What do Jews really mean when we talk about the Messiah? With Rabbi Asher Knight, we will trace the idea of the Messiah from the Bible and Talmud through Maimonides and into modern Jewish thought. We will ask who might be called to save the world, what a redeemed world could look like, and how the messianic age differs from the World to Come. Along the way we will explore ancient “origin stories,” hidden figures waiting at the edge of the city, and the possibility that each of us shares in the work of repair. As we open the door to thinking about power and responsibility, we will ponder what it means to live as if the world really can be transformed.

After lunch, Professor Michael Kobre will uncover how Jewish writers and artists created the modern superhero. From Superman to Marvel, discover how Jewish identity shaped the birth of comic books. Kobre, Professor of English at Queens University of Charlotte, is a widely published scholar whose essays and stories have appeared in journals such as Michigan Quarterly Review, Tin House, and TriQuarterly. He is the author of Walker Percy’s Voices, and his work is featured in collections including Reading the Boss: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Works of Bruce Springsteen and Superhero Bodies: Identity, Materiality, Transformation.

Menu: Deli favorites, including corned beef, pastrami, cheesecake, and more.

Register by Sunday, January 25.