News and Jews- Author and Activist Zack Bodner to Speak at Temple Beth Israel

By Joan Gerard
Temple Beth Israel is pleased to welcome Zack Bodner as our speaker of the Brenda Rosenfeld Scholars Series during Shabbat services on Friday, November 10. Rabbi Kupetz described Zack as ben bayit (son of the house) as he grew up at Temple Beth Israel, attending Hebrew and religious school there.
    Zack attended Yale where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He holds a Master’s Degree in Philosophy of Religion and Theology from Claremont Graduate University. He served for 14 years as the Pacific Northwest Regional Director of AIPAC and currently is the CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, CA. Zack is an accomplished speaker, storyteller, community organizer and the author of Why Do Jewish? A Manifesto for the 21st Century Jewish Peoplehood. 
    In the book, Why Do Jewish, Bodner writes, “Today, in the 21st century, living Jewishly ought to mean more than who your mother was. Doing Jewish means taking some specific actions, living by some specific values, celebrating some specific moments, and recognizing you are part of some specific family.”  In his book, he proposes strategies for “doing Jewish” by using the Yiddish term tachlis as an acronym: T: tikkun olam  A: art and culture  C: community  H: holidays and rituals  L: learning   I: Israel  S: Shabbat and spirituality.
    The Brenda Rosenfeld Shabbat Scholar Series was established to honor Brenda Rosenfeld, a social activist and long-time member of Temple Beth Israel who passed away in February 2014. This Scholar Series brings highly regarded speakers to Temple Beth Israel affirming her commitment to Jewish life, learning, and healing the world.
    Please join us for Shabbat Services on November 10 at 7:30 pm.  For more information, please contact Temple Beth Israel by calling the Temple office at 909.626.1277.