United Days
May 9 – May 10
We are living through perilous and divisive times. The idea of building walls that keep “us” safe from “them” is as much a vexing spiritual and theological problem as it is a social and political one.
How might faith leaders and congregations courageously and creatively engage in socially transformative action from a place of spiritual grounding and depth? How might compassionate listening and radical imagination help us forge new connections across lines of difference, build a more just world with others, and facilitate a “revolution of values,” rather than fuel the flames of fear, hatred, and exclusion?
We are excited to welcome you back May 9 and 10 as we explore these questions together in plenary sessions and workshops.
Susan Draper White and Keynote Speaker
Joy Ladin is a widely published author, essayist and poet, literary scholar, and nationally known speaker on transgender issues. From 2003 to 2021, she held the David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University; her gender transition and return to teaching in 2008 made her the first openly transgender employee of an Orthodox Jewish institution.
Since coming out as transgender in 2008, Joy has become a nationally recognized speaker on transgender issues. She has been featured in many National Public Radio interviews, most notably “On Being with Krista Tippett,” which has been rebroadcast three times, as well as numerous interviews and profiles in numerous publications.
Joy holds a PhD in American Literature from Princeton University, where she was awarded the Porter Ogden Jacobus Fellowship as top graduate student in the Humanities, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. Joy has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts writing fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, an American Council of Learned Societies Research Fellowship and two Hadassah Brandeis Institute Research fellowships, among other honors.
Note: Due to health issues, Joy will be joining us via Zoom. All other workshops will be led by onsite presenters.
Schedule
Thursday, May 9, 2024
Friday, May 10, 2024
| 8:15 AM | Gathering/Coffee |
| 9:00 AM | Plenary—Mike Klein and Nikki McComb from Art is My Weapon |
| 10:00 AM | Break |
| 10:15 AM | Keynote Speech–“Babel and Beyond: Understanding and Responding to the Transformation of Gender”—Joy Ladin |
| 11:15 AM | Final Words/Blessing |
This year’s United Days programming was organized by United’s Leadership Center for Social Justice with support from the Susan Draper White Lectures that were established by Priscilla Braun* (’83) in memory of her grandmother, Susan Draper White. This endowed event provides lectures in the areas of women in religion, theology, and ministry.
* Deceased
Registration Details
| Early Registration (by April 12) |
Regular Registration (April 13–April 23) |
|
| Both Days (including lunch and banquet) | $85 | $125 |
| Current United Student (Plenary only, no meal) | $10 | $20 |
| Current United Student (Plenary + meals) | $50 | $70 |
| Non-Student Zoom | $25 | |
| Current United Students Zoom | No Cost | |
Note: Space is limited. If you intend to register for the banquet or lunch, we must receive your request by April 23. Onsite registrations (with no food) will close May 1 and we will not be able to accommodate late registrations. If you have food allergies, please contact Andrew Fox at afox@unitedseminary.edu.
Able to Do More?
Consider adding a gift of $61 for the United Fund in honor of United’s 61st year as a seminary. The United Fund provides unrestricted operating funds for the seminary. If you are interested in making a gift of a different size, click here for our Give page.
