's work addresses a range of Jewish and comparative studies, with a special interest in the intersections of sacred texts, culture and ethics.
 
She has published and spoken widely on dismantling anti-Muslim bias, interreligious engagement, economic and environmental justice, Jews and race, and working for a just peace in the Middle East.
 

Friday, October 19
Services at 6:30pm, followed by Congregational Dinner and Presentation

​RSVP - $20 per person
Email - Communications@comsynrye.org ​

Dangerous Religious Ideas
Which religious ideas would you describe as dangerous, and what does that mean?  Do we abandon them, refine them or try to ignore them?  Do they contaminate the entire religious project, and what are the consequences for the role of religion in society?

Saturday, October 20
Torah Study Discussion - Parashat Lech L’cha
This was always Rabbi Mikva’s favorite part of the week; join us for a return engagement!
 
Gender and Sexuality: Judaism is edgier than you might think - Brunch ‘n Learn
What does it mean when we let God into the bedroom? Religious notions of proper sexual behavior are frequently wielded as weapons in today’s society, especially as they pertain to same-sex relationships. Questions of gender identity have created newly fraught intersections of religion and politics. Judaism certainly has a lot to say about these things, but some of it might surprise you.

Here is Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva reciting her Post-Parliament "To-Do" at 2015 Closing Plenary for the Parliament of the World's Religions.