Congregation Tifereth Israel

Scientists in Synagogues

As one of fourteen Jewish communities across the nation chosen to receive the Scientists in Synagogues grant from the Sinai and Synapses organization, Tifereth Israel is bringing important conversations to Columbus in spring 2023.

Upcoming Events

Join via Livestream

The Web of Eugenics: Scientific Racism’s & Antisemitism’s Past, Present, and Future with Dr. John Slattery

Science Then: Ethically Considering an Unethical Past
Friday, April 28 | Services 6:00-7:00 pm | Dinner at 7:15 pm | Lecture at 7:30 pm

Dinner: $20/adult, $10/child | Register here by April 20
Services and lecture are free and open to the public

What were the origins of scientific racism and bias at the start of the scientific revolution? This talk will analyze two distinct philosophies that will give birth to the eugenics movement, early modern anthropology and the philosophy of cultural progressivism, and connect the threads to the origins of modern science in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Science Now: The Rise and Fall…and Rise…of Eugenics
Saturday, April 29 | Services 9:30 am-12:00 noon | Kiddush lunch to follow | Lecture at 12:30 pm

Free and open to the public

What does it mean to ethically consider history and use it to better practice ethics today, tomorrow, and into the unknown digital future? This talk will examine how eugenics fed into (and gave new life to) previously existing cultural biases, how religion and science were frequently wedded together in frequent support of eugenic practices, and will conclude with a consideration of eugenics, science, bias, and racism today.

Wednesday, May 24, 2023 | 12:00 noon-1:00 pm
Lunch & Learn: The Art of Daily Genetic Tikkun with Dr. Bob Shalwitz, Founder and CEO of Invirsa, Inc.
Join via Zoom

Previous Events

Tuesday, February 21, 2023 | Dinner 6:00 pm, Learning 6:30 pm
Dinner, Drinks, & Drash:
Exploring Tay-Sachs and Other Jewish Genetic Diseases with Dr. David Greenberg
Join via Zoom

Saturday, February 25, 2023 | Following services / 12:00 noon
Shabbat Learning
The Family Gene: A Mission to Turn My Deadly Inheritance Into a Hopeful Future with Joselin Linder 
Join via Livestream

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 | Dinner 6:00 pm, Learning 6:30 pm
Dinner, Drinks & Drash
Help, I Got My DNA Results and I’m Confused: DNA and Jewish Genealogical Research with Gil Bardige of the Columbus Jewish Historical Society
Register to Attend | Join via Zoom

About Our Speakers

John P. Slattery, PhD

John P. Slattery is the Director of the Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law at Duquesne University. An ethicist, theologian, and historian of science, Slattery works at the intersection of technology, science, religion, and racism. Slattery earned a B.S. in computer science from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in religious studies from Saint Paul School of Theology, and an interdisciplinary PhD in the history and philosophy of science and systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of numerous essays, as well as the 2019 Faith and Science at Notre Dame, the 2020 Christian Theology and the Modern Sciences, and a producer of the AAAS DoSER film series, ‘Science: The Wide Angle.” He is currently writing and publishing on the history of eugenics, the intersection of theology and technology, the historical intersections between science and race, and the role of race in historical discussions of theology and science.

Joselin Linder

Joselin Linder is a writer and author. Her work has appeared in The New York Times; The New York Post; Elle; and NPR’s Morning Edition. She has published eight books across a number of genres. Her memoir, The Family Gene, published by HarperCollins explores the history of medical genetics and the unnamed genetic disease only found in fourteen members of her family. Born and raised in Columbus, she served as president of BUCKUSY at Tifereth and graduated from the TI High School in 1993. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and teaches writing online and in person for the Gotham Writers Workshop.