Please join us on Sunday June 13, 2021 at 12 PM as we present Rabbi Charlie Savenor with the first annual CSP “Maimonides Award for Excellence in Jewish Education”. Rabbi Savenor, Director of Congregational Education at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City, has tirelessly worked to make Jewish learning come alive through his teaching, travel adventures and his personal example. In honor of Rabbi Savenor, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin will discuss his newest book (currently being written) – The Power of the Moral Imagination. Extraordinary advances have been made in the last century in medicine, science, and technology because individuals and/or groups of people have applied the full resources of their intellects to solving problems that had previously been thought to be insoluble. In terms of morality, progress has been less consistent. People rarely use the full range of their intelligence to solve the moral problems that afflict us in our daily behavior. “Moral Imagination” describes the sort of ingenious solutions offered in dozens of instances.

Rabbi Charlie Savenor joined the Park Avenue Synagogue staff as Director of Congregational Education in July 2014 after working at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) as the Director of Congregational Development. In this role, he was an international resource for 620 affiliated Conservative synagogues in the areas of leadership, organizational development, strategic planning, communications, volunteer engagement, curriculum, youth programming, and enrichment. In addition to organizing conferences and webinars throughout North America, Rabbi Savenor served as the lead program developer for United Synagogue’s Centennial Celebration and directed “Family Israel Experience” journeys to Israel. Prior to USCJ, Rabbi Savenor was the Associate Dean and Director of Admissions at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Associate Rabbi at Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago. He was ordained at JTS in 1996 with a concentration in Education and earned a Master’s in Education at Columbia University, Teachers College in 2008.   Rabbi Savenor’s articles on parenting, leadership, and Judaism in the 21st century have appeared in “The Jewish Week,” “Hadassah Magazine,” and “The Jerusalem Post.” He and his wife, Julie Walpert, are the parents of two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, and they live in New York City.

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is a spiritual leader, well-known scholar of Jewish history and ethics and a prolific author. His large body of work includes more than fifteen books of nonfiction, a mystery series, and television and movie scripts. His book Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History is the most widely read book on Judaism of the past two decades. His monumental work, A Code of Jewish Ethics: You Shall Be Holy, is a comprehensive presentation of Jewish teachings on the vital topic of personal character and integrity. Richard Joel, president of Yeshiva University, called the book, “a gift to humankind,” and Rabbi David Wolpe hailed it “as a remarkable guide to goodness.” His book, Words that Hurt, Words that Heal, inspired Senators Joseph Lieberman’s and Connie Mack’s Senate Resolution #151 to establish a National Speak No Evil Day in the United States, a day in which Americans would go for twenty-four hours without saying anything unkind or unfair about, or to, anyone. He has also written Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews. Larry Gelbart, author of Mash and Tootsie said, “I don’t know if Jews are really the chosen people, but I think Joseph Telushkin’s book makes a strong argument that we’re the funniest.” Rabbi Telushkin is a senior associate of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, serves on the board of the Jewish Book Council, and is the rabbi of the Los Angeles-based Synagogue for the Performing Arts.

There is no fee, but please RSVP for planning purposes. This event is held virtually on Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event. For more information, contact Program Director Ilene Tatro at itatro@cbisd.org.

CSP Partners: Beth Israel (San Diego, CA), Congregation Beth Shalom (Seattle, WA), Congregation B’nai Tzedek (Fountain Valley, CA), Congregation B’nai Israel (Tustin, CA), Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, CA, Temple Bat Yahm (Newport Beach, CA), Temple Beth El of South Orange County (Aliso Viejo, CA), Temple Beth Emet (Anaheim, CA), Temple Beth Ohr (La Mirada, CA), Temple Beth Tikvah (Fullerton, CA), Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA), Temple Beth Sholom (Santa Ana, CA), Temple Emanuel (Newton, MA), Town & Village Synagogue (NYC, NY), University Synagogue (Irvine, CA), Valley Beth Shalom (Encino, CA) & Walnut Street Synagogue (Chelsea, MA)