Hear Our Voice

35 years ago, I had an amazing and most memorable summer camp counselor.  The funny thing is that I don’t remember much of anything he said, but I do completely remember the way he made me feel.  “Moshe” made me feel proud and he made me feel smart and he made me feel interesting.  I do remember one thing he said, as vividly as if I heard him say it today.  On a campout, following our kumzitz (camp fire), he led us to an area hidden from the fire and then told us to turn on our flash lights and point them into the star-filled sky.   Then he said, “You know, the light from your flashlights that you are shining into the night sky will continue far, far beyond what you can see, into the Milky Way, throughout the galaxy, unless and until it hits something, like a star or a planet or a fragment of an asteroid.”  I remember standing there, my imagination piqued, considering just how cool an idea this was.  And today, “Moshe the Counselor” is continuing to enlighten my mind and shine light into areas, until now, relatively “un-lit.” 

Dr. Marc Dollinger (aka “Moshe”; “Moshe the Rosh” – Moshe the Unit Head; my favorite all-time summer camp counselor) is the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University.  He is a renowned scholar and the author of four books in American Jewish History, most recently Black Power, Jewish Politics.  He is currently at work on his next project, tracing his own experience fighting anti-Semitism at both right-wing and left-wing universities. 

AND

Dr. Dollinger is our Scholar in Residence for the Shma Koleinu 2020 Federation Shabbat Limmud weekend that will take place in just a little over 4 weeks from now.  Here is what he is coming to teach:

February 14^th, Shabbat Evening 7:30ish pm – Following Shabbat services at the Merfish, we will sit down for a lovely Shabbat dinner catered by Buca di Beppo, and Dr. Dollinger will share his first talk of the weekend (RSVPs required):

“Hamans and Torquemadas: Southern and Northern Jews in the Civil Rights Movement”

Challenge yourselves to a new and different understanding of Jewish participation in the civil rights movement. In this presentation, we explore how southern Jews created the model of political behavior later embraced in the North. Next, we move to urban America to learn about the surprising similarities between the two regions. Ultimately, we’ll ask ourselves to reflect on what social justice and tikun olam mean in the civil rights era.

February 15^th, Shabbat Morning 10:00 am – We will celebrate Shabbat morning at the Xavier Academy (6203 Edloe St, Houston, TX 77005) for a brunch catered by NY Bagel where Dr. Dollinger will lead us in a text study/discussion:

“The New 10 Commandments”: a Text Study in American Jewish History”

Discover ten surprising historical documents in American Jewish history. We’ll challenge our ways of thinking as we re-imagine what “commandments” Jews have created on American shores and whether or not we think they should be followed.

February 15^th, Saturday Evening 7:00 pm – We will gather together for Havdalah, Light Bites, Drinks and Dessert, hosted by Anna and Brad Eastman at their home, and Dr. Dollinger will speak on his book:

Black Power, Jewish Politics

Look again at the story of Jewish involvement in the civil rights movement, showing how American Jews leveraged the Black Power movement to increase Jewish ethnic and religious identity in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Join us as we explore never-before-seen historical documents that reveal a story that’s been hidden from view for over half a century. With so much contemporary interest in Black Lives Matter and larger questions of race and justice, we’ll explore a fascinating and surprising Jewish past.

February 16^th, Sunday, 9am – 3pm – Join the Houston Jewish community for Yom Limmud at Congregation Beth Israel (5600 N Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77096) for a day of Jewish learning when Dr. Dollinger (among others) will speak and teach on:

Anti-Israelism, Anti-Zionism, Anti-Semitism

One of the thorniest questions in contemporary American Jewish life, the boundaries between anti-Israelism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Semitism are now the subject of university policy debates as well as proposed state and federal action. This presentation offers historical background into each category, outlining the points of debate in this highly-contentious subject.