In this three-part course, in collaboration with the JCC, you will be introduced to and explore the roots of Jewish Meditation and practice as well. In our first meeting, we will learn about the basic form and techniques of Zen meditation — sitting (zazen), walking (kinhin) and a variety of methods designed to help us get into the meditative state. The second meeting will be dedicated to the foundations and characteristics of Jewish forms of hitbonenut and kavanah, among others. The last session will aim at forging a dialogue between the two schools of meditation and form a holistic, integrative synthesis between the Jewish sources and roots (mainly Hebrew letters and key Hebrew words) and the Zen techniques and insights.

Dr. David Barzilai taught for over twenty-five years academic courses in philosophy and political science as well as Israel and Jewish studies at Virginia Tech, UCSD and SDSU.  He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and Jewish thought from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and he is the author of Homo Dialogicus: Martin Buber’s Contribution to Philosophy (Magnes Press 2000) and various other works on modern Jewish thought and Holocaust studies. He practices the art of meditation for more than two decades.  In the past five years, he developed and has been teaching an original form of Jewish meditation, based upon Hebrew letters and words.  He is currently at the advance stage of preparing his book on Jewish meditation for publication.

THREE SESSIONS: Tuesday, July 19 – August 2, 2016
10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Congregation Beth Israel – Activity Center
9001 Towne Centre Drive
San Diego, CA 92122

Price: $65.00; JCC/Beth Israel Member Price: $52.00

To Register or for More Information:
Katey Lindley
858-362-1134
kateyl@lfjcc.org