A hybrid event with Rabbi Ben Greenfield.

About The Event:
Classic Rabbinic sources offer very different answers to a key Hanukkah question: what exactly are we celebrating on this holiday? From Medieval Zionism to Rabbinic Pacifism, we'll explore 5 vital “retellings” of the Hanukkah story with very different takes on these 8 days.

About The Speaker:
Ben Greenfield serves as Scholar in Residence, VBM Las Vegas, and as the Director of Jewish Learning at The Adelson Upper School in Las Vegas. Ben trained at Gush, Yeshiva University, Johns Hopkins, and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, where he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. His original studies in Jewish thought have received several national prizes and can be found on Tablet and the Lehrhaus.

*The event was the first official launch of VBM Las Vegas*

A virtual event presentation by Dr. Jonnie Schnytzer.

About The Event:
Animals don’t receive much attention in kabbalistic texts and even less so in scholarship on kabbalah. When they do, it is predominantly to teach humans to be better humans. Howrome anonymous kabbaalist who believed there was a deeper connection between humans and animals, to the point that stories were told about animals that shared kabbalistic secrets. What can they teach us today about animals, humans, and a shared future?

About The Speaker:
Jonnie Schnytzer is probably the only PhD in Jewish Philosophy, focusing on medieval kabbalah, who can say that he once beat the head of Israeli Naval Commandos in a swimming race. His dissertation focused on the scientific kabbalah of Rabbi Joseph ben Shalom Ashkenazi. Jonnie’s forthcoming book is about Ashkenazi’s Kabbalah as well as a critical edition of the kabbalist’s jagestic commentary on Sefer Yesira. Jonnie’s also the author of Mossad thriller, The Way Back, which paints a picture of contemporary Israel. Jonnie also orchestrated the publishing of an English edition of ‘The Hitler Haggadah’, an important piece of Moroccan Jewish history from the Holocaust. Jonnie has also taken on several leadership roles in the Jewish world, including advisor to the CEO of Birthright and executive manager with StandWithUs. He lectures on a wide variety of topics relating to Judaism and Israel, especially about the untold stories and unspoken heroes of Jewish history. Jonnie is happily married, with four gorgeous little kids, lives in Israel, and thinks that Australian Rules Football is the greatest sport ever invented.

A hybrid event presentation by Rabbi David Kasher.

About The Event:
The epic narratives in the Books of the Prophets take us on a dramatic journey from the chaotic days of the Judges to the building and breaking of the Israelite monarchy in Samuel and Kings. Along the way, we encounter prophets, priests, and kings locked in a struggle over the meaning of power, justice, and leadership. Together we’ll explore how these stories reflect the political theory of the Hebrew Bible, and ask what wisdom these books might hold for us as we wade through the political chaos of our own day.

*Source Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b6b5RuOPf0ibxYnxqybgon78oAGCyJFytXddGjCDOis/edit?usp=sharing

About The Speaker:
Rabbi David Kasher is the Director of Hadar West, based in Los Angeles. He grew up bouncing back and forth between the Bay Area and Brooklyn, hippies and Hassidim – and has been trying to synthesize these two worlds ever since. He received rabbinic ordination at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and a doctorate in legal studies from Berkeley Law. He has served as Senior Jewish Educator at Berkeley Hillel, Director of Education at Kevah, and Associate Rabbi at IKAR. He is the author of ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary, and the host of the Torah podcast, Best Book Ever.