Via Zoom. Register HERE.
Jewish Literary Voices: A Federation Series in collaboration with The Jewish Book Council
SPECIAL EVENT— A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World—and How It Can Save Us
Jewish Book Month: Community One Read
Join Jewish Book Council in partnership with Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and other JBC Network sites for a book discussion with Bruce Feiler in conversation with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl.
One of our great decoders of human connection chronicles the astonishing rise of new rituals around the world—and offers a road map for restoring togetherness with gatherings you’ll love. Humans have turned to ritual to connect us in periods of change. Until today. Birth rituals and coming-of-age rituals have plummeted; fewer than half of Americans are married; only one in three is buried. “It took us ten thousand years to establish cultural norms around how we mark collective life transitions,” writes Feiler. “It took us fifty years to dismantle them.” Can this threat to society be reversed? To find out, Feiler went on a round-the-world ritual road trip, attending—and participating in—life rituals in sixteen countries on six continents.
Beyond the decline in traditional rituals, Feiler discovered that we are in the midst of a ritual renaissance that is pushing back against apathy, loneliness, and digital saturation. Every day, people are reimagining collective rituals at a remarkable pace, inventing fresh ways to gather around life, love, health, and family—and forging thriving communities in the process. Feiler also collected stories of a hundred ritual designers and built a first-of-its-kind database of ideas to make gatherings more effective. A Time to Gather is both a stirring adventure and practical manual. It’s a landmark guide to modern ritual; a tool kit for turning everyday moments into unforgettable celebrations; and an invitation to reconnect and rejoice—together.
Bruce Feiler is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including Life Is in the Transitions, The Secrets of Happy Families, and Walking the Bible. His three TED Talks have been viewed more than five million times, and he teaches the TED Course “How to Master Life Transitions.”
Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl serves as the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, the first woman to lead this flagship congregation. Born in Korea to a Jewish American father and a Korean Buddhist mother, she is the first Asian-American to be ordained as a rabbi in North America..
You can purchase A Time to Gather here. You can purchase Rabbi Buchdahl’s book Heart of a Stranger here.
*Hosted in partnership with JBC’s Network Member Sites. Learn more about the JBC Network communities here.
Sponsor: Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and Jewish Book Council