Rabbi Jonah Pesner will speak during Erev Shabbat Services, followed by a reservation-required dinner where he will be in conversation with Assemblywoman Dr. Rosy Bagolie.

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner is Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism, and has been named one of America’s most influential rabbis by Newsweek. A nationally and globally respected leader for social justice, he has spent decades building bridges across race, class, and faith while leading campaigns for racial justice, economic opportunity, immigration reform, LGBTQ+ equality, human rights, and the fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate, and advocating for Israel as a secure, Jewish, democratic state. He has served as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, taught on all four campuses of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and serves in leadership roles with organizations including the NAACP and the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable; ordained in 1997 at HUC, he is a graduate of Wesleyan University and lives with his wife, Dana S. Gershon, and their four daughters.

Dr. Rosy Bagolie is a Jewish-Latina immigrant from the Dominican Republic who built her life in New Jersey through resilience, faith, and education, rising from bilingual teacher to principal, superintendent, and, in 2023, election to the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 27th Legislative District. She serves as Vice Chair of the Assembly Education Committee and sits on the Commerce and Economic Development and Financial Institutions and Insurance Committees, with priorities including strong public schools, public safety, support for working families, immigrant protections, and combating antisemitism and all forms of hate. A graduate of Rutgers University and Seton Hall University, Dr. Bagolie lives in Livingston with her husband, Ricky, and their three sons, and is an active member at TBJ. She is guided by a commitment to strong schools, safe streets, and fair opportunity for every family.

Dinner: $40

Registration is closed, please email Michal with any questions