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AC Salon: Tales of the Havurah with David Kronfeld
Sun, June 7, 2020 at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
While we can’t be together in person that does not mean that we cannot learn from each other.
Forty years ago, AC member David Kronfeld put away a book that he had written, not sure if it would ever see the light of day. Now all these years later, “Tales of the Havurah” has been published and David is ready to share the story of the book, the stories behind the book, and some of the stories in the book.
Tales of the Havurah is about life in the Jewish counterculture in post-1960’s Boston. Narrated by a talkative, pot-smoking host named Solomon, the stories — some funny, some serious — introduce the reader into an off-beat little universe of educated but not-always-reverent young adults experimenting with creating a new style of close-knit Jewish community while also seeking to forge a meaningful yet contemporary spiritual life.
Tales of the Havurah captures a particular moment in America, when a rebellious youth culture – influenced by rock music, psychedelic drugs, changing sexual ethics, and eastern philosophies – intersected with traditional Jewish practice, symbols and values, ultimately bringing profound changes to the American Jewish society at large. Many of these changes eventually found their way into Ansche Chesed.
David Kronfeld was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Flushing, NY. He moved to the Boston area for college and graduate school, during which time for several years he was also a member of Havurat Shalom, an experimental alternative Jewish community. After completing his graduate studies in literature, he spent a year in Paris and Jerusalem, where he wrote Tales of the Havurah. After moving back to New York City, he eventually transitioned into the business world and for over 35 years pursued a successful career in corporate communications and financial public relations. He lives on the Upper West Side with his wife, Sarah Jacobs, an artist who makes Jewish ritual objects in fabric. They have three grown children.
