Professor Jonathan Sarna: George Washington's Letter

http://www.myJLI.com In 1790, after leading a revolution in the name of liberty, George Washington affirmed the divine and inviolable freedoms of America's tiny Jewish community. What is freedom? Is it indeed liberating to do as we please? Perhaps freedom is about something much deeper, more meaningful, and fulfilling! -- To Be a Jew in the Free World: Jewish Identity Through the Lens of Modern History A New Six Week Course by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. What was it like for our ancestors to say goodbye to the shtetl, to set out to discover new lives for themselves, along with all of the liberties the free world had to offer? At the dawn of the enlightenment, how did our parents adapt their Judaism to the developments of a modern age? And what can we learn from their struggles to connect deeply with our own Jewish identities? This new course will give you the opportunity to make sense of your personal Jewishness; it will help you overcome perceived incompatibilities between Judaism and modern society; and it will provide you with the clarity and conviction to pass on a legacy of Jewish pride to the next generation.