CALENDAR

Please join Rabbi Debra for the following public events:

SHABBAT, Congregation B'nai Israel
Fridays, 8 PM, Saturday's 10 AM, 53 Palisade Ave., Emerson, NJ.
Rabbi Orenstein and Cantor Lenny Mandel conduct. For information call 201-265-2272 or go to: www.bisrael.com.

MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF RABBIS, Yamim Noraim Sermon Seminar, Thursday, June 13, 9:30 AM, Boston Area TBD, Mass.
Debra will be the principal presenter at this High Holiday preparation seminar sponsored by the Mass. Board of Rabbis. (The seminar is followed by an Israel Bonds luncheon.) More information available at www.massrabbis.org.

CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION, Conference on Religion and Spirituality, Wednesday, July 3, 2PM, Chautauqua, New York.
Debra will be featured as a keynote speaker at this legendary setting for learning and growth. Debra will be in attendance for several days during the conference before delivering her address. Information at: the Chautauqua Institution website.

WESTWOOD, NJ, LIBRARY, Spirituality & Raising Children,
Monday, July 15, 11:30 AM and 7:30 PM, Westwood Public Library,
49 Park Ave., Westwood, NJ 07675.
For people of all faiths and of no religious faith, the longest and most intense spiritual enterprise most of us will ever engage in is… Parenting. Raising children raises all kinds of spiritual - as well as emotional, financial, and all other types of - issues. Children pose questions about life’s meaning; they seek justice. Even before they can talk, they raise questions in the minds of their parents about what values are most important to impart. Children prompt us to wonder how we can become better people and role models, and how we might leave them a better world.

Rabbi Debra, who is author of the Jewish Parenting chapter in the book Walking with Life, will lead an ecumenical, participatory group discussion based on literature that applies to parents and parenting. Reading the books in advance is not required, but is, of course, always welcome.

This date will be the first of several meetings. We are offering the opportunity to meet twice in one day to accommodate the differing schedules of busy parents and (sometimes) sleeping children.

The subject of both meetings will be “respecting and accepting our kids, even/especially/when/because/although they are so different from (and so similar to) us.” The book we are using as a jumping-off point is Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by winner of the National Jewish Book award, Andrew Solomon. More information can be found at the Westwood library site.