Meet Adam Valen Levinson, author of The Abu Dhabi Bar Mitzvah

Armed only with college Arabic and restless curiosity, our author set out to “learn about the world 9/11 made us fear.” From a base in Abu Dhabi, he lunches in Taliban territory in Afghanistan, travels under the watchful eye of Aleppo’s secret police, and risks shipwreck en route to Somalia.

Traveling through many Islamic countries Levinson finds that people who pray differently often laugh the same and he learns that we cannot live by decisions born of fear.

Adam Valen Levinson is an affiliate of the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., and a fellow at the Center for Cultural Sociology at Yale University, where he studies humor as a key to cultural understanding.

Pre-Paid $15 per person/$20 at the door.
Books are available at the temple office for $18
A light brunch will be served.