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ZEICHICK FAMILY LECTURE: When We Sing, We Pray Twice
A hybrid event presentation (in-person & virtual) by Neshama Carlebach & Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Please note event times are listed in MT
This event is presented in loving memory of Gloria & Herb Zeichick.
EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Congregation Beth Israel
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Why does a melody sometimes move us in ways that words alone cannot? Why, when we’re choosing a synagogue, can the cantor’s voice carry as much weight as the rabbi’s sermon? And why do we call the Erev Yom Kippur service “Kol Nidre,” as if one haunting melody could define an entire evening of prayer? This engaging lecture explores the powerful role of music in Jewish worship and why liturgical music has always been so central to the Jewish spiritual experience—from the familiar melodies that instantly transport us to a particular time and place, to the wordless power of the niggun.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Neshama Carlebach is an award-winning singer, songwriter, writer, and educator who has performed and taught in cities around the world. A winner and four-time nominee in the Independent Music Awards for her most current release, Believe, and winner of the Global Music Awards Silver Award for Outstanding Performance by a female vocalist, Neshama is one of today’s best-selling Jewish artists. As the first then-Orthodox woman of her generation to perform for a mixed-gender audience, Neshama has sparked public conversations with brave forays into the place of women in Judaism and today’s world. In the aftermath of the October 7th attacks, Neshama brought thousands of people together throughout the NY metro area for concerts that have raised over half a million dollars for Israel. For more than two decades, Neshama has shared her insights on various topics as an essayist. Neshama's most current writings have been featured in various publications and widely shared on platforms worldwide. Neshama is featured in the award-winning 2026 documentary, The Darkest Light. Neshama is currently writing a memoir and pursuing rabbinic ordination at AJR.
Rabbi Menachem Creditor serves as the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence at UJA Federation of New York and as Senior Lecturer at the Academy for Jewish Religion. An acclaimed author, educator, musician, and activist, he was named by Newsweek as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in America. With millions of views of his videos and essays, his leadership has helped shape national conversations on gun violence prevention, Zionism, interfaith organizing, LGBTQ inclusion, and Jewish diversity.
Rabbi Creditor has published more than forty books and six albums of original music, including the widely sung anthem Olam Chesed Yibaneh. He is the founder of Rabbis Against Gun Violence and serves as a clergy coach with Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation, supporting rabbis as they navigate their careers and develop their voices. He inspires audiences internationally through presentations that unite Jewish tradition, spiritual imagination, and moral leadership.
Strength for the Journey
A hybrid event presentation (in-person & virtual) by Neshama Carlebach & Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Please note event times are listed in MT
EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Congregation Kol Ami
ABOUT THE EVENT:
No one is meant to carry life alone. Menachem and Neshama reflect on how they lend one another strength, how partnership can expand our capacity for courage, and how communities can become places of genuine spiritual support.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Neshama Carlebach is an award-winning singer, songwriter, writer, and educator who has performed and taught in cities around the world. A winner and four-time nominee in the Independent Music Awards for her most current release, Believe, and winner of the Global Music Awards Silver Award for Outstanding Performance by a female vocalist, Neshama is one of today’s best-selling Jewish artists. As the first then-Orthodox woman of her generation to perform for a mixed-gender audience, Neshama has sparked public conversations with brave forays into the place of women in Judaism and today’s world. In the aftermath of the October 7th attacks, Neshama brought thousands of people together throughout the NY metro area for concerts that have raised over half a million dollars for Israel. For more than two decades, Neshama has shared her insights on various topics as an essayist. Neshama's most current writings have been featured in various publications and widely shared on platforms worldwide. Neshama is featured in the award-winning 2026 documentary, The Darkest Light. Neshama is currently writing a memoir and pursuing rabbinic ordination at AJR.
Rabbi Menachem Creditor serves as the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence at UJA Federation of New York and as Senior Lecturer at the Academy for Jewish Religion. An acclaimed author, educator, musician, and activist, he was named by Newsweek as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in America. With millions of views of his videos and essays, his leadership has helped shape national conversations on gun violence prevention, Zionism, interfaith organizing, LGBTQ inclusion, and Jewish diversity.
Rabbi Creditor has published more than forty books and six albums of original music, including the widely sung anthem Olam Chesed Yibaneh. He is the founder of Rabbis Against Gun Violence and serves as a clergy coach with Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation, supporting rabbis as they navigate their careers and develop their voices. He inspires audiences internationally through presentations that unite Jewish tradition, spiritual imagination, and moral leadership.
When Our Theology No Longer Suffices
A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
Please note event times are listed in MT.
EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY: Temple Emanuel
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Are observant Jews today in need of a new theology—one that makes sense of our simultaneous devotion to Torah and commitment to modern moral values? This lecture explores the contours of such a theology and considers what might be gained, and what might be lost, in reimagining our religious categories.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Rabbi Ysoscher Katz is the Chair of the Department of Talmud at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Rabbi Katz received ordination in 1986 from Rabbi Yechezkel Roth, dayan of UTA Satmer, and studied at Yeshivat Beit Yosef, Navaradok for over ten years. A graduate of the HaSha’ar Program for Jewish Educators, Rabbi Katz has taught at the Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls and SAR High School.
The Magic Jews Weren't Supposed to Use: A Short History of Amulets, Bowls, and Banned Rituals
A virtual event presentation by Dr. Kristine Henriksen Garroway
Please note event times are listed in MT
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Deuteronomy 18 makes it clear that magic is a "no-no" for the Israelites. Yet, the archaeological and textual records of biblical times and late antiquity tell a different tale, one that is full of divination, exorcisms, amulets, and demon traps. Join Dr. Kristine Garroway for an overview of the fascinating history of ancient Jewish magic.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Kristine Henriksen Garroway is Professor of Bible at the Hebrew Union College's Skirball Campus in Los Angeles. Joining the faculty in 2011, her research bridges ancient Near Eastern texts and archaeology to shed light on the Hebrew Bible and the history of families, children, and gender in ancient Israel and Mesopotamia. Dr. Garroway holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Cognate Studies, is an active editor and author of multiple books, and frequently contributes to TheTorah.com and scholarly journals.
Genesis in the Age of AI: A New Story of Consciousness
A virtual event presentation by Marina Zilbergerts
Please note event times are listed in MT
ABOUT THE EVENT:
What distinguishes human consciousness from artificial intelligence? In this talk, Marina Zilbergerts discusses her new book, Genesis in the Age of AI: A New Story of Consciousness, which reads Genesis as a story of the birth and development of human consciousness and explores how the Bible portrays the inner lives of God and human beings. She argues that its emphasis on subjectivity, agency, and inner life offers a powerful way to rethink what defines humanity in the age of AI.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Marina Zilbergerts is the author of Genesis in the Age of AI: A New Story of Consciousness (Routledge). She is a philosopher and scholar of religion whose work explores consciousness, artificial intelligence, and Jewish thought. She is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa, an advisor with AI & Faith, and writes The Inner Light, a Substack exploring faith, technology, and inner life.
Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews
A hybrid event presentation (in-person and virtual) by Dr. Andrew Porwancher
Please note event times are listed in MT
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Join Professor Andrew Porwancher as he uncovers the close-knit and often surprising relationship between Theodore Roosevelt and the Jewish community. This lecture traces Roosevelt’s deep connection with the Jewish people at every step of his dazzling ascent. But it also reveals a man of contradictions whose checkered approach to Jewish issues was no less conflicted than the nation he led. Drawing on fresh research from his newest book, American Maccabee, Porwancher explores the complicated relationship between the leader of a youthful nation and the people of an ancient faith.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Andrew Porwancher is the Chaplik Professor at the University of Texas. He previously held fellowships at Harvard, Oxford, and Princeton, and earned his PhD at Cambridge. His fifth book—American Maccabee: Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews—won the 2025 Theodore Roosevelt Book Prize.