Gaynor Lecture Presents Ron Wolfson on April 7

Ron Wolfson, a visionary Jewish educator and author of The Spirituality of Welcoming and G-d's To Do List, will be the featured speaker at this year's Annual Gaynor Lecture Series on Monday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. Following the lecture, he will be available to sign copies of his books, multiple titles of which also will be on sale in the lobby.

"His current book, G-d's To Do List, is written for middle school students and up. The book and the lecture will appeal to families, youth preparing for Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, young adults...really community members of all ages," said Melanie Butter, event coordinator.

Wolfson's interest in synagogues dates back to his involvement in a Conservative congregation - Beth El - in his hometown of Omaha, Neb. Over the years, he has visited hundreds of synagogues across North America as a consultant, teacher and scholar-in-residence widely recognized for his passionate, insightful and often humorous presentations.

He is a co-founder of Synagogue 2000 with Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, and currently serves as President of Synagogue 3000, a catalyst for excellence, empowering congregations and communities to create synagogues that are sacred and vital centers of Jewish life. He also is currently the Fingerhut Professor of Education at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism) in Los Angeles, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1975.

Wolfson also has served as Dean of the Fingerhut School of Education, Vice President and Founding Director of the Whizin Center for the Jewish Future and the Whizin Institute for Jewish Family Life. The book, First Fruit: A Whizin Anthology of Jewish Family Education, which he co-edited with Adrianne Bank, won the 1999 Jewish Book Award.

A pioneer in the field of Jewish family education, he has authored The Art of Jewish Living series of books - three of which, Shabbat, The Passover, and Hanukkah, are designed to enrich the celebration of Jewish holidays, and one, A Time to Mourn, A Time to Comfort, provides a guide to Jewish bereavement and comfort.

The Gaynor Lecture is an annual community Jewish educational program held at the JCC, and is made possible through the Rabbi Nathan and Sylvia Gaynor Memorial Fund, established by their children, Jeremy and Moses Gaynor, Rachel Temple and Rena Vesler.

The event is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required. To make a reservation, contact Butter at mbutter@columbusjcc.org.