Scholar-Activist Encounter: Rabbi Michael Feinberg and Dr. Norman Gottwald

Scholar-Activist Encounters

May 20, 2021, 7:30pm Eastern Time

How do activism and scholarship contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today?

The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice and the Religion and Socialism Working Group of the Democratic Socialists of America invite you to a special Scholar-Activist Encounter featuring Rabbi Michael Feinberg and Dr. Norman Gottwald.

The focus of the discussion will be the continuing relevance of Dr. Gottwald’s 1979 book Tribes of Yahweh: A Sociology of the Religion of Liberated Israel, 1250-1050 BCE. They will present an overview of its central thesis regarding political and sociological dynamics surrounding the emergence of the Jewish people, including his nontraditional reading of the slaughter of the Canaanites. They will then discuss how Dr. Gottwald’s thesis influenced activists like Rabbi Feinberg, how his thinking has evolved since it’s publication, and how these ideas are relevant for multifaith movement-building today.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.


The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice invites you to join us for an interactive dialogue exploring the interfaces between scholarship and activism. How do these ways of being contribute to our understanding of Scripture in the world today? Let’s come together to learn from each other. Most events take place on the third Thursday of the month at 4:30pm Pacific Time / 7:30pm Eastern Time. We do not meet every month, and occasionally meet on a different night.

See the full schedule of the Scholar-Activist Encounter series. For questions, email info@clbsj.org.

This series is co-sponsored by the Community of Living Traditions.