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Downtown Discussion Group
Meets approximately biweekly on Mondays downtown for lunch (12:15 p.m.) followed by 1-hour discussion of a book. Participants lead the discussion and cover roughly a chapter a meeting. Participants may attend every session or may attend occasionally. Group members furnish their own lunches; drinks are provided. Individuals who want to take part in the group should notify the temple office or the discussion group leaders.
The book for 2007-2008 is Creating Judaism by Michael Satlow, starting Oct. 15.
The initial book for 2008-2009 will be Jewish Philosophy as a Guide to Life: Rosenzweig, Buber, Levinas, Wittgenstein (The Helen and Martin Schwartz Lectures in Jewish Studies) by Hilary Putnam of Harvard University. This may be followed by Larry Hoffman's Beyond the Text: A Holistic Approach to Liturgy (Jewish Literature and Culture).
| Date | Chapter/pages | Discussion Leader |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 29 | Introduction/1-21 | Rabbi Zemel |
| Nov. 5 | Chapter 1 (part)/22-57 | Ed Grossman |
| Nov. 19 | Chapter 1 (part)/57-68 | Shelley Grossman |
| Dec. 3 | Chapter 2 | Joshua Kaufman |
| Dec. 17 | Chapter 3 | Sabrina Soujourner |
| January 7, 2008 | Chapter 4 | Jay Resnick |
| Jan. 28 | Chapter 5 | Peg Blechman |
| Feb. 11 | [cancelled] |
[leaders moved back one week] |
| Feb. 25 | Chapter 6 | Alan Carpien |
| March 10 | Chapter 7 |
Sabrina Soujourner |
| March 17 | Chapter 8 |
Jacque Simon |
| April 7 | Chapter 9 | Shelley Grossman |
| April 28 | chapter 10 (part)/250-274 | Skip Halpern |
| May 5 | Chapter 10 (part)/274-288 | Catherine Lynch |
| May 19 | Epilogue | Rabbi Zemel |
The Great Transformation by Karen Armstrong was read during 2006-2007. During 2005-2006 the group read The Journey Home: Discovering the Deep Spiritual Wisdom of the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman. The group spent 2004-2005 in the study of Jewish mysticism using the book The Mystic Quest by David Ariel.
The group meets at Venable Law Office, 575 7th St. NW. The nearest Metro stop is Gallery Place; office is across the street from the MCI Center.