No Shade for Jonah: Engaging the Other in Challenging Times
Part of our High Holiday Webinar Series, “Standing Together: Prayer, Presence, and the Power of Community”
Monday, September 29, 2025
1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Online
With Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor and Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, JTS
As we prepare for the Days of Awe, the Book of Jonah calls us not only to repentance, but to responsibility—especially in a fractured and fearful world. In this session, Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz explores Jonah’s reluctance to engage, his desire to retreat, and God’s challenge to him—and to us. The Book of Jonah summons us to engage and build bridges—even with those who may seem distant or hostile. This session will explore what it means to be brave and morally grounded when it would be easier to turn away—and how, like Jonah, each of us has the power to make a difference.
If you have previously registered for another session in this series, your registration admits you to all sessions in the series, and you may attend as many as you’d like.
The Zoom link for all sessions in the Standing Together: Prayer, Presence, and the Power of Community series will be in the confirmation email that you receive after you register.
About the Series
Mondays, September 8, 15, 29, 2025
1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
The High Holidays invite us into a season of profound reflection—not only on who we are as individuals, but on how we show up for one another and the world. This three-part webinar series explores the emotional and spiritual heart of this sacred time, focusing on the themes of vulnerability, responsibility, and connection.
Together, we’ll consider what it means to pray with presence, to engage meaningfully with others—even across difference—and to see these days not just as a personal journey, but as a call to collective transformation. Whether you are returning to familiar rituals or seeking a new way in, this series offers space to reflect, connect, and prepare with intention.
