A new two-session course presenting a non-partisan, Jewish view of hot-button 2016 election issues - Gun Control and Immigration. This course will tackle these tough issues head-on by comparing how U.S. law, contemporary Israeli law, and Talmudic law approach these matters and will be taught by Rabbi Mendy Harlig. The class is free.
Session 1 - Gun Control:
It seems like almost every week we read yet another heartbreaking news story about a person shooting and killing a crowd of innocent people. It may take place in a school, a movie theater,
an office, or a bar, but it’s always the same tragic and horrific situation.
Inevitably, passionate arguments about our country’s gun laws erupt in the wake of these
tragedies dominating the 24-hour news cycle as well as our Facebook feeds for the next few days.
What should we do about gun violence? Should we enact stricter gun laws? Should we push for more lenient ones? How do we balance competing interests? Should the evil of the few result in a restriction of freedom for the many? What teachings from the Torah are relevant to the topic of gun violence, and how may they shape the discussion?

Like all JLI programs, the Election Course is designed to appeal to people at all levels of Jewish knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or any other house of worship.