Many of us, including Rabbi Julie, were powerfully influenced by Leon Uris' book Exodus, and by the subsequent movie starring Paul Newman. Exodus was based on a true story of a boat carrying Jewish refugees from the Holocaust being turned away by the British Mandate, which was in control of all Palestine at that time, preventing the refugees from finding safety in Israel. This book and this movie were formative for so many of us, shaping our understanding of the situation in Israel-Palestine. But was the whole story fairly depicted? What were we missing then and how do those gaps inform our views today? Let's join together in a lively exploration of these questions.

Click here for a summary of Leon Uris’ Exodus.

Session One:  November 10, 2024 – What did Exodus mean to you?

Did you read the book Exodus by Leon Uris or see the movie featuring Paul Newman? Can you remember what age you were? Where you were? How you felt reading or seeing Exodus? We will share memories of encountering this riveting work and discuss the take-away messages that we learned. All of us who engaged with this global bestseller learned about Jews, Palestine, righteousness and history. This book and this film helped shape generations of Jewish understanding. It is time to revisit that understanding together. Please join us for a lively, welcoming session with the Rabbi and Heart of the City community.

Zoom information will be provided to LHI Members; guests are most welcome and will need to register to access the Zoom link.

There is no charge for this series, although we suggest a voluntary donation of $18. from guests.

The second and third sessions of this series will be held on November 24 and December 15, all at 11:00 AM.  We plan to post recordings of them to our YouTube channel.

Please note: These sessions will not be political debates or discussions about Middle East solutions. Rather we will engage in a deep personal exploration of our Jewish education about Israel, often informed by the book or movie Exodus, and round out the story.