Scholar-In-Residence

The Scholar-in-Residence Committee is dedicated to developing and supporting educational, cultural and spiritual events at Congregation M’kor Shalom. In particular, we bring an outstanding scholar or artist to our synagogue every two years for a weekend of intense worship, study, and/or artistic enjoyment.

While the Committee had been in existence for many years, it became independently funded by the creation of the Helen and Leon Weinberg Scholar-in-Residence Endowment Fund in 1999. The Endowment Fund was established by congregants Sharon and Jack Weinberg, along with Jack’s brother and sister-in-law Michael Weinberg and Claudia VanderHeuvel and Jack’s sister and brother-in-law Sara Weinberg and Martin Kranzbaum, to honor their parents and promote the key Weinberg Family values of the pursuit of education and of hospitality. By helping to underwrite the costs of the Scholar-in-Residence Program, the Endowment Fund enables educational and artistic programs for the synagogue, welcoming as many people as possible to participate in these worthwhile endeavors.

Eat Pray Study

Our 2016 Scholar-in-Residence was Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, noted Reform Rabbi, Kabbalah scholar, and author of multiple books, including Honey from the Rock, God was in this Place and I Did Not Know and I’m God, You’re Not. Rabbi Kushner enjoyed a very successful residence at M'kor Shalom, with a couple hundred congregants and guests in attendance throughout the weekend. Eat Pray Study generated a lot of energy and excitement among those who participated in the stimulating programs.

NEXT Scholar-in-Residence Weekend: 
Rabbi Ken Kanter – April 13-15, 2018

Our upcoming Scholar-in-Residence Weekend is set for April 2018, with Rabbi Ken Kanter of Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati, where he serves as Associate Dean and Director of Rabbinic Studies. Rabbi Kanter is a popular lecturer and author of books, journals and articles focusing on the Jewish contribution to American popular music from the 1840's to the 1940’s. His first book, The Jews on Tin Pan Alley, was published in 1982. He contributed to several journals in the field of Jewish history and religion. Rabbi Kanter’s second book to which he contributed, Jewish-American History and Culture, was published in 1992. His third, The Encyclopedia of Jewish American Popular Culture, was published in 2009. Rabbi Kanter will lead us in discussions of Jewish contributions to popular American music from Tin Pan Alley to Broadway. We will present a Broadway Cabaret to illustrate Rabbi Kanter’s discussions and scholarship.  More details will follow as we approach this exciting and stimulating Weekend.

We welcome members to become involved in our Committee and join in the excitement of working closely with our scholars and artists. Please feel free to contact our co-chairs, Jack Weinberg and Carl Viniar, to find out how you can volunteer for this rewarding work.