Exodus: One Story, Two Communities Concert and Panel Discussion

The story of the Exodus is a significant one for people of the Jewish faith, and relates what is arguably the most monumental event in human history. The Jewish holiday Passover commemorates the Exodus from Egypt, a pivotal moment in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) when the God who is One liberates an enslaved Hebrew people from the oppression of the Egyptians.

Rabbi Irving Greenbaum writes, “Exodus morality meant giving justice to the weak and the poor.” It should come as no surprise, therefore, that this narrative immediately resonated with enslaved Africans in the United States. For them, a God who freed slaves so long ago would surely also free them; for them, Harriet Tubman of the Underground Railroad would become Moses. The music of this concert will celebrate Jewish and African American faith and freedom, and the importance of the Exodus narrative for both.

RMJHS Director Joshua Furman will participate in a panel discussion following the concert. Presented by the Lamont School of Music and the Center for Judaic Studies.