Reading group will look at Kirsch book

KINGSTON, N.Y. » “The People and the Books: 18 Classics of Jewish Literature” by Adam Kirsch will be the focus of the Classics in Religion Reading Group in April at the Kingston Library, 55 Franklin St.

The group meets Wednesdays on April 4, 11, 18 and 25 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the library’s Community Room.

A scholar and critic, Kirsch accepts the designation of the title “The People of the Book,” which Islam’s Koran used to refer to Jews and Christians as peoples who possess their own revelations from God in the form of holy scripture. While this book is based upon 18 books as classics of Jewish Literature, the reading group during its four sessions will delve into four of them: Deuteronomy and Esther from the Hebrew scriptures, “The Exposition of the Laws” by the philosopher Philo of Alexandria and “The Jewish War” by Flavius Josephus.

The series begins during the Passover and Easter weeks in Jewish and Christian calendars.

The sessions will be led by Bob Cohen, cantor at Congregation Emanuel of the Hudson Valley in Kingston. A singer and participant in the folk song revival from the 1950s and ‘60s, and a participant in the civil rights and peace movements, he sings for people at senior residences and nursing homes. He is a member of Kingston Interfaith Council.

Diverse sources are used for the reading group. For one hour each week, a local religious leader makes selections for reading aloud and discussion. The public is invited to any of these sessions and the library is totally-accessible.

Previous readings have included Buddhist, Jewish, Rasta, Sufi, Native

American, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Confucian, Taoist and Christian works, as well as texts in Existentialism, Jungianism, American Transcendentalism, Schools of Meditation, Process Theology, Gnosticism and Pragmatism. Library resources, inexpensive editions or copies are distributed for participants. No advanced reading is required.

Contact Albert R. Ahlstrom by calling (845) 3348404 or send an email to aahlstrom@hvc.rr.com for more information.