JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

AUGUST 2026 PROGRAMS

FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN TO THE NORTHERN LIGHTS: JEWISH JOURNEYS TOGETHER

 Jewish Izmir Tour

Thursday, August 13, 12:00 pm ET

Izmir’s Jewish community is small but vibrant, preserving traditions through religious and cultural activities. Jewish presence in Izmir dates back centuries, with a major influx of Sephardic Jews after the 1492 Spanish expulsion, shaping the city’s economy, culture, and intellectual landscape. A unique aspect of Jewish life in Turkey is the connection to Ladino, the historical language of Sephardic Jews. Though less spoken today, it remains a cultural link to the past. In this virtual tour, we will hear personal insights and historical perspectives on Jewish Izmir, guiding participants through its historic synagogues and exploring the community’s evolution, challenges, and unique traditions with visuals, stories, and interactive discussion.
Our presentation will be given by Jacob Ceki Hazan who was born and raised in Izmir, Turkey, and is now based in Sweden. Jacob is a Turkish-Italian Sephardic Jew with deep Mediterranean roots and a family network that spans the globe. Jacob who goes by “Ceki” was among the last graduates of the city’s final Jewish primary school. Though his native language is Turkish, he grew up surrounded by Ladino, French, English, Hebrew, and Portuguese, spoken by relatives who had emigrated from Izmir. After living in several countries, he returned and became an active figure in the Izmir Jewish community as a researcher and project developer. He led Despertar Izmir, an EU-funded Jewish heritage initiative, and manages the community’s website, izmirjcc.org.  His work centers on educational resource development and learning design for non-profit organizations across Europe, particularly in youth and adult education. Passionate about the power of books, videos, podcasts, and digital tools, he explores how these mediums can inspire meaningful learning experiences and how libraries can evolve to serve diverse communities.  Having lived in several countries, he is fascinated by how knowledge is created, shared, and preserved across cultures and generations.

Learn more about the series here 

 

CSP

The Walnut Street Synagogue is pleased to be a partner congregation of the Orange County Jewish Community Scholar Program.  Please join us at an upcoming program!

Join acclaimed artist Tobi Kahn for a captivating three-part adventure through the artistic soul of Italy, where every stone, canvas, and canal tells a story. From the eternal layers of Rome, where ancient sculpture, Renaissance genius, and contemporary vision meet in the Vatican Museums, Galleria Borghese, Musei Capitolini, Palazzo Barberini, and MAXXI; to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, where Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, and Brunelleschi’s soaring Duomo forever changed the way humanity sees beauty; to the magical waterways of Venice, where Byzantine splendor, Renaissance masters, Murano glass, delicate lace traditions, and daring engineering created a city unlike any other. Together, we will explore not only Italy’s greatest masterpieces, museums, and architectural wonders, but also the artists, patrons, ideas, and innovations that transformed Italy into one of the world’s most extraordinary centers of creativity and civilization.
Tobi Kahn is an internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor whose work has been featured in more than 70 solo museum exhibitions and is included in major collections worldwide, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Phillips Collection, The Jewish Museum, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Yale University Art Gallery. A longtime educator, Kahn has taught fine arts at New York’s School of Visual Arts for over 30 years and lectures internationally on visual language, creativity, and art as a source of healing. He holds a BA from Hunter College and an MFA from Pratt Institute. His upcoming solo survey exhibition, Quest for the Essence, will be presented at the Boca Raton Museum of Art from November 2026 through April 2027.
Part 1 – Program video
Register here

 

Inspired by the themes explored in the film The Brutalist, join Dr. Dan Handel for a fascinating journey into the real stories of Jewish architects who escaped Europe before and during World War II and carried revolutionary ideas of modern design across the Atlantic. Through the lives and work of figures such as Richard Neutra, Marcel Breuer, and Erich Mendelsohn, we will explore how experiences of exile, loss, and reinvention shaped a generation of architects who transformed the American landscape. From the cultural centers of Europe to the expanding cities of the United States, these émigré artists and thinkers challenged tradition and helped usher in a bold new vision of architecture, one that replaced historical styles with modern forms reflecting a changing world.
Dr. Dan Handel is an architect, author, curator, and Associate Professor at the University of Haifa whose work explores the overlooked ideas, people, and forces that shape the built environment. He holds a PhD in Architecture from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and an MArch II from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. An internationally recognized curator, Handel has created architecture and design exhibitions for leading institutions including the Venice Biennale, the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Israel Museum, and the Haifa Museum of Art. His latest project, Game of Goose, is a site-specific exhibition with artist Maayan Elyakim at the historic VDL House in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.
Register here

 

Join us for a creative journey exploring the power of visual storytelling to transform the way we encounter Jewish life, learning, and identity. Through a personal story of artistic exploration and self-discovery, we will challenge familiar ideas of what “Jewish art” looks like, uncover surprising connections between the sacred and the everyday, and examine how contemporary culture can open new pathways into tradition. Together, we will discover how images, symbols, and creativity can become powerful tools for building meaning, sparking curiosity, and connecting diverse communities to timeless Jewish idea.
Dov Abramson is a Jerusalem-based artist and designer whose work explores Jewish and Israeli culture, identity, and visual storytelling. A graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, he received the Felheim Prize for his innovative redesign of the Talmud page. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, and is part of the permanent collections of the Israel Museum and The Jewish Museum in New York. Dov lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Sarit, and is the father of three daughters. Together, Dov and Sarit recently completed a journey walking the entire Mediterranean coastline of Israel.
Register here

 

What does the future hold for the American Jewish community, and how might our understanding of God help guide us through times of uncertainty and transformation? Join Rabbi Elie Spitz in conversation with acclaimed theologian Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson for a thought-provoking exploration of the challenges and possibilities facing American Jewry today. Together, they will examine how Jewish wisdom can offer meaning, hope, and resilience in a rapidly changing world, while reflecting on faith, modernity, community, responsibility, and the evolving spiritual questions that will shape the next generation of Jewish life.
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson is an American Conservative rabbi, theologian, and educator known for integrating Jewish thought with contemporary science, ethics, and social justice. Born in San Francisco, he studied at Harvard University, was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and later received a doctorate in theology from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. He serves as the Goldstine Distinguished Scholar of American Jewish University in Los Angeles, having served for over twenty-five years as the dean of its Ziegler Rabbinical School and founding the Zacharias Frankel College in Germany, which trains Conservative rabbis for Europe. Earlier in his career, he served for a decade as rabbi of Congregation Eilat in Mission Viejo, California. Artson is widely recognized for his work in process theology, which emphasizes a dynamic, relational understanding of God, and for his efforts to bridge Judaism with modern scientific knowledge, including evolution and cosmology. He is also an advocate for social justice and inclusion across a range of issues. He has written several books on Jewish theology, ethics, and spirituality, including God of Becoming and Relationship, Renewing the Process of Creation, and The Bedside Torah.
Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz, a spiritual leader and scholar specializing in topics of spirituality and Judaism, teaches, writes and speaks to a wide range of audiences. He served as the rabbi of Congregation B’nai Israel in Tustin, California, for over three decades and served as member of the Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Law and Standards for twenty years. Rabbi Spitz is author of Duets on Psalms: Drawing New Meaning from Ancient Words, co-authored with Rabbi Jack Riemer, Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World, and Does the Soul Survive? A Jewish Journey to Belief in Afterlife.
Register here

 

 

COMMUNITY PARTNER PROGRAMS

Holding Community In Uncertain Times

Tuesday, August 25, 2:30 pm ET
(online program presented by Combined Jewish Philanthropies)

Join Rabbi Marc Baker, President and CEO of CJP, Marty Martinez, President and CEO of United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and Kelley Tuthill, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Boston, for a conversation about leadership, community resilience, and what it takes to navigate uncertainty and change.
Register here

 

 

Following the success of their New York Times bestselling book The Future is Peace and their recent appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, join internationally recognized peacebuilders, TED speakers, and entrepreneurs Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah for a powerful conversation about courage, reconciliation, and creating bridges in deeply divided times. Drawing on their personal journeys and groundbreaking work building connections across the Middle East, Maoz and Aziz will explore how grief can become a catalyst for change, how unlikely coalitions are formed, and how a shared commitment to hope can be transformed into meaningful action.
Maoz Inon is an award-winning Israeli peace activist, entrepreneur, and co-author of The Future is Peace. He is the founder of pioneering Middle East tourism initiatives, including the Jesus Trail, Fauzi Azar Inn, and Abraham Hostel & Tours, and serves as co-executive director of InterAct International, dedicated to advancing peace and reconciliation. Honored with the Franco-German Human Rights Prize and the Champions of Shared Society Award, Maoz has shared his vision on global stages, including Capitol Hill, European parliaments, universities, and major international media outlets.
Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian peacebuilder, entrepreneur, National Geographic Explorer, TED Fellow, and co-author of The Future is Peace. He is the co-founder of MEJDI Tours, which uses travel as a tool for connection and citizen diplomacy, and serves as co-executive director of InterAct International, advancing peacebuilding in the Middle East. Recognized by the United Nations, the Institute of International Education, and The Explorers Club, Aziz has shared his work with global audiences, including the U.S. Congress, European Parliament, and leading international forums, and has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Al-Quds, and Haaretz.
Program video