Author: tbespringfield

New York Times best-selling author Bruce Feiler will be our guest speaker in this year’s Bill & Lynn Foggle Great Issues Lecture Series. The title of his presentation is “Life is a Never-Ending Series of Transitions,” based on his newest book, “The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World,” being published in May 2023. Feiler will discuss this book and his previous two books, “Life Is in the Transitions and The Secrets of Happy Families,” helping us see common threads and grasp fully that transitions are part of life. The event will begin at 10:00 am with coffee; the conversation with Bruce Feiler will begin at 10:15, and a book signing will be held at 11:15 am. The program will be both in-person and livestreamed. If you plan to attend, click here to R.S.V.P.

Join us in person for a fascinating look at Israeli society through photography with Erez Kaganovitz. Israel’s public sphere is comprised of many different social groups that are able to live together in peace, respect, and dignity. But the contrasts between different values are still felt within the streets of Israel and raise interesting questions about the boundaries of democracy. Using photographs from this project, we will explore together the subtle, but present tensions among the different social groups in Israel, and use it as a laboratory to explore democracy, human rights, and the public sphere.

Humans of Israel combines photojournalism with digital storytelling in order to give a a sense of what makes Israel and the diverse humans in it tick. With intriguing, thought-provoking photographs and the stories about the humans behind them, the project puts a human face on an extraordinary place and challenges preconceptions those outsides of Israel may have by communicating a sense of our shared humanity. The Humans of Israel project offers a fresh look at the rich and remarkably diverse lives of Israelis and showcases Israel’s diversity, multiculturalism, and vibrant civil society. Photographer and native Tel Avivi, Erez Kaganovitz is the human behind the Humans of Tel Aviv, Humans of Israel, and Humans of the Holocaust projects. Through his work, Erez has helped bridge a cultural gap in society both within and outside of Israel. His compelling work brings understanding, emotional connection, and unity to many around the world.

The book group will meet via Zoom to discuss “The Last Rose of Shanghai” by Weina Di Randel. In Japanese-occupied Shanghai in 1940, two people from different cultures are drawn together by fate and music. Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular Shanghai nightclub. Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out of Germany, an outsider searching for shelter in a city wary of strangers. He loses nearly all hope until he crosses paths with Aiyi. When she hires Ernest to play piano at her club, her defiance of custom causes a sensation. His instant fame makes Aiyi’s club once again the hottest spot in Shanghai. Soon they realize they share more than a passion for jazz—but their differences seem insurmountable, and Aiyi is engaged to another man. As the war escalates, Aiyi and Ernest find themselves torn apart, and their choices between love and survival grow more desperate. In the face of overwhelming odds, a chain of events is set in motion that will change both their lives forever.

Contact the office for the Zoom link.

Join us in person for our community-wide celebration of Israel’s 75th birthday! Our guests will be Joel Chasnoff and Benji Lovitt, comedians and co-authors of the forthcoming book “Israel 201: Your Next-Level Guide to the Magic, Mystery, and Chaos of Life in the Holy Land.” They will speak about their new book, make us laugh, shed some light on the challenges Israel faces today, show you the Israel you didn’t know you didn’t know. Their hope is that you’ll leave with as many questions as answers!

Visit https://tinyurl.com/Israel75 to register.

There is no charge to attend this event, thanks to the generosity of Temple Beth El, the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Springfield JCC, Sinai Temple, Geoff & Jane Berman, Ben & Adena Falk, Bill & Susan Firestone, Stanley & Candy Glazer, Marc & Susan Goldman, Robyn Newhouse, Stan & Sue Polansky, Diane Troderman, and the Fred & Ruth Weiss Fund for Israel.