The Golden Land:
The Jewish Experience in the United States and Canada
3 Lectures

North America has been the kindest of all exiles. Jews have never enjoyed such comfort and freedom anywhere. But that comfort has come with a price, not just in the early days of immigration, but even in subtle ways today. Rabbi Wein asks the question on the minds of all North American Jews: Can we reverse the tide of assimilation? His optimistic answer, along with his colorful journey into our recent history, will leave you spellbound.

Individual lectures:

Immigration - The poverty and oppression that drove Jews from Europe to North America is well-known, as are the challenges that the new immigrants faced, but this chapter of Jewish history takes on new richness with Rabbi Wein’s detailed overview. Discover facts and tidbits you’ve never heard before in this refreshing look at the origins of our familiar world.

Superstition - “People love spooks,” observes Rabbi Wein, so it’s not surprising that superstitions persist. In essence, superstitions are ways we delude ourselves that we can control our own fate. And though they are anathema to Torah, they have seeped into Jewish life anyway. Rabbi Wein weeds out superstition from genuine custom in this surprising spiritual exposé.

On Pluralism - In ancient times, idolatry had an attraction for people that we in the modern world can’t understand. Nor can we relate to the pull of communism, even though it drew away Jews by the thousands in the last century. These days, we have our own forms of idolatry and falsehood, but because they’re ours, it’s hard to see them objectively. Rabbi Wein gives a hard look at the notions we hold dear today, proving that Judaism is beyond “political correctness.”