A Jewish perspective on minorities
Chabad of Hackensack and the Bergen County Bar Association offer “You Shall Not Oppress the Stranger,” a CLE diversity-accredited course on the intricacies of Jewish law protecting minorities. The in-person seminar, featuring employment lawyers and a talmudic scholar, is scheduled for Tuesday, December 20, from 6 to 7 p.m., at Chabad of Hackensack at 280 Summit Avenue.
The seminar will include a conversation between Chaim Book, a lawyer from Moskowitz & Book, LLP, in Manhattan; Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe of Bnai Torah Congregation in Longmeadow, Massachusetts; and Dror Futter, a lawyer from Rimon Law PC. The seminar will delve into biblical verses, talmudic rulings, and medieval-era rabbinic responses to explore how Jewish law treats minorities and how it compares to federal and state law.
“It is with a special sense of pride that we present this course, which focuses on a cornerstone of Jewish teaching and, indeed, of human decency: the necessity to protect those most vulnerable in society from oppression and discrimination,” Rabbi Mendy Kaminker said. Rabbi Kaminker and his wife, Shterna, direct Chabad of Hackensack. “We look forward to sharing a nuanced and detailed look on how Jewish law addresses these important topics.”
The course has added significance as Jewish communities worldwide celebrate the year of Hakhel or “gathering,” which happens every seven years. It goes back to the time when Jews would gather in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, also once every seven years. The modern observance of Hakhel as a year of unity and inspiration was established by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, z”l, who called for the year of Hakhel to be a time for people to come together in unity.
The seminar is approved for 1.0 NJ CLE Diversity/Inclusion/Elimination of Bias credits. Dinner will be served, and tickets are available online at glueup.com/event/67548/. For more information, call Rabbi Kaminker at (201) 503-3770 or email him at Rabbi@ChabadHackensack.com
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