Sermon and Post-Kiddush Chaburah
Sermon title – “From Sinai to the Public Square: Covenant as Civic Commitment”
Post-Kiddush Session Description – “Restoring Faith in Democracy Through Civic Spirit”
Judaism and other faiths elevate the transmission of tradition from one generation to another. With political polarization challenging American society, we will learn how civic education prepares the next generation to participate in democracy and its vital role in rebuilding trust in the system and in each other.
Rabbi Charles E. Savenor is the Executive Director of Civic Spirit. Founded in 2017, Civic Spirit provides training in civic education to Jewish, Catholic, and Christian day schools to prepare students to be informed and engaged members of American democracy.
Before Civic Spirit, he worked for as the Director of Congregational Education at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York.
Rabbi Savenor graduated from Brandeis University summa cum laude with a B.A. in History and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. He received Rabbinic Ordination, a Masters degree, and an Honorary Doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He also earned a Masters of Education at Columbia University, Teachers College.
In addition to his work with Civic Spirit, he serves as the co-executive producer of “We Are Here – The Music of the Holocaust”, which has sold out New York’s Carnegie Hall, The Salt Shed in Chicago, and Vanderbilt’s Blair Hall.
He currently sits on the Nefesh B’Nefesh US Board of Directors, the international board of Leket Israel (the National Food Bank of Israel), and the JNF Adult Education Committee.
Rabbi Savenor’s articles on parenting, civic education, and Judaism in the 21st century have appeared in The Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Week, The New York Observer, Kveller, Hadassah Magazine, The Fulcrum, and The Boston Jewish Advocate (before it closed). He currently blogs for The Times of Israel and is writing a book called What My Father Couldn’t Tell Me.
Charlie is the son of Linda Savenor and step son of Paul Blass. Charlie and his wife, Julie, live in New York with two sons. And yes, they all root for the Red Sox.