Congregation Beth Sholom announces ‘CBS Speaks’ lecture series

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“In our times, people often gauge communities by their leaders,” observes Congregation Beth Sholom’s Rabbi Barry Dolinger. As part of countering that trend, the Providence synagogue has launched “CBS Speaks,” a Friday night dinner series in which synagogue members speak on topics relating to Judaism. 

“At Congregation Beth Sholom, we want to promote a Judaism that isn’t ‘top-down,’ ” Rabbi Dolinger explained. “We believe that communities are built horizontally by the ties that bind them together. In the spirit of this inclusive mission, we’re excited to announce the beginning of CBS Speaks.”

The first talk in the CBS Speaks lectures series, “Exploring Jewish Ethnic Identity and Understanding its Impact on Mental Health,” was given on Oct. 30 by Aliza Krieger, a clinical psychologist at Eleanor Slater Hospital/Zambarano Unit, in Burrillville, and a clinician at Providence Psychology Services.

On Nov. 20, Brown University Prof. Paul Nahme will give a talk on “Protestant Judaism and the Making of Modern Orthodoxy.” Nahme is the Dorot Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies and Religious Studies at Brown.  

Future speakers in the new lecture series include Brown’s Prof. Michael Satlow, who will talk on the topic of “Rosh Hodesh, Authority, and the Invention of the Jewish Calendar,” as well as Rhode Island College’s Ezra Stieglitz.

All CBS Speaks dinners and talks are open to the public. Paul Nahme will speak on Friday, Nov. 20. Dinner begins at 5:15 in the social hall, following services. For more information or to make dinner reservations, contact Office@BethSholom-RI.org.

SHAI AFSAI lives in Providence and can be reached at ggbi@juno.com.