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 Three:  December 15, 2024 – Judaism and Zionism Today

In this third session we will reflect on how the Exodus narrative became dominant in the U.S. and in the Jewish world. Why was so much of our recent history hidden from most Jews? We will look at the range of what Zionism has actually meant historically and affirm Diaspora Judaism -- that’s us-- in all of its creativity and inclusion. We will stand strong against all anti-semitism while learning about Jewish communities that are both pro-Jewish and anti-Zionist. Through this learning and wrestling we hope to strengthen commitment to both freedom and safety for every Jew and every Palestinian.

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 third session of this series will be held on December 15 at 11:00 AM.  We plan to post recordings of these sessions 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.