Elie Kaunfer
Mechon Hadar
Telephone: 646-734-9837
Email:
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer is co-founder and executive director of Mechon Hadar: An Institute for Prayer, Personal Growth and Jewish Study (www.mechonhadar.org). Mechon Hadar has launched the first full-time egalitarian yeshiva program in the United States: Yeshivat Hadar (www.yeshivathadar.org). A Wexner Graduate Fellow, Elie is working on a doctorate in liturgy at the Jewish Theological Seminary. The Forward Newspaper named him one of 50 Top Jewish Leaders in 2008.
Deathbed Prayers
The Dangers of the Beit Midrash
Advanced, Ritual & Prayer, Torah & Text
- Friday 1:30PM–2:45PM Cousin Brucie
Join us as we examine a curious section of the Talmud in which two leading rabbis offer deathbed prayers in front of their students. How do the allusions in the story open up a wider lens of interpretation? How are these prayers related, and what is the larger meaning for modern Jews today?
Traditional Egalitarian Minchah/Kabbalat Shabbat
Maariv Service
Ritual & Prayer
- Friday 4:35PM–6:10PM Empire 3 North, 3 South
Join Elie Kaunfer in a meaningful, inspiring, and participatory Friday night service inspired by Kehillat Hadar from Manhattan's Upper West Side. The traditional egalitarian service features spirited singing of the traditional liturgy with leadership and participation by both men and women. Note: No amplification or musical instruments will be used in this service. There will be mixed gender seating.
The Quest for Sprituality
- Saturday 11:45AM–1:00PM Tower Board Room
Panel members discuss the essence of spirituality and how do prayer, synagogue service, and alternate forms of devotion or minyan figure in one’s own development, search, or quest to be reflective, uplifted, elevated, and find greater meaning in one’s life. A wide range of panelists will present their thoughts, opinions, and recommendations on how to conduct and lead a more meaningful spiritual life.
Angry Poet or Defending Prophet?
Shmuel HaKattan and the Curse against Heretics
Ritual & Prayer, Torah & Text
- Saturday 7:30PM–8:45PM Empire Room 3 North
Who is the mysterious author of the 19th blessing of the Amidah, the curse against heretics? By examining other stories involving this character, we will paint a picture of this liturgical innovator and arrive at new understandings of this controversial prayer.
The Cairo Geniza
Torn Papers, Radical Prayers
Ritual & Prayer, Torah & Text
- Sunday 8:30AM–9:45AM Cousin Brucie
In December 1896, Solomon Schechter traveled to the "Synagogue of Ben Ezra" in Old Cairo and discovered 200,000 Hebrew manuscripts, some from as early as the 9th century. Among them were alternative liturgies that will astound those used to the standard Ashkenazi prayerbook. Come learn how crumpled papers in a forgotten attic can change our understanding of prayer.
How Can I Pray What I Don't Believe?
Sacrifice in Prayer
Ritual & Prayer, Torah & Text
- Sunday 4:00PM–5:15PM Empire Room 3 South
What do you do when you disagree with a prayer's content? What is the proper way to deal with a prayer you don’t connect to? Besides editing or rewriting, what options are available to us? We will examine this question through the lens of sacrifice in prayer and the 16th blessing of the Amidah.
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