Kerem Shalom is excited to offer a three-part series on “Science and Religion: Searching for Truth,” with funding from a national initiative on “Scientists in Synagogues.” The series features thought-provoking discussions between eminent religious leaders and scientists.
The program will start on Sunday, December 6, 2026, with a conversation between Rabbi Darby Leigh and KS member Alan Lightman, a noted author and Professor of the Practice of Humanities at MIT. They will be following up on their fascinating discussion of last March, exploring the perspectives of science and Judaism on understanding our world.
The second conversation, on Sunday, February 7, will feature Rev. Hannah Brown, pastor of West Concord Union Church, and Linda Griffith, Professor of Biological Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at MIT, whose work is extending the limits of biomedical engineering and its applications for diagnosing disease and regenerating damaged organs.
The third and final conversation, on Sunday, April 4, will feature the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi, President and CEO of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT, in discussion with Professor Lightman.
Kerem Shalom is one of nine synagogues (eight in the US, one in Uganda) to be awarded a grant from Sinai and Synapses, an initiative being incubated at Clal – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, which links Jewish wisdom with innovative scholarship to deepen civic and spiritual participation in American life. Funding for the Sinai and Synapses’ Scientists in Synagogues program comes from the John Templeton Foundation and other donors, and the program is run in consultation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER).
“Once again, I was struck by the diversity of perspectives and scientific topics that excite the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman, Founding Director of Sinai and Synapses. “Science and technology are not academic topics; they pose new questions and ways to approach truth, discovery, and knowledge, which go to the core of our humanity. As we have seen in our previous rounds, the Jewish community wants to know what our tradition has to say about topics such as artificial intelligence, health and wholeness, and even the food we eat. How can timeless Jewish wisdom help inform these timely scientific topics?”