04/21/2025
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CSP Online Conversation
Featuring Dr Sharon Keller & Rabbi Elie Spitz
Exploring Jewish Cuba
History, Heritage, and Personal Encounters
Sunday May 11, 2025
4:00-5:00 PM PDT / 7:00-8:00 PM EDT
Beginning June 1, 2025, we’re thrilled to kick off a full year of celebration marking CSP’s 25th Anniversary. Each month, we’ll honor this milestone in three ways: sharing an update from a past presenter, spotlighting a memorable photo (including some favorite CSP Hat Photos!), and featuring an object from our new '25 Years of CSP: A Legacy in Objects' project. These objects ranging from cherished mementos to symbolic representations - reflect our community’s story, lessons learned, and those who shaped our journey. We hope these monthly glimpses will spark joy, stir memories, and inspire all of us as we look back—and ahead—together. Support the next chapter of CSP’s journey—your generous donation in our 25th year helps keep high-quality Jewish learning accessible to all [donate at this LINK].
REGISTER
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Join us for a special CSP online conversation with Dr. Sharon Keller and Rabbi Elie Spitz, who recently returned from a powerful weeklong visit to Cuba’s Jewish community. In a country where time seems to have stood still—Cold War-era slogans still hang alongside vintage American cars and crumbling colonial buildings—Jewish life persists with resilience and hope. Participants in the recent Cuba trip met with community leaders, visited synagogues in Havana, and witnessed firsthand how, after decades of religious repression, Cuban Jews are once again celebrating their heritage openly and joyfully. Alain Bastow, the man who at age 24 (30 years ago) escaped Cuba in an inner tube will join the conversation to tell his personal story. With fewer than 1,300 Jews remaining in a nation of 11 million—many of them elderly, isolated, and struggling with severe shortages of food, medicine, and basic supplies—they encountered stories of incredible perseverance, dignity, and community spirit. In this program, we'll learn about the rich and often overlooked history of Jewish life in Cuba, garner insights into the challenges facing the community today, and explore meaningful ways we can offer support and solidarity. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with a Jewish story that is both deeply rooted and urgently unfolding.
Dr. Sharon Keller, who served as CSP's 15th Annual One Month Scholar in residence in January 2016 and who earned her doctorate at NYU in the Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies in the area of Bible and the Ancient Near East, is a member of the Classics faculty at Hofstra University. She has been an Assistant Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at The Jewish Theological Seminary and at Hebrew Union College; she has also held appointments at NYU, and New York City’s Hunter College—teaching biblical text courses as well as more general courses in biblical literature and history, as well as the courses in the art and archaeology of the lands of the Bible and the ancient Mediterranean world. She has written and edited numerous scholarly articles and academic books, most of which relate to the interplay between biblical Israel and ancient Egypt. Her most popular book, Jews: A Treasury of Art and Literature was awarded the prestigious National Jewish Book Award. Known for the enthusiasm and humor that she brings to all of her talks that make otherwise esoteric subjects easily accessible, Sharon is an in-demand lecturer and adult education course instructor throughout the United States.
Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz, a spiritual leader and scholar specializing in topics of spirituality and Judaism, teaches, writes and speaks to a wide range of audiences. He served as the rabbi of Congregation B’nai Israel in Tustin, California, for over three decades and served as member of the Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Law and Standards for twenty years. Rabbi Spitz is author of Duets on Psalms: Drawing New Meaning from Ancient Words, co-authored with Rabbi Jack Riemer, Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World; Does the Soul Survive? A Jewish Journey to Belief in Afterlife, Past Lives & Living with Purpose and Increasing Wholeness: Jewish Wisdom and Guided Meditations to Strengthen and Calm Body, Heart, Mind and Spirit (all Jewish Lights), and many articles dealing with spirituality and Jewish law. Rabbi Spitz contributed an essay in honor of his grandfather in Menachem Rosensaft’s God, Faith & Identity from the Ashes, and he spent the past 17 months teaching the Psalms with half-hour presentations for each Psalm (recently completing all 150 Psalms!).
CSP Partners: Beth Israel (San Diego), Brotherhood Synagogue (New York), Congregation Adath Jeshurun (Elkins Park, Pennsylvania), Congregation Beth Israel and Center for Small Town Jewish Life (Maine), Congregation Bnai Israel (Tustin, CA), Congregation B'nai Tzedek (Fountain Valley, CA), Eitz Chayim Synagogue (Cambridge, MA), Heritage Pointe (Mission Viejo, CA), Jewish Collaborative of Orange County (Newport Beach, CA), Mishkon Tephilo (Venice, CA), Temple Bat Yahm (Newport Beach, CA), Temple Beth David (Westminster, CA), Temple Beth El of South Orange County (Aliso Viejo, CA), Temple Beth Or (La Mirada, CA), Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA), Temple Beth Shalom (Hull, MA), Temple Beth Sholom (Santa Ana, CA), Temple Beth Tikvah (Fullerton, CA), Temple Emanuel (Newton, MA), Temple Israel (Great Neck, NY), Temple Judea (Laguna Woods, CA), The Boston Synagogue (Boston, MA), Town and Village Synagogue (New York City, NY), University Synagogue (Irvine, CA), Valley Beth Shalom (Encino, CA), Walnut Street Synagogue (Chelsea, MA).
As we proudly launch our 25th year of inspiring programming, CSP remains steadfast in its mission to spark intellectual and spiritual growth through accessible, high-quality Jewish education. Since our founding, we’ve brought people together across generations, backgrounds, and continents—leveraging technology and partnering with top educators and thought leaders to create a truly global learning community. We ignite passion for Judaism! You can reach us on the web at
