Scholar-In-Residence at Lakeside

Lakeside congregation is delighted to welcome Dr. Jay Michaelson for our annual Scholar In Residence weekend, Nov. 1-3, 2013.  Michaelson is a prolific writer and dynamic teacher on issues that are of great importance to the Jewish community and society as a whole. 

The author of 5 books and 100s of articles and essays, Michaelson is a contributing editor to the Forward and his articles appear regularly in The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post and other publications.  His work on behalf of sexual minorities in religious communitys has been featured in the New York Times, CNN and NPR.  Michaelson was included on the “Forward 50” list of most influential American Jews.  He holds a PhD in Jewish Thought from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a JD from Yale Law School.  He has taught at Boston University Law School, City College of New York, and Yale University.

On Friday evening at 7:30pm Michaelson’s topic will be “Brainhacking Your Way to Happiness.”  Based on his brand new book, Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism and the Next Generation of Enlightenment.

Saturday evening, Nov. 2 at 7:30pm, Michaelson will teach, “Beyond the Rainbow:  The Surprisingly ‘Queer’ Stories of Abraham, Jacob and David, and What they Can Teach All of Us.”  Michaelson is an expert on LGBT rights, and Queer Theology.  His book God vs.Gay explodes the myth that the Hebrew and Christian Bibles oppose gay rights.

Sunday morning , Nov. 3 at 10:15am, Michaelson’s final topic is “iSpirituality: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love 21st Century Judaism.”  In the wake of recent research on the evolving Jewish community, Michaelson will address the changing models of Jewish identity, what they mean for old institutions, and what the future may hold.

All the presentations are free, and Sunday morning includes a complimentary brunch.  Saturday evening the community is welcome to join us for cocktails and dinner at 5:30pm at a cost of $45 per person. Please RSVP to Lakeside Congregation at 847-432-7950 for dinner reservations.  No tickets or preregistration are necessary for any of the presentations.

Jay Michaelson’s appearance is made possible by the largesse of the Baum Family Foundation and other generous sponsors at Lakeside Congregation.  We are a Reform Jewish congregation located at 1221 County Line Road in Highland Park.  Please check our website www.lakesidecongregation.org for more information about this and other programs.