Reading The Rabbis: "The Fifth Sacred Thing" by Starhawk

Reading The Rabbis: A Monthly Book Club Presents

A Project of Yerusha's Golden Jubilee Year Programming

Opening Lecture: June 20th, 7:00-8:00pm ET
Concluding Discussion: July 17th, 7:00-8:30pm ET

Join Yerusha as we celebrate 50 years of partnership in life, love, and work for our co-founders, Rabbis Nadya and Victor Gross. Throughout this "Golden Jubilee Year," our bookclub will explore some of the texts that have had the greatest impact on their careers and personal development. This month, we read one of Reb Nadya's favorites: "The Fifth Sacred Thing" by St arhawk.

Reb Nadya will launch the month off with an introductory lecture about the book, its place in her career, and overall impact. At the end of the month, we will come together for a facilitated Siyyum [conclusion] to discuss our own reactions and discoveries. In between, there will be chances for online discussion. Once you've registered, be sure to order your book as soon as possible.

These book groups are free of charge, as part of Yerusha's "Golden Jubilee Year" programming. The Golden Jubilee is Yerusha's annual campaign for 2023. If you have not yet given or would like to make a donation in recognition of this year-long celebration, please consider doing so when you sign up.

For more information, please contact us at office@yerusha.org or visit yerusha.org

About The Book

This novel, written by Starhawk in the early 90s, describes a world set in the year 2048 after a catastrophe which has fractured the United States into several nations. Our heroes live in San Francisco and have evolved in the direction of an ecological utopia, creating a city where the streets have been torn up for gardens and streams, no one starves or is homeless, and the city's defense council consists primarily of nine elderly women who "listen and dream". Meanwhile, to the south, a theocratic Christian fundamentalist nation has evolved and plans to wage war against the San Franciscans. The novel explores the events before and during the ensuing struggle between the two nations, pitting utopia and dystopia against each other.

Reb Nadya Says: I first read this book in the late 90s. The divisions depicted in the story, between the haves and have-nots, those who held the earth sacred and understood our interdependence as opposed to those who continued to use the resources of our beautiful earth for their own selfish needs and enrichment were becoming more and more visible. Furthermore, the reactivity arising in many segments of the population to the move toward greater inclusion of all varieties of people was deeply distressing to me. I resonated with the message and was entranced and inspired by the utopia that Starhawk created in San Francisco. (It didn’t help my disaffection with Los Angeles, which we had recently left, and where my mom and siblings still lived.) Since that first reading, I think I’ve reread the book at least 5 times; going back to it every few years when I need a reminder that there are other ways to live in this world, and there are great people of vision who can change it for the good.

A Project of Yerusha's Golden Jubilee Year Programming

About The Book

A Project of Yerusha's Golden Jubilee Year Programming

A Project of Yerusha's Golden Jubilee Year Programming

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