Beth David Synagogue’s Shabbat Luncheon Speaker Series continues on Saturday, November 14, with Rabbi Barry Baron, whose topic will be “Medieval Rabbis and Modern Europe: A Personal Exploration.” Shabbat services will commence at 9:30 am, with the luncheon and program following the conclusion of services.
Building on an invited talk he gave in Germany last June, Baron will discuss the lives and works of three medieval rabbis – one in England (Rabbi Yom Tov), one in Germany (Rabbeinu Gershom) and the third in France (Rabbi Levi ben Gershom, aka Ralbag). He will describe the times and places in which they lived, and how those places and their Jewish communities look and feel today. “These three rabbis hold a definite fascination for me,” he added. “Their legacies are monumental; I welcome this opportunity at Beth David to bring to light how their contributions relate to living in the 21st century.”
From 2019 to June 2026, Baron served as chaplain and campus rabbi at Colgate University where, as part of Colgate’s Jewish Studies Program, he also regularly taught “Rabbis Reinventing: The Making of Judaism as We Know It.” 
A graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College, Baron holds a bachelor of arts in history from Cornell University. In 1988, he received his master of arts and rabbinic ordination from Jewish Theological Seminary. In 2017, Baron received the Jewish Theological Seminary’s honorary doctorate of divinity (honoris causa) in recognition of his more than 25 years’ achievements and contributions to Jewish spiritual life. 
Following ordination, he was commissioned as an Army chaplain, and served on active duty at Fort Benning, GA, from 1988-91. He continued as a chaplain in the United States Army Reserve, which included deployment as chaplain in Afghanistan and Iraq. Baron retired from the Army in 2018. Over a 14-year period beginning in 1991, he also served as rabbi in synagogues in Houston, TX (Beth Am), in Youngstown, OH (El Emeth) and in Vestal (Temple Israel). 
Baron and his wife, Jill, have lived in the area since 1997, where they raised their three children, who now live in Atlanta and New York City.
“We are honored to have Rabbi Baron return to Beth David to share his insights concerning the lives and teachings of three iconic Torah scholars,” organizers say. “His research, life experiences and remarkably engaging speaking style will surely make for a fascinating Shabbat event, to which the community is warmly invited!”