March 2023
Dear Friends,

It's been a long time since my last note, because I've been working on a couple of new projects. (More on that soon, I hope.)

In the meantime, in-person events are back . So after a busy year, I'm now booking in-person events for fall 2023 (and perhaps during the week for the rest of the spring, but my upcoming weekends are all full).

If you're interested in putting something together, now's the time to start planning:

  • Will the Real Bible Please Stand Up?
  • Living in Unprecedented Times
  • The Inside Scoop on Israel
  • Four Exiles and Four Spiritual Revolutions
  • Ancient Answers to Good and Evil
  • The Bible Doesn't Say That

Reach out to me directly to take the first step toward bringing me to your community, or look at the more detailed descriptions below.

Relatedly, religious schools are coming back, and most congregations are working to navigate the post-COVID landscape. I've partnered with congregations for most of my life to improve education for children and teens, and seen the ways a few changes can help attract more people. If you'd like to chat about tweaking or even revamping your program, let me know .

Finally, I've been building out my " Human Stories " website. Because I've had the opportunity to lecture extensively on all six inhabitable continents, I've witnessed some amazing things and heard dozens of remarkable human stories. I'm collecting them on "Human Stories," and addressing the haunting questions prompted by what I've seen. Again, I have more details below.

I hope to see you soon in person or on line.

Joel
Speaking
Teaching about Bible Translation at CCNY
I'm thrilled that in-person events are back — both single lectures and scholar-in-residence weekends.

Here's more information about some of my most popular topics:

  • Will the Real Bible Please Stand Up? What does the Bible really say about violence? About marriage? About men and women? The Bible has been reinterpreted and misinterpreted almost from the day it was written, so most people reading the Bible now have very little sense of the original text. We'll peel back 2,000 years of revisionism and take a look at the Bible as it originally was. (Jewish / Christian / Interfaith)

  • Four Exiles and Four Spiritual Revolutions. A whirlwind tour of 3,000 years of Judaism, focusing on three spiritual revolutions and the exiles that led to each, then the most recent revolution: modern Judaism. How are we, today, like the prophets and like the authors of the Talmud? How is the 21st century like the Golden Age of Spain? And what will we build for future generations? (Jewish)

  • Ancient Answers to Good and Evil. The second half of the Adam and Eve story, missing from the Bible. Abraham's formative childhood. The mysterious Enoch. And the way all three ancient texts explore the nature of life and explain good and evil. (Jewish / Christian / Interfaith)

  • The Bible Doesn't Say That. The original Hebrew of the Ten Commandments doesn't say "don't covet" or "don't kill." The translation "the Lord is my shepherd" is misleading, and the English phrase "with all your heart and all your soul" is just wrong. Come learn how modern translation techniques expose what the words of the Bible originally meant. (Jewish / Christian / Interfaith)

These are just starting points. Each community is different and I tailor my visit to match each destination. So if you're interested in putting something together, let me know.
Religious School
Emerson said once that if colleges were better, "you would need to set police at the gates to keep order in the in-rushing multitude" and there'd be no need "of contriving inducements to draw students."

The same might be said for religious schools. If we were really doing a good job, we wouldn't have to convince parents to enroll their children, or children to attend once enrolled. They would, instead, lament the vacations and demand more time in school. Religious school would be like soccer or dance or gymnastics — expensive, perhaps; inconvenient, at times; but in so much demand that parents and children rush to fill coveted spots in a waiting list.

I've seen it happen, and helped communities achieve it.

My involvement stems from a firm conviction that children deserve quality education just as much as adults do. And my contributions are built both on my background in linguistics and on extensive observation and experience.

Let me know if you want to talk.
Human Stories
A girl who doesn't go to school. A policeman who asks for money. The world's cultures as reflected in their currency. Fire and water at the Ganges.

"Human Stories" offers penetrating, sometimes haunting questions prompted by a close look at the world's variety.

Here are some of my recent favorites:
Fire and Water at the Ganges
This fire ceremony on the shores of the Ganges reminded me of an ancient sacrifice, but without the sacrifice. And for that matter, in the West we dress up for worship. Here people take off their clothes.
The Girl Carrying Water
Instead of attending school, this girl spent an hour carrying water. Is that okay? What if she doesn't mind? Is happiness even the right question here?


The Police in Morocco
This unexplained police escort in Morocco led to my first experience giving money to a policeman. But even that isn't the surprising part...





I'd love to know what you think about these.
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