Mitchell Silver
Boston Workmen's Circle
Email: show
Mitchell Silver has taught philosophy at UMass/Boston since 1982. He is the author of A Plausible God (2006) and Respecting the Wicked Child: A Philosophy of Secular Jewish Identity and Education ( 1998). He has been the Educational Director of the I.L. Peretz School of the Brookline Workmen’s Circle since 1992 and was the Cultural Director of Camp Kinderland from 1989 to 2006.
Progressive Jewish Secularism and the Middle East
The relationship between secular Jews and Israel
Identity & Responsibility,
Israel
This session will explore the particular impact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has on secular Jewish life in America and discuss the relationship between secular Jews, the conflict in particular, and Israel in general.
The Sources of Secular Jewish Education
How do secular Jews create continuity?
Identity & Responsibility
This session will examine the sources that a non-religious Jewish school can, and should, draw upon in constructing a curriculum appropriate for children whose parents seek to educate them to be secular Jews.
So I Don’t Believe in God
Jewish Secular Spirituality
Identity & Responsibility
What, if any, spirituality is available to Jews who are non-religious. In this session, we will have a discussion regarding the spiritual resources available to Jews who have a completely naturalistic worldview.
**Please note, a flip chart may be used during this session.
The Quest for Sprituality
David Ingber,
Elie Kaunfer,
Aliza Lavie,
Joe Septimus,
Mitchell Silver
Panel members discuss the essence of spirituality and how do prayer, synagogue service, and alternate forms of devotion or minyan figure in one’s own development, search, or quest to be reflective, uplifted, elevated, and find greater meaning in one’s life. A wide range of panelists will present their thoughts, opinions, and recommendations on how to conduct and lead a more meaningful spiritual life.
The Meaning of Jewish History
A Secular Perspective
Global History & Culture
This session offers an interpretation of Jewish history from a secular perspective, with a focus on the implications this viewpoint provides for organized Jewish life.
Planet in Peril
What Can Jews Do?
Jill Jacobs,
Mitchell Silver,
Shmuel Simenowitz,
Mark Sutton,
Jonathan Wittenberg
While our addictions to oil, credit, and fast food are new, our tendencies to overuse and overextend our resources are not. Judaism provides us with guidance on how to conserve our resources, spend wisely, and build a more sustainable world. Our panelists will provide unique insights on the Jewish ethics of consumption from their social justice work.
