The Gersten-Hoisington Scholar-in-Residence Weekend

December 12-14, 2025

Exploring Jewish Identity and Politics (and Kosher Fish)

with Professor Howard Lupovitch

In keeping with the High Holy Day theme of “Living Jewish”, the TBS Adult Learning Committee is excited to present an entertaining and educational weekend with Professor Howard Lupovitch, professor of history and director of the Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies at Wayne State University. Please join us for these programs. Registration is required for all lectures.

Friday, December 12

6:15 pm, Friday Night Shabbat Service, Community Dinner and Introductory Lecture

Dinner is free for members, $10 per non-member

Israelis and American Jews: Do We Still Speak the Same Language?

What aspects of Jewish identity, culture, and politics have Israelis and American Jews shared since the founding of the State of Israel? How have these commonalities weathered the challenges of the last two years?

Saturday, December 13

8:30 am-9:00 am, Shabbat Morning Minyan

No registration required

9:00 am-10:30 am, Lecture and Bagel Breakfast

Free for members, $10 per non-member

Jewish Politics: Lessons from our History

Many of the political challenges and dilemmas that American Jews have faced during the last decade were faced by our forebears, in America and elsewhere in the diaspora. What can American Jews learn from the political decisions and strategies of the Jewish past?

6:30 pm Dinner, 7:30 pm Lecture

Pre-payment required: $25 per person

Sturgeon and Swordfish: the Fish that Nearly Divided the Jewish World

How did a local squabble over whether or not sturgeon is kosher escalate into a public dispute that enveloped Jews at the turn of the nineteenth century in Central and Eastern Europe? What does this conflict tell us about the tension in Judaism between tradition and innovation?

Sunday, December 14

9:30 am-11:00 am, Lecture and Bagel Breakfast