Rabbi Dr. Leila Gal Berner was ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1989 and received the honor of a second ordination from Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi z”l in 2009. She is rabbi emerita of Kol Ami: the Northern Virginia Reconstructionist Community, and has served congregations in Pennsylvania and Georgia. A Fulbright scholar, Dr. Berner has taught at Emory and American Universities and Reed and Swarthmore Colleges and currently teaches in the ALEPH Ordination Program. She is the author of Listening to the Heart of Genesis: A Contemplative Path, a new gateway into Torah learning. She is the joyous savta to three amazing granddaughters — Olivia, Lucy, and Aliya and a loving wife to Franna Ruddell.

Friday, February 16th, 2024 - 5-6:00 PM - Jews in Medieval Spain
Symbiotic Society or Parallel Societies?"
A great Spanish historian once described the amalgam of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in medieval Spain as a convivencia – living together, creating the soul of the Land. Rabbi Dr. Gal Berner will explore whether this description was accurate – or was it something else.

Saturday, February 17th, 2024 - Noon to 1:30 PM - Jews in Muslim Spain
 Jews under Islam in Medieval Spain: Poetry, Pragmatism and Politics
Described as the "Golden Age" of medieval Spanish Jewry, Rabbi Dr. Gal Berner will explore how "golden" it was through a presentation of the poetry of the Jews, the special political situation of the Jews under their Muslim rulers and how they navigated all of this in a pragmatic and clever way.

Saturday, February 17th, 2024 from 7-8:00 PM - The ABAYUDAYA Jews Of Uganda: Spirit, Challenges And Resilience
The Abayudaya Jews of Uganda consist of about 3,000 souls spread over the north eastern part of the country. They are filled with a deeply spiritual connection to G-d and engage  in Jewish customs, traditions, holidays and  festivals and Shabbat with great enthusiasm and fervor. Their Judaism is vibrant, alive and deeply meaningful to them. Sadly, the Abuyudaya are abjectly poor and struggle to survive against formidable odds — hunger, disease and lack of resources. Nonetheless, they are optimistic and resilient. Rabbi  Gal Berner had the good fortune of visiting Namutumba, one of the biggest  Abayudaya communities this past August for two weeks and became familiar with these wonderful people’s Shabbat practices, folkways, love of learning and challenges.