Global Day of Jewish Learning: From Benares to Jerusalem

Date: Nov 11, 2018 - Nov 11, 2018

Time: 9:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: New York City

From Benares to Jerusalem: Seeking the Divine in the Sacred Cities of Hindus and Jews

Learn with Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and the Division of Religious Leadership, JTS, as part of the Global Day of Jewish Learning.

B’nai Jeshurun
257 W. 88th Street
New York City

Pilgrimage is as much an important feature of religious life for Hindus as it is for Jews. The city of Benares (also known as Varanasi) on the banks of the Ganges River is one of several sacred spots in the Indian subcontinent where Hindus seek purification. For Jews as well, the pilgrimage festivals of antiquity live on in religious imagination, even though the focal point of the Temple in Jerusalem no longer exists. What is the role of sacred geography for modern people who live far from these places, and for whom being online can displace the experience of being grounded in one location? We will look at rabbinic texts regarding pilgrimage but leave room to discuss our own experiences of pilgrimage and sacred geography.

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Join with more than 400 communities in 48 countries and six continents for a day of Torah study. Children’s programming will be run by Ramah.

Hosted by Hadar, B’nai Jeshurun, Limmud NY, Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, Camp Ramah in the Berkshires

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About the Global Day of Jewish Learning 

The Global Day of Jewish learning is a project of the Aleph Society and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, uniting Jewish communities across the world through study of our shared texts.