Reading Scripture with the Rabbi

OCU is pleased to welcome Rabbi Vered Harris to present the Neustadt Lectures on Nov. 15. Rabbi Harris is the new spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Israel in Oklahoma City.

She is the fifth rabbi to lead the congregation in its 111-year history and began serving there July 1.

The theme of the OCU lecture series is "Reading Scripture with the Rabbi." The first presentation will be at 1 p.m. in the chapel sanctuary. Harris will offer a brief introduction to studying, questioning, and discussing sacred text through a Jewish lens.

Lectures at 3 and 7 p.m. will be in Watson Lounge, in the chapel’s lower level. The afternoon lecture will engage conversation on the weekly Torah portion, under the title "The Reading for the Day." The evening lecture, "Reading through Art," will explore insights into ancient texts through artists’ depictions of biblical narratives. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Harris previously served for 12 years as the education rabbi at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kan., where she developed award-winning programming. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Jewish Education from Rhea Hirsch School of Education and her rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.

She lived in California, Israel, Germany, Ohio, and Kansas prior to settling in Oklahoma with her husband, Benjamin, and their three children.

Walter and Dolores Neustadt of Ardmore established the OCU lecture series in 1983 to strengthen understanding of the great contributions of the Judaic religious tradition to Western civilization and thought.