The immediate context is that since last Yom Kippur, in response to the AntiSemitism at Pope High School, Temple Emanu-El started a widespread initiative (in conjunction with the ADL and other professional organizations) to combat Jew-hated, and defamation of any kind.
We have close to 60 TE congregants who have been actively working on five different initiatives, one of which is: How do we educate ourselves (and our non-Jewish neighbors) about AntiSemitism?
‘Why the Jews’ is part of this initiative.
There were close to 300 people in our social hall on Sunday afternoon/Monday evening, about 80% were Jewish, the other 20% were non-Jewish friends who were invited by our congregants.
Without exception, everyone who was there said it was one of the best programs that they have ever been to, and it was extremely enlightening.
Think of it as the high school teacher that most of us wished we had had, teaching about Catholic-Jewish relations (with many dark centuries) through art history and sociology, and, (no spoilers please) with a VERY hopeful conclusion.
The ‘buzz’ from everyone who participated this week was, “we need to bring our friends, our kids, our grandkids. This is something that everyone should experience and learn from.”
And so…we are running the same exact program/class again, next month.
This is appropriate for 8th graders and up, along with parents, and grandparents. Come together. Bring your friends. This is an excellent use of your time.
Sunday (September 11th) in the afternoon is part One.
Monday (September 12th) in the evening is part Two.
The link to register is provided HERE.
All guests must come with a TE congregant (and register).
We can’t make it any easier.
One last thing. Don’t take my word for it. I’ve included some testimonials from our people.
B’shalom/In peace.
“The “Why the Jews ?” antisemitism program, in partnership with The Marist School, and hosted at Temple Emanu-El was easily one of the most educational, impactful, and magnificently delivered presentations that I have ever seen anywhere at any time in my life.” Elliot Siegel
“Brendan Murphy’s two day presentation was beyond phenomenal. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about a subject that is so personally important to me. Power is in knowledge and the spreading of that knowledge to the uninformed. I have been on the phone and emailing people, determined to get another large crowd in September of new faces that need to know what I have just learned.”- Phil Singer
“Brendan Murphy talks candidly about the roots of Christianity and Catholicism and how the hatred of the Jews grew over the centuries. He uses historical facts and art history to validate these conflicts. The understanding of the past is critical in order to create better relationships in the future. I encourage Jews and non-Jews to experience the excellent work of this program.”- Nancy Glube
“We would personally like to thank you and your committee for bringing Brendan Murphy to speak at our synagogue. Much of the rise of anti semitism is knowing its beginnings and being able to understand from that perspective. Having non-Jewish leaders who can articulate the truth and spread the word is very important in todays climate. The history he provided was informative, scary but essential.
Looking forward to future programs on how to combat the current rise in anti semitism.” -Hal & Paula Fine
