What did ancient Israelites actually believe about the afterlife—and when did “Hell” enter the picture? This session traces the evolution from biblical Sheol and burial traditions to the later idea of Gehenna, exploring how changing concepts of the afterlife helped answer one of Judaism’s most enduring questions: where is justice when life seems unfair?

Come join musical rabbinical students from Abraham Geiger Kolleg as we greet Shabbat. Like the psalmist writes, we will praise the Eternal with harp and lyre (and perhaps djembe and keyboard), joining with all that have breath. The service directions and drasha will be in English, but the the spirit of the service will be universal. We will be leading from the Nachama/Sievers "Tefillah L'Chol HaShana" but please bring your own siddur of any kind.

Can a novel be Jewish without mentioning Judaism? Using his own dystopian novel as a starting point, Rabbi Paul Moses Strasko opens up the hidden structure of a “crypto-Jewish” narrative shaped by exile, survival, and identity. Along the way, we’ll explore what makes a story Jewish—and why some of the deepest ideas often remain just beneath the surface.