Two Giants: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Mordecai Kaplan ▶️

Join us every Wednesday for a class led by Dr. Steve Chervin on two of the most important theological figures of the 20th century: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Mordecai Kaplan. Heschel and Kaplan were arguably the two greatest influencers on Conservative Judaism in the 20th and 21st centuries. Though they were colleagues at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City for more than 25 years, they represented opposite poles on the spectrum of the Conservative movement: Heschel sought to introduce traditional Hasidic fervor and piety into liberal Judaism and engaged in evident spiritual and political activism; Kaplan promoted a radical transformation of the entirety of Judaism, ultimately founding an entirely new movement, i.e., Reconstructionism. In this class, we will first examine the two thinkers' life stories, and the key influences affecting them, and then compare and contrast their most essential ideas, activities, and contributions.

Ten people are needed to commit to this course, which is being generously subsidized by the Synagogue. The cost to register for all eight classes is $60 per person. If you would like to register, please contact Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal (lrosenthal@aasynagogue.org; 404.603.5744) Thursday, July 6.

For questions about the course, please contact Dr. Steve Chervin (stevenchervin@gmail.com).

Payment can be made online: Visit the AA donation form > Choose Tribute > Select Other > Type "Rosenthal Discretionary, Chervin Course." Payment can also be made via check made out to Ahavath Achim Synagogue with "Rosenthal Discretionary, Chervin Course" written in the memo line. Before making payment, please contact Rabbi Rosenthal to let him know you'd like to register.

Session dates: July 12, July 19, August 2, August 9, August 16, August 23, August 30, and September 6.