Abstract
Recent years have witnessed a dangerous resurfacing of racial tension, religious intolerance, and political divisiveness in American life. Outbursts of venomous anger, often expressed in the name of God, have produced an ugly new standard in public discourse. At the same time, Americans, often inspired by their faith in God, have seen through racial, religious, and national fault lines and have responded courageously and contributed generously to others in the wake of disasters at home and abroad. In this presentation, Rabbi Sharon Brous will reflect on how different views of God serve to foster different types of public discourse, action, and culture.
Rabbi Sharon Brous is the founding rabbi of IKAR, a Jewish spiritual community in Los Angeles whose mission is to promote the integration of soulful prayer, serious learning, and social justice. A graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in history and an M.A. in human rights and conflict resolution, she was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where she received several awards in Talmud and homiletics. She has been named to The Jewish Daily Forward's list of the 50 most influential American Jews and to Newsweek's list of America's leading rabbis. Rabbi Brous is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post's "On Faith" and she has been a guest on Krista Tippet's National Public Radio program "Speaking of Faith." She serves on the board of Rabbis for Human Rights, on the rabbinic advisory board of American Jewish World Service, on the regional council of Progressive Jewish Alliance, and as a member of the Task Force to Advance Multireligious Collaboration on Global Poverty.