For immediate release January 6, 2005
Bet Havarim's monthly Shabbat service for January is slated for Friday evening, January 21st, at St. David's Episcopal Church located on Jamar Drive in Dewitt. Services begin at 7:30 PM.
The service will honor the festival of Tu B'Shevat, also known as "The New Year For The Trees" or Rosh Hashanah la-Ilanot and have as guest speaker Dr. John Langdon, professor of history at LeMoyne College.
"Many in our community have come to know Prof. Langdon through his lectures at the Oasis series in Shoppingtown sponsored by SUNY Health Science Center," said Marty Morganstein of Bet Havarim. "We are extremely honored to be welcoming Dr. Langdon back for a return visit and know that his talk will be informative, timely, and interesting."
Iris Cohen will be joining the service with an exhibit of Bonsai Trees in honor of Tu B'Shevat. According to Cohen, "Bonsai, like many art forms, had its origins, in part, in religious practices in ancient China. Some Bonsai artists today are drawn to Bonsai as a medium of religious expression." She continued, "My exhibit for the New Year For The Trees will feature trees of the Holy Land, as well as other trees, which in some cases, symbolize principles of Judaism and themes from the Bible."
Prof. Langdon's talk will focus on the Israeli/Palestinian situation especially in light of the recent death of Arafat and the subsequent election of a new leader for the Palestinian Authority. "Prof. Langdon has indicated that his presentation may include some ways to understand the nature of Islamic fundamentalism and some speculation on possible progress toward a Palestinian state in the future," said Morganstein. Prof. Langdon's talk will be followed by a question-and-answer period.
A member of the Department of History at Lemoyne College since 1971, Dr. Langdon has authored six books including a forthcoming book, A Concise History of World Civilizations: Cultures, Conflicts, and Connections to be published in 2005. He has published numerous scholarly articles in a variety of professional journals. He also serves as a consultant to the Department of State and the Department of Defense.
Plans for the coming months include a Passover Seder to be held on the second seder Sunday, April 24th. Time and place will be announced shortly. The event co-chairs are Anita and Bob Burrows. The Seder will be open to the public and reservations will be required. The committee encourages individuals and families to attend. Anyone interested is asked to contact reservations chair, Helen Marcum, 637-4647 or email hrm4910 --at-- aol.com (replace the --at-- with an ordinary @ to form a legal email address).
For information about Bet Havarim, service schedules, D'vrei Torah, etc., visit Bet Havarim's web site at http://www.BetHavarimSyr.org, or email, info@BetHavarimSyr.org, or phone Marty Morganstein at 637-5390 or Mel Shindler at 478-6856.
St. David's Church is located on Jamar Drive. From the intersection off Maple Drive and E. Genesee St. in Dewitt (across from Wegman's) drive south on Maple Drive and take the third right turn on to Jamar Drive. The Church is located at the end of Jamar Drive with off-street parking available. St. David's is handicapped accessible.