Rabbi Samuel M. Stahl to Give Luncheon Lecture at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion

Rabbi Samuel M. Stahl, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, Texas will present a Food for Thought Luncheon Lecture 2003-2004 Series at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) on Wednesday, February 11, 2004 from 12 to 1:30 p.m.

Previously to serving for 26 years as Temple Beth-El’s Senior Rabbi, Rabbi Samuel M. Stahl served as a Chaplain in the United States Army and as Rabbi of Temple B’nai Israel in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1961. He was ordained a rabbi at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati in 1967 where he also received an earned degree of Doctor of Hebrew Letters and an honorary degree of the Doctor of Divinity. For six years, he was editor of the Journal of Reform Judaism. He is also the author of Making the Timeless Timely: Thoughts and Reflections of a Contemporary Reform Rabbi.

The lecture, “Do Jews Still Consider Themselves the Chosen People?” will examine how Jews have dealt with the “Chosen People” idea through the ages. Most Jews today never refer to themselves as the Chosen People and are often uncomfortable with that designation. Evidence of a struggle with it in classical rabbinic literature, as well as in modern Reform and Reconstructionist prayerbooks find this to be true.

Founded in Cincinnati in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest institution of higher Jewish education in the Western Hemisphere and the academic and professional leadership development center of the Reform Movement. The College-Institute trains rabbis, cantors, religious school educators, and Jewish communal workers at its four campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles, and Jerusalem. In addition to training professional leadership to serve the Jewish community, HUC-JIR’s School of Graduate Studies awards Masters and Doctoral degrees to men and women of all faiths.

Lunch is in the Mayerson Auditorium at noon, and the lecture will begin at 12:30. The cost of the lunch and lecture is $8 or the lecture only for $2. The Mayerson Auditorium is handicapped accessible, and free parking is available. Reservations are made ahead by calling Marcia Cruse, (513) 221-1875, ext 353 or by sending a check made payable to HUC-JIR, Department of Outreach Education, 3101 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45220.