December 1864. Lincoln still is president.

In 1865, Rabbi Isaac Wise of Cincinnati wrote, "Abraham Lincoln believed himself to be bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. He supposed himself to be of Hebrew parentage, he said so in my presence, and indeed he possessed the common features of the Hebrew race both in countenance and features." Lincoln's son Robert later denied the admission of Hebrew ancestry and dismissed the exchange between Lincoln and the rabbi as a "pleasantry.” Whatever the case may be, in 2013 Gary Zola wrote the book “We Called Him Rabbi Abraham: Lincoln and American Jewry, a Documentary History” and will be joining us as the Sesquicentennial Scholar in Residence from Friday December 5 through Sunday December 7. During this weekend there will be a variety of educational programs both on Lincoln, Reform Judaism and the Civil Rights Movement. And in the Jewish tradition, there will be food!

Please join us for Shabbat dinner to welcome Dr. Zola Friday night or at the pot luck lunch on Saturday following services. Sign up early for the dinner (sign up forms elsewhere in The Messenger) so we have enough brisket for everyone and plan on bringing an entrée or side/salad to share for the lunch. Lunch desserts will be donated by Lauren Levrant in memory of her grandfather Julius Turoff who would have loved Dr. Zola’s book and presentations.

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