Rabbi Reuven Firestone received his Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies in 1988 from New York University. He has taught Hebrew literature and directed the Hebrew and Arabic language programs at Boston University. He has been awarded the Yad Hanadiv Research Fellowship at the Hebrew University, a National Endowment for the Humanities research fellowship and a Fulbright CASA III Fellowship for study and research at the American University in Cairo in 2006. Since 1993 he has served as Associate and then Full Professor of Medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. Firestone founded the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement (CMJE), a joint program of Hebrew Union College, the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Foundation and the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. He serves on numerous committees and commissions on interfaith relations, serves on the editorial boards of numerous scholarly publications and is Vice-President of the Association of Jewish Studies. Professor Firestone has lived in Israel, Egypt and Germany and regularly lectures in universities throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. His publications have been translated into German, French, Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic, Albanian, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Indonesian and Urdu.

Weekend Schedule

 

Friday evening:

• 6:30 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat
• 7:15 pm: Dinner (See below for the menu.) $21 adults / $12 children / $65 family maximum (please click 'Register Now' at the top to sign up for this dinner) 
• 7:15 pm: Rabbi Reuven will speak after dinner at approx.    
  Topic: "What does Islam really say about Jews and Judaism?" 

 

Saturday morning:

• 9:30 am: D’var Torah during morning services
• Kiddush Lunch after services
• 12:30 pm: Lecture following Kiddush Lunch
  Topic: “A Family Feud: Sarah & Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael," reservations not required. 

 

Sunday morning:                                                                                                        

• 9:30 am: Breakfast and Lecture
  Topic: “Terrorism, Islamic Fundamentalism, and the Middle East,” reservations not required.

 

 

Menu for Friday Night's Dinner

Appetizers

Fresh Greens Salad
Romaine lettuce, English cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers, red onions presented with Balsamic vinaigrette on the side 

 Adult Meal Option 1: Tunisian Chicken Breast
Chicken Breast marinated in coriander, caraway and crushed garlic
Grilled to perfection
 or
 Adult Meal Option 2: Portobello Mushroom En Croute
Spinach and roasted red peppers stuffed into a portobello cap 

Harvest Wild Rice
Green Beans

Kid-Friendly Meat Meal:
Chicken Nuggets

Dessert:
Fruit Salad
Mini Apple Crumble Bars
Mini Brownies