Rabbi, author and martial artist Niles Elliot Goldstein will speak about his new book “The Challenge of the Soul: A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior” at two area Jewish congregations Oct. 23-24. The presentations are part of the Southern States Jewish Literary Series coordinated by the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Mississippi.
On Friday, Oct. 23, Rabbi Goldstein will speak during Temple Beth El’s 8 p.m. Sabbath service at the Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center,
5007 Providence Rd., Charlotte. On Saturday, Oct. 24, he’ll speak after Lake Norman Jewish Congregation’s 7 p.m. Havdalah Service at Fair View United Methodist Church, 1430 Mecklenburg Hwy., Mount Mourne. Both events are free and open to the public.
Rabbi Goldstein is founder and rabbi emeritus of The New Shul, an innovative congregation in New York City. He lectures widely on religion and spirituality and has taught at New York University and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is national Jewish chaplain of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. The rabbi counseled law enforcement officers at Ground Zero, has traveled to remote and inhospitable places to learn and teach, and has sought out difficult experiences to test himself and his faith.
In “The Challenge of the Soul,” his ninth book, the rabbi draws lessons from his own hard-won insights as a rabbi and practitioner of the martial arts, interweaving them with the teachings of sages, biblical figures and thinkers of all stripes to help readers go beyond their own perceived limitations and face life’s challenges with fortitude. “Rabbi Goldstein shows us, through examples from his own spiritual journey, how to harmonize the fine-tuned disciplines of the martial arts with a profound and transformative Judaism grounded in its mystical teachings,” writes Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, a leading American rabbi. Rabbi Goldstein’s previous book, “Gonzo Judaism: A Bold Path for Renewing an Ancient Faith,” was praised as one of the top five religious books of 2006 by Publishers Weekly and NBC.
Rabbi Goldstein’s visit is co-sponsored by the two congregations, Temple Beth El and the Lake Norman Jewish Congregation.
The Southern States Jewish Literary Series presents talks and book signings by distinguished authors. The series is coordinated by the ISJL, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing educational and rabbinic services to isolated Jewish communities, documenting and preserving the rich history of the Southern Jewish Experience, and promoting a Jewish cultural presence throughout a 13-state region.
Signed books will be available at each lecture. For more information or to order “The Challenge of the Soul: A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior,” call Temple Beth El, (704) 366-1948, or Lake Norman Jewish Congregation, (704) 252-7038; or contact ISJL Director of Programming Andy Muchin, (601)
362-6357 or amuchin@isjl.org.
