Taking advantage of his years of experience in the rabbinate and the military, Rabbi Alan Kalinsky, Director of the wide-spread West Coast Region of the Orthodox Union, will present a 2016 lecture tour covering a wide variety of subjects, ranging from Jewish history to the U.S. and Israel, to Halacha (Jewish law), among other topics. He will visit OU congregations from California to Colorado to Western Canada, speaking on a variety of topics that can be chosen by the congregation.
Already seven OU member synagogues have requested a lecture or a Shabbat scholar-in-residence, for a program that is just beginning. Rabbi Kalinsky will be joined in the program by Rabbi Adir Posy, Assistant Director for the West Coast Region; and Rabbi Dovid Cohen, OU Regional Director for New York City and surrounding areas.
Rabbi Kalinsky has occupied his Los Angeles-based position for 30 years. Prior to that he served several congregations on the East Coast and recently was rabbi of the new Young Israel of North Beverly Hills.
He serves as a mentor to OU Synagogue rabbinic and lay leadership and as a liaison to OU member congregations on the West Coast. He has also served for more than 35 years as an OU Kosher rabbinic field representative, certifying the kashrut of companies he visits.
Rabbi Kalinsky served as a U.S. Air Force Chaplain for 28 years, tending to the spiritual needs of Jews and non-Jews alike. In this period he was assigned stateside and to Europe. He retired in 2002 from the Air Force with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
“One of the most important ways we serve our member synagogues is via coordinating guest speakers and scholars-in-residence,” Rabbi Kalinsky explained. “Unfortunately, many smaller congregations have limited funds to enable them to bring in guest speakers.” In response, Rabbi Kalinsky said, he and Rabbi Posy have embarked on a new initiative to reach out to OU member synagogues on the West Coast. “Based on the quick response, we are confident that this project will be a great success and will be replicated in other regions.”
What the series proves is that besides book knowledge, Rabbi Kalinsky brings to the series the kind of experiences that transform mere lectures into fascinating experiences for audiences.
Sample topics are as follows:
HALACHA- JEWISH LAW
- In the Aftermath of September 11: Shooting Down a Hijacked Plane — Killing A Few to Save the Lives of Many.
- After our Expulsion: Return to Spain after 500 years. What Does Jewish Law Have to Say?
- Guard Duty on Har Habayit (Temple Mount): What’s A Soldier To Do?
WORLD HISTORY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE JEWISH PEOPLE
- From The Midway Islands to the Mideast: How a Naval Battle in the Pacific Helped Defeat the Nazis and Led to the Creation of Medinat Yisrael (State of Israel).
- FDR – The Japanese and the Jews: His Failure to Help European Jews and the Internment of Japanese Americans.
- The Jews and the Titanic: It All Happened on Isru Chag HaPesach (Day Post-Passover) 1912.
PEOPLE OF INTEREST
- Sometimes Leadership is Thrust Upon Us: From Moshe Rabbeinu to Rachel Frenkel (mother one of the kidnapped yeshiva students, who were murdered by their captors)
- Sailor and Fiddler: Reflections of 100 Year Old Author Herman Wouk.
- Out of Depths: The Story of a Child of Buchenwald Who Returned Home At Last — Rav Yisroel Meir Lau.
JEWISH HISTORY
- Pharaoh and the Jews: What Michael Douglas Has Taught Us About Judaism and Anti-Semitism.
- The Cylinder of King Cyrus and the Building of the Second Beit Hamikdash.
- Myth or Fact: The Whereabouts of the Klei Hamikdash – The Holy Temple Vessels.
THE US AND ISRAEL
- Doomed to succeed: the U.S.-Israel relationship from Truman to Obama
- What’s a Nice Jewish Boy from Brooklyn Doing in The U.S. Air Force?
For booking, contact the OU West Coast office at 310-229-9000, or adlerl@ou.org.