How can Jewish ritual help us be more mindful? Reflecting on his experience at a Holocaust memorial services, Rabbi Charles Shwartz examines the power of paying attention creates opportunities for transcendent moments. Rabbi Schwartz asserts that through ritualistic acts of Judaism, such as prayer and community involvement, we learn to better pay attention and, in turn, open ourselves up to the possibility of experiencing the transcendent within the mundane.
Rabbi Charles Schwartz is the Director of BIMA and Genesis programs at Brandeis University, where he runs programs integrating cutting edge pedagogies with deep Jewish learning. Charlie is a nationally recognized educator focusing on technology and Israel and was named to the New York Jewish Week's "36 Under 36" as a leader helping to reshape the Jewish community. Charlie received rabbinic ordination and a degree in education from the Jewish Theological Seminary where he was a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Prior to JTS Charlie served with distinction in the Israel Defense Forces. A native of Portland, Oregon, Charlie lives in Cambridge with his wife Dr. Andrea Wershof Schwartz, their children Maayan and Aviv, and their sousaphone.
