OU’s Rabbi Weinreb to Give 6/13 Lecture in Englewood on Religion & the Mind

13 May 2011

OU’S RABBI WEINREB TO DELIVER SWIFT MEMORIAL LECTURE ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ROOTS OF ATHEISM, FANATICISM AND MATURE RELIGIOUS BELIEF, AT CONGREGATION AHAVATH TORAH IN ENGLEWOOD, JUNE 13

Orthodox Union Executive Vice President, Emeritus Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb will deliver the annual Rabbi Isaac L. Swift Memorial Lecture on the topic of “The Psychological Roots of Atheism, Fanaticism and Mature Religious Belief,” at Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, Monday, June 13 at 7:45 p.m.

This year marks the 20th yahrzeit of Rabbi Swift. He served as spiritual leader of Congregation Ahavath Torah from 1960-1984, and was Rabbi Emeritus until his death at 80 in 1991. The lecture is presented by the congregation and The Rabbi Isaac L. Swift Chair of Judaic Studies at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades.

Rabbi Weinreb, a clinical psychologist with many years of experience as well as a rabbi, frequently includes in his lectures and writings insights into the human mind and its interaction with religious belief and practice. His widely-read weekly column, “The Person in the Parsha,” focuses not on the halachic aspects of the weekly Torah portion but on the implications of each parsha for human behavior, thus blending his two professions to produce a unique approach to Torah commentary.

Rabbi Weinreb chose his topic “because we are observing trends and counter trends within the Jewish community. Why do we find, within the same families, one child who does not believe in God, and the other who is extremely devout? And there are other questions, for example, when does religious behavior qualify as piety, and when does it cross over into fanaticism? I have some ideas about these topics, drawn from my background as a psychotherapist, that I would like to share with the public.”

For further information, call 201-568-5780.

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