The Adult Education Committee of Temple Concord and Temple Israel will hold a program and light brunch on Sunday, April 19, from 10 am-noon, at Temple Israel, 4737 Deerfield Pl., Vestal. Richard Kreitner will speak on “American Jews in the Civil War Era,” focusing on Jewish engagement in debates and issues of the period. 
“Focusing on the moral and political dramas of the Civil War era, Richard Kreitner tells the story of Jewish engagement through the lives of six American Jews who shaped the complexities of the time,” said organizers of the program. “Among those who are included are Judah P. Benjamin, a brilliant Louisiana senator who became Jefferson Davis’ confidant, and Ernestine Rose, an ardent abolitionist. As they struggle to make sense of a polarized time, American Jews debated with one another about religion, morality and politics – conversations that prefigure many of our own.”
Kreitner is the author of “Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery”; “Break It Up: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union”; and “Booked: A Traveler’s Guide to Literary Locations Around the World.” He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Nation, Slate, Raritan, The Baffler, Jewish Currents and other publications. He lives in Beacon, NY.
“The entire community is welcome to attend what promises to be an informative and fascinating program,” said organizers. There is a suggested donation of between $5-20 per person. 
For more information and to RSVP, contact Temple Israel at 607-723-7461 or e-mail office@templeisraelvestal.org; or Temple Concord at 607-723-7355 by Monday, April 13, so that enough refreshments can be prepared. 
The TC/TI Adult Ed. Committee gratefully acknowledges a gift from The Community Foundation for South Central New York – The David and Virginia Eisenberg Fund, which helped to underwrite this program.