Rabbi Elie Kaunfer to join us for a Community Shabbaton October 30-November 1,2015 At Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, Westville Synagogue, and Congregation Bnai Jacob ! For the third year in a row, BEKI is pleased to participate in a community Shabbaton. As we did last spring, along with Westville Synagogue and Congregation B’nai Jacob we will welcome a visiting scholar to the New Haven Community for a weekend of communal learning and prayer. This fall, Rabbi Elie Kaunfer will join us for the weekend of October 30-November 1 and will lead sessions at each of our synagogues. Rabbi Elie Kaunfer is co-founder and executive director of Mechon Hadar, an independent minyan in New York City. Elie has previously worked as a journalist, banker, and corporate fraud investigator. A graduate of Harvard College, he completed his doctorate in liturgy at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he was also ordained. A Wexner Graduate Fellow and Dorot Fellow, Elie is a co-founder of the independent minyan Kehilat Hadar and has been named multiple times to Newsweek’s list of the top 50 rabbis in America. He was selected as an inaugural AVI CHAI Fellow, and is the author of Empowered Judaism: What Independent Minyanim Can Teach Us About Building Vibrant Jewish Communities (Jewish Lights, 2010). Rabbi Kaunfer is a dynamic speaker who is passionate about his vision for a vibrant Jewish future, in which Jews of all ages and backgrounds can find a meaningful engagement with critical life questions, using our ancient texts to deepen that engagement. Please join us as we explore fascinating topics with a nationally known author and Rabbi in the company of friends, old and new, bringing our different points of view and experiences to the discussion. By participating - listening, discussing, questioning - we will continue to enrich the communal Jewish experience in Greater New Haven, and help to keep it vibrant and meaningful. The weekend will begin Friday evening at BEKI. Free child care will be available from 7-9:30pm. Kabbalat Shabbat services will be held at 6pm, followed by dinner at 7pm ($18 per person). At 8:15 Rabbi Kaunfer will speak about the following topic: “Beyond Identity and Pluralism: A 21st Century Vision of Jewish Life.” Here are some of the questions he hopes to explore with us: With denominational identity in decline and a growing disaffection from religion, how might we consider a reframing of the core value of Jewish life? What are the potential benefits and pitfalls of a focus on Jewish identity and a culture of pluralism? How might Judaism be seen as a compelling counter-cultural critique? On Saturday Rabbi Kaunfer will speak after Shabbat morning services at Westville synagogue. Starting at 12:30 he will discuss “Kaddish – A New Interpretation,” an exploration of the essence of the Kaddish, one of the central prayers in our liturgy. Congregation B’nai Jacob will host a Sunday morning session starting at 10:00 am. Coffee and bagels will be served. In a talk entitled “Can Doubters Pray?” Rabbi Kaunfer will discuss questions such as “Does traditional Jewish prayer make room for people who have doubts about God and/or doubts about the efficacy of prayer?” In addition to the participating synagogues, the weekend is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and the James M. Shure Education Fund..