With Kitchen-ite Todd Asher Ormsbee

At the end of World War II, the French-Jewish Philosopher Emmanuel Levinas found himself asking: “What is a Jew?” For the rest of his life, Levinas tried to answer this question in the shifting world after the Shoah and the founding of the State of Israel. While he never found a singular answer, through his reading of non-Jewish philosophy and the Talmud, Levinas found a method, a way of answering this question.

In this class and conversation, we'll explore Levinas’ work and methods, debate his philosophy, and bring his writing into our own 21st-century, Left Coast, American Judaism.

Schedule & Location
Thursdays, 7 – 8:30 PM
1/23, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27
Private Residence in Lower Pacific Heights

Fees
This class is exclusively for members. All adult education programs are included in Kitchen membership

Prerequisite
This class has no prerequisites other than a desire to learn and an interest in the subject matter.

Required reading
Please purchase Difficult Freedom – Essays on Judaism by Emmanuel Levinas, translated by Seán Hand, prior to class beginning.