Community leaders Ariel Nelson, Livingston, and Craig Levine, Montclair, will facilitate a dialogue around Israel at Bnai Keshet’s Kaplan Minyan on Saturday morning, March 10. Coming out of their experience in the Wexner Heritage Program, which fosters Jewish learning and leadership development for volunteers in North America, Nelson and Levine will provide a model for how to communicate differing perspectives on Israel and listen to each other with respect. The Kaplan Minyan, which meets in the Red Gables historic house across the parking lot from the synagogue’s main building, begins at 10:30 a.m. with selected songs and readings.
Nelson and his family are members of the Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center in Livingston. He served as a board member and treasurer of his synagogue, chaired the Kushner Academy’s Day School Affordability Committee and was a member of Livingston’s Vision 20/20 (long range planning) and Citizens’ Budget Advisory Committees. For the Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest, Nelson served as a member of the Young Leadership Council. Most recently, he has been a trustee of the Jewish Community Foundation where he is presently serving as Treasurer. Nelson works for Geller & Company, an outsourced partner for all corporate financial strategies, planning, accounting and reporting functions, where he serves as a divisional CFO for Bloomberg, LP.
Levine is an active member and past co-president of Bnai Keshet. His career has focused on social justice advocacy in the legal and policy arenas involving a wide range of issues. He currently serves as Director of Policy Reform at The Bronx Defenders, a holistic public defender in the South Bronx. He is an amateur jazz drummer and is married to Phoebe Farber, a therapist and playwright.
The Bnai Keshet Kaplan Minyans are named for Reconstructionist Judaism founder Mordecai Kaplan, who sought to create a Jewish framework for discussions of ethics, culture, history and current events. They are designed for people who enjoy a communal Shabbat and want to enrich their understanding of Jewish peoplehood in an alternative, less traditional setting.
Bnai Keshet is located at 99 So. Fullerton Ave., Montclair. For more information, visit www.bnaikeshet.org/event/kaplanminyans.