Please join me—and my co-teachers—for a free on-line course this June. We’ll explore ecological wisdom from three perspectives: ancient Jewish, traditional Indigenous, and modern scientific.
The course is sponsored by the Sierra Club of British Columbia. But you can log in from anywhere! (And, if you are local, you can join us in person.)
Read on for details about the course, co-teachers, and registration.
Song of the Land: Ancient Jewish Wisdom for Our Times
Perek Shira, a medieval Jewish poem where all creatures praise the Creator, will inspire this course about our local BC ecosystem. Specifically, we’ll think about five creatures: ravens, bears, rivers, rains, and forests. Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan will speak about their ecology and significance in Jewish thought. Rev. Elder John Snow, drawing on his Stoney Nakoda heritage, will comment with traditional land-based spiritual teachings. Together we will honour the sacred ancestral importance of the five beings, and celebrate how blessed we are to live with them.
Course Dates
Four Zoom sessions plus one in-person session.
June 5 (Zoom), 4:00-5:00 pm PDT: Song of the Raven
June 12 (Zoom), 4:00-5:00 pm PDT: Song of the Rivers
June 19 (Zoom), 4:00-5:00 pm PDT: Song of the Rains
June 26 (Zoom), 4:00-5:00 pm PDT: Song of the Bear
July 27 (in person), 11:00 am – 1:00 pm: Song of the Forest. With guest co-teacher Dr. Shelley Luce, Associate Director and Director of Campaigns for Sierra Club BC. Meet in X̱wáýx̱way Stanley Park (location TBA).
Teachers
Rabbi Dr. Laura Duhan-Kaplan, Ph.D., is an award-winning teacher of philosophy and religion with a deep love for wildlife and companion animals. She is author of Mouth of the Donkey: Re-imagining Biblical Animals and The Infinity Inside: Jewish Spiritual Practice Through a Multifaith Lens. She works as Director of Inter-Religious Studies at the Vancouver School of Theology.
Rev. Elder John Snow, M.A., M.Div., is a sun-dancer and pipe-holder in the Nakoda Tradition. He is a skilled speaker and instructor. A seasoned negotiator for technical oil and gas, he has worked with provincial and federal governments to advise on policy, guided by the Treaties, the TRC, and UNDRIP.
Dr. Shelley Luce holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering. Her work focuses on water and forest protection, with an emphasis on community resilience and environmental justice. At the Sierra Club of BC, she is Associate Director and Director of Campaigns.
RSVP to Register
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FkSsYNakQwiIePi9NgV4vg
