Refusenik and Israeli Leader Natan Sharansky to Speak at Beth Tfiloh Congregation

Thirty years ago, Natan Sharansky crossed the Glienicke Bridge to freedom, after a 9-year Russian prison sentence for allegations of collaborating with the CIA. On Tuesday, March 15th at 7:30 pm, Mr. Sharansky will speak at Beth Tfiloh Congregation, where he will share his incredible story of the undying faith and perseverance that allowed him to survive his torturous prison sentence to become the leading force behind the struggle of Soviet Jewry, a high-ranking member of the Israeli government, and an unwavering advocate of the state of Israel and the Jewish people.

Upon his release from prison, Sharansky flew to Israel where he continued the struggle for Soviet Jews. Turning to politics, human rights work, and Israel absorption issues, he made an indelible mark on Israeli and Jewish life. After serving as Minister as well as Deputy Prime Minister in four successive Israeli governments, Mr. Sharansky resigned from the Israeli Knesset and assumed a number of chairmanships at prominent Israeli institutions. Since June 2009, Natan Sharansky has served as Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, which he states “serves as a bridge, both between Israel and the Jewish world and between the different segments of Israeli society.”



According to Jewish Agency statistics, more than 33,000 new immigrants arrived in Israel in 2015, the highest number since 2003. The largest source of immigrants? France, for the second year in a row, with 7,900 out of the 9,880 Western European Jews who emigrated to Israel last year. That’s a 10 percent increase from 2014 and double the 2013 immigration numbers. The spike in Western European Jewish migration is a result of increased anti-Semitic activity in recent years. These threats to Jewish security make ensuring the strength and safety of Israel becomes more important than ever before, a point Mr. Sharansky will expand upon as he discusses “Israel and Its Relationship to the World Jewish Community” at Beth Tfiloh’s Dahan Lecture on March 15th.

The Dahan Lecture
No one has been more passionate about securing the continuity of Jewish education to both children and adults than Beth Tfiloh’s most generous benefactor Haron Dahan, of blessed memory, and his beloved wife Rachel, of blessed memory. To help perpetuate all that the Dahans have stood for, a Dahan Lecture will take place annually to commemorate their yahrzeits. The Dahan Lecture with Natan Sharansky is free and open to the public.

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Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School

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Baltimore’s only Jewish independent preparatory school serving PreSchool through Grade 12.