Jewish Ideas to Change the World Valley Beit Midrash

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller
The event was co-hosted by Beth El Phoenix
About the Event: 
The current conflict that has seen a revival of the discussion regarding the Jewish right to establish a state in the Land of Israel has occasioned a renewed focus on the dynamics of sovereignty. Beyond a doubt, the implementation of Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael is the essential dimension of political Zionism.
In this seminar, I propose to examine how religion interacts with sovereignty and with the nationalist impulse that it nurtures. Among the questions considered are: Can the mingling of religion and state function constructively or must their interplay always be toxic, resulting in harmful and oppressive outcomes? Can God and religious values curb the excesses of nationalist fervor? How does the seductively alluring nature of power factor into the Zionist expression of Jewish sovereignty? And can there be a Zionism that embraces God, but does not aspire to sovereignty? We will study a variety of sources, ranging from the writings of the Rabbi of Satmar (an avowed anti-Zionist) to the messianic exhortations of the Rabbis Kook (father and son) and the settler rabbis of Gush Emunim (the Bloc of the Faithful) and the pacifist thought of “One of the Passionate Rabbis” – אחד הרבנים המרגישים. We will see how these teachings inform and shape Israeli politics and foment the extremism that is evident today. And we will discover the sober voices of the tradition that promote constraint and a limitation on the unfettered exercise of power.
*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t0gs9wE3u3yL9Kw7Swc8JNFPbcH91Grj/view?usp=sharing
About the Speaker: 
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller is a faculty member at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He recently celebrated 40 years of working with students and faculty as the Executive Director of the Yitzhak Rabin Hillel Center for Jewish Life at UCLA, where he is now Director Emeritus.
Chaim was ordained at Yeshiva University where he completed a Masters in Rabbinic Literature. He has been a lecturer in the Departments of Sociology, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA, and the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He is a faculty member of the Wexner Heritage Foundation. Chaim was the founding director of the Hartman Fellowship for Hillel Professionals and a founding member of Americans for Peace Now.
Chaim was a rabbinic consultant to Barbra Streisand during the making of the film Yentl. He and his wife Dr. Doreen Seidler-Feller, a clinical psychologist, are the parents of two children.


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A virtual event presentation by Melanie Gruenwald
About the Event: 
Be fully present to what is present, and integrate past and future into this moment - Kabbalah Experience Awareness Practice
Impermanence is a principle of harmony. When we don’t struggle against it we are in harmony with reality -  Pema Chodron
These constantly changing times can be disorienting. How might we embrace grounding practices for a mindful approach to living in the present moment? Using this powerful transformative kabbalah awareness practice, we will explore how we integrate past and present so we can live more fully in the present moment.
*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sMTIFj0aG7mb3EJTneZTUBDvaS5ssoGI/view?usp=sharing
About the Speaker: 
Executive Director of Kabbalah Experience, Melanie Gruenwald brings over 25 years of non-profit leadership and community organizing to her position. Engaged with senior citizens, families, college students, and teens, Melanie has extensive professional experience with communal leadership and informal Jewish education.
Melanie is energized by building relationships, understanding people’s needs, and finding ways to connect them. She loves the balance of organizational leadership and teaching which she engages daily at Kabbalah Experience. 
She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Binghamton University (S.U.N.Y), a Master's in Social Work, and a Certificate in Jewish Communal Service from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Melanie has pursued additional Judaic and spiritual studies at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, the Conservative Yeshiva, and most recently, the Kabbalah Experience.
Melanie is married to Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald, Associate Rabbi at the Hebrew Educational Alliance, and is a mom to three children, Koby (z”l), Hannah, and Micah.


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A virtual event presentation by Dr. David Sanders
About the event: 
Have you been curious about your relationship with time? What makes today Wednesday, or 5 o’clock? While we acknowledge that time never stands still, what has made us feel time dragging on or moving quickly? The Counting of the Omer contains many insights about our relationship to and with time. We will discover that we are not passive passengers in time. We are Time Beings–active co-creators of time.
About the Speaker: 
Dr. David Sanders, Founder and Spiritual Director of Kabbalah Experience, combines over thirty years of experience as both a psychologist and Kabbalist helping guide people to deeper awareness and fulfillment in their lives. His transformation from religious studies to mysticism intrigued him to broaden the study of Kabbalah to practical spiritual growth. Transformative Kabbalah combines traditional mysticism, contemporary psychology, and quantum physics.
It is David’s joy to help others challenge their views of themselves and the world. Through study and practice, students regularly change their perceptions and choose to alter or modify their behavior – which in turn brings positive change to their relationships and community and find greater and more fulfilling expression of their life purpose. He is the author of 2 books on mysticism and language and is currently writing a book on MASKS, the subject of one of KE’s most popular courses.
David maintains an active therapy practice, working with couples and families. He sees psychological and spiritual growth as a continuum of learning and becoming more aware of the self and others. His creation of the Kabbalah Experience is a way to enter people’s lives from a different premise – spiritual learning and guidance that does not have a starting point of “my problem.” Basing the methodology of study at KE on adult-centered learning, everyone is linked in the awareness work together, the teacher becomes the student and the student becomes the teacher.
David considers it his fortune to live with and learn from his wife Rita. With two sets of twins and an eldest son, life is rich for the whole family.


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A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Edward Bernstein
The event was co-sponsored by BMH-BJ
About the Event: 
The fifth of the Ten Commandments is “Honor your father and mother.” It is one of the few commandments in the Torah that attaches a reward for its successful performance: “that your days may be long.” We might think that if we follow the command in our youth, clean our rooms, and do other things that our parents ask, we’ve checked that box. The reality is that honoring our parents is among the most difficult and grows in complexity as children—and their parents—age. Rabbi Bernstein will explore Jewish perspectives on the responsibilities of adult children to their aging parents and the true rewards we gain in fulfilling this mitzvah.
*Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/561018.2?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=bi
About the Speaker: 
Rabbi Edward Bernstein is a Board Certified Chaplain and serves as Chaplain for Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Boca Raton, Florida. He hosts NeshamaCast, a podcast exploring Jewish spiritual care, produced by Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also hosts the My Teacher Podcast. Rabbi Bernstein edited  Love Finer Than Wine: The Writings of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker, a 2016 National Jewish Book Awards Finalist.  Rabbi Bernstein was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He served congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. Rabbi Bernstein also served on the faculty of Camp Ramah Darom, Moishe House, and the JTS Florida Office.


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A hybrid event by Rabbi Mike Feuer
The event was co-hosted by Temple Chai
About the event: 
American Jewry stands at a crossroads. Facing such great risks and real opportunities requires clarity of vision, confidence in identity, and readiness for action. All of these are elements of a heroic stance. Join Rav Mike Feuer in an exploration of what Jewish heroism is, how it can be cultivated in our lives and communities, and what it offers to American Jews today.
*Source Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1to-URZWkYMHWK8tdAbUorahw__Fgxdhq/view?usp=sharing
About the Speaker: 
Rav Mike Feuer is an educator, content creator, and spiritual counselor. He teaches and inspires people around the world through his Jewish Story History podcast and the newly launched Jewish Heroism Project. Whether working through teaching, content, or narrative therapy. Rav Mike’s mission is always the same – to tell a story of the past that upholds a present identity fit to build the future that we dream.


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Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz sat down with Rabbi Mike Feuer to discuss what victory looks like in today’s Israel-Gaza War.
Rav Mike Feuer is an educator, content creator, and spiritual counselor. He teaches and inspires people around the world through his Jewish Story History podcast and the Jewish Heroism Project. Whether working through teaching, content, or narrative therapy Rav Mike’s mission is always the same – to tell a story of the past that upholds a present identity fit to build the future of which we dream.


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