STEPHEN J. SAVITSKY, ORTHODOX UNION CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, TO VISIT RICHMOND AS SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE, MARCH 23-24 AT KENESETH BETH ISRAEL
Stephen J. Savitsky, Orthodox Union Chairman of the Board and Immediate Past President, will visit the Richmond Jewish community as Keneseth Beth Israel Scholar-in-Residence for Friday, March 23-Saturday, March 24, Shabbat Parshat Vayikra (Parshat HaChodesh). The OU-member synagogue is located at 6300 Patterson Avenue.
Mr. Savitsky will speak Friday night at a communal Shabbat dinner, following breakout table-discussion sessions. Topics of discussion will include “Modern Day Gender Roles and Traditional Judaism;” “What it Means To Be the Chosen;” and “Big Communities Versus Small Communities.” Shabbat morning, he will address “The Torah’s Secret Mitzvah for a Long and Meaningful Life.” Mr. Savitsky will also give a special afternoon presentation on “Israel Through the Eyes of One Prime Minister, One King, 15 Generals, 30 Members of Knesset, and a Few Taxi Drivers.”
Rabbi Dovid Asher, Rabbi of the synagogue, declared, “The Richmond Jewish community is very excited to have one of American Jewry’s leaders and visionaries. We are delighted to host Mr. Steve Savitsky and greatly anticipate his visit. He is a sought-after speaker, and we greatly look forward to hearing his words. The Orthodox Union takes a personal interest in their congregations, and Mr. Savitsky’s visit allows us to strengthen our intimate bond with the leadership at the OU.”
Rabbi Asher also noted, “At the same time, we are grateful to have the occasion to showcase our one-of-a-kind community. We offer a full range of services plus the warmth, wholesome character, charm, and grace of Virginia. It is our expectation that Mr. Savitsky will experience a taste of the very reasons why we all believe this is the ‘it’ community. And we trust that in his subsequent travels and conversations about American Jewry, he will share the opportunity that is Richmond, Virginia.”
During his six-year OU presidency, New York-based Mr. Savitsky often visited Jewish communities large and small as part of a North American tour to bring the OU message far and wide, while at the same time receiving feedback from OU member congregations about its needs and how the OU could respond to them. He continues these visits as Chairman of the Board, his position since January 2011.
For further information, contact the synagogue at 804-288-7953 or email {encode=”mailto:KBI@cavtel.net” title=”KBI@cavtel.net”}.
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