Wow. Dinner with Pat and Shirley Boone, the story of Corrie ten Boom and Rabbi Eliyahu Fink (me) addressing the attendees. Which one of these things doesn’t belong? Right. That would be me.
So how did I end up at this event and how was it?
A member of our shul, Gary Dalin, met Dr. Ken Canfield, President of the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine a little while back. Dr. Canfield wanted someone to present a traditional Jewish approach to parenting and imparting morals from one generation to the next. Gary was supposed to do it, and he would have done marvelously. Unfortunately, Gary underwent a complex (and successful) surgery and was forced to cancel his appearance. I spoke in his stead.
The event had three parts. First there was a private dinner. I sat with the President of Pepperdine, Andrew Benton to my left and Pat and Shirley Boone across the table. Yes, THAT Pat Boone. (Crazy, I know.) We talked about conservation of energy, Israel, Talmud, Law School, charity and suffering in Third World countries. It was quite stimulating and very interesting. It was so cool to spend time with such a famous celebrity and I thoroughly enjoyed all our conversation.
During dinner we heard a few short presentations on the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine. I was most moved by the remarks of Maurice Hilliard. Coach Hilliard told the story of his childhood in South Central Los Angeles and how his mother had him bused to Beverly Hills for school. That gave him all the opportunities in the world and he began to feel a new sense of self worth when a white girl asked him for assistance with math. He said he felt for the first time like he was somebody and that the color of his skin would not determine his future. It was quite moving.
After dinner we moved to a small theater for a thrilling performance telling the story of Corrie ten Boom. Corrie was a devout Christian who saved over 800 Jewish lives during the Holocaust. There will be a separate post reviewing the performance.
Following the performance I gave my address. I spoke for 20 minutes and was warmly received afterward. You can listen to the speech by clicking here: Jewish Lessons in Parenting. I stuck around for a little while talking with some of my new fans and told them about our wonderful Shul on the Beach in Venice. It was some great PR for our shul.
This event was truly memorable. But, it was only the beginning. The Boone Center for the Family is planning a similar event on a much grander scale in June. I urge all to attend. Jews, Christians, atheists, or anyone else can learn from her story. I have been asked to speak at the next event as well and I look forward to it very much.
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