Recent Speakers - Links to Bios, Topic Descriptions, and Recordings
Our clergy, staff, and committee chairs have brought us so many accomplished and interesting speakers covering a multitude of topics. You will find a list of some of our recent speakers with links to their bios and topic descriptions and links to recordings of their talks, when available.
We are fortunate to have annual events organized by our committee chairs such as our Scholar-in-Residence Weekend, Jewish Book Month Speaker event, and our annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaker event that attracts people from CBE and our wider community. In addition, you will read about our speakers funded by a grant from the Scientists in Synagogue program awarded to CBE in 2023.
Adult Education
Yom HaShoah Commemoration: Film Screening of "Four Winters" with film director, Julia Mintz ♦ April 30, 2025
2025 Scholar in Residence Weekend with author and editor, Rabbi Salkin, considered one of the most prolific and erudite Jewish thought leaders in America today: Weekend theme: "Rebooting Liberal Judaism" ♦ February 7 - 9, 2025
Jewish Book Month Author Event with author, Joan Leegant, author of the award-winning colletion of short stories called Displaced Persons- November 17, 2024
Scholar-In-Residence Weekend with guest and teacher, Rabbi Leonard Cohen: Theme for the weekend - "How we as Jews interact with the world around us in the aftermath of October 7th and the trauma those attacks unleashed" ♦ Friday and Saturday, February 9 and 10, 2024
Recording (you must be logged into your account to be able to view this recording)
Tu B'shvat Community Celebration featuring Rachel Canar, Executive Director of Nature Israel: "Introducing Nature Israel: 70 Years of Healing Israeli Nature — And Now Helping Nature Heal Israel" ♦ Sunday, January 28, 2024
Jewish Book Month Speaker: Author Ilan Evyatar on "Israel at War: Fighting the Iranian Axis" ♦ November 5, 2023
An Update on Democracy in Israel with speaker, Rabbi Eliana Jacobowitz ♦ Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Speaker Bio/ Topic Description
Yom Hashoah program with Yelena Lembersky, co-author of "Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour" ♦ April, 2023
Brotherhood Breakfast Speakers
Brotherhood Breakfast featuring family therapist, Dr. Steven Michelson: "What can you teach me? -- A glimpse at today’s adolescent social media influenced world" ♦ April, 2025
Brotherhood Breakfast with Hebrew College Educator, Dr. Jonathan Golden: "Telling Our Story in a Challenging Time Through Israeli Music" ♦ Sunday, October 6, 2024
Brotherhood Breakfast with Dr. Daniel Osborn, Project Mosaics: Connecting the Pieces of Jewish History in Our Classrooms" ♦ October 27, 2024
Brotherhood Breakfast with Matt Robinson: "Discussion of his first book, Lions, Tigers, and Bulldogs? An unofficial guide to the legends and lore of the Ivy League" ♦ Sunday, September 8, 2024
Brotherhood Breakfast & Community Solar Forum (Co-sponsored by Energize Acton and Jewish Climate Action Network): Speakers were State Senator Jamie Eldridge, Barry Nyer, Congregation Beth Elohim Solar Team, and Sean Howe, Sunwealth Power ♦ April 7, 2024
Brotherhood Speaker Event: Jason Lovitz, Virginia Firefighter, shares his November volunteer experience in Israel ♦ Sunday, January 21, 2024
Chesed
Chesed Committee sponsored: Support for Caregivers - a Q&A with Rabbi Judith Kummer and the CBE clergy and shared stories from community members ♦ March 2, 2025
Na'aseh/ Social Action/ Kulanu
Authors on Inclusion: Na'aseh Speaker Event with Colette Phillips, author and President and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications, Founder and President of Get Konnected! and The GK Fund: Her book "The Includers: The 7 Traits of Culturally Savvy, Anti-Racist Leaders" ♦ February 25, 2025
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Breakfast featuring Colette Phillips, author and President and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications, Founder and President of Get Konnected! and The GK Fund Colette Phillips, "Bridging Communities: Reaffirming the Black-Jewish Alliance" ♦ Monday, January 20, 2025
Na'aseh Forum: Immigration and Resettlement in Massachusetts and the Country with speakers, Julia Schlozman, senior staff attorney at Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), Noah Lanckton, community organizer at JALSA, Jeff Handler, PhD, Chief Program Officer for Making Opportunity Count ♦Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Pride Shabbat - 2024 with Jennifer Stephens, SpeakOUT Boston ♦ June 21, 2024
Labor on the Bimah Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Amy Mazur, Massachusetts Coalition of Domestic Workers and Rachel Scarpino, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action ♦ Friday, August 23, 2024
Speaker Bio/ Topic Description
Recording
Speaker Bio/ Topic Description
Recording
Press Event with US Congresswoman, Representative Lori Trahan: CBE receives the Department of Energy Sunny Award ♦ Sunday, May 5, 2024
22nd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr Day Breakfast Event with guest speaker, Jean McGuire, retired director of METCO for 43 years ♦ January 15, 2024
21st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute with guest speaker. Tanisha M. Sullivan, the President of the Boston branch of the NAACP.: "Dear Beloved Community…The Power of Grace in the Movement"- 2023
20th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute with distinguished guest speaker U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins: "Racial Justice and Communal Safety: Cultivating MLK's Legacy" ♦ Monday, January 17, 2022
Scientists in the Synagogue
Scientists in Synagogues Speaker Series: A talk by Professor Ezra Zuckerman Sivan, Professor in MIT's Sloan School of Management: “The 7 Day Week: The Surprising Science of this Jewish Gift to the World” ♦ November 24, 2024
Scientists in Synagogues Speaker Series: A talk by Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman, Professor in MIT's Aeronautics and Astronautics Department & an astronaut ♦ May 12, 2024
Scientists in Synagogues Speaker Series: A talk by Dr. Robyn Cohen entitled "Asthma disparities: A journey towards helping kids and families breathe a little easier" ♦ March 3, 2024
Scientists in Synagogues Speaker Series: A talk by Professor Sara Seager (MIT) entitled "Planetary Atmospheres and the Search for Signs of Life Beyond Earth" ♦ December 17, 2023
Scientists in Synagogues Speaker Series: A talk by Professor David Kaiser (MIT) entitled "Einstein's Legacy: Studying Gravity in War and Peace” ♦ October 15, 2023
Mon, July 7 2025 11 Tammuz 5785