In the debate about reproductive rights in our country, Judaism frames the issues differently than other religious groups. Torah, for instance, defines full personhood at birth rather than conception. We have invited Rabbi Robin Nafshi, of Temple Beth Jacob in Concord, and Rabbi Leora Kling Perkins, associate rabbi at Temple Emunah in Lexington, to join Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett and discuss the rights of a pregnant woman and the status of a fetus at different stages in Jewish law and philosophy. Where in Jewish texts do these interpretations come from? How do rabbis address mourning rituals for the termination of a pregnancy or a miscarriage? How can Jews and Jewish perspectives contribute positively to the public debate on these divisive issues? Beth Abraham member Sheryl Rich-Kern will moderate the program and questions. The program is free of charge and open to the public. Registration is required to attend on site or on Zoom.

Rabbi Robin Nafshi has served Temple Beth Jacob in Concord, New Hampshire since 2010. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2005 and is a graduate of both New York University and Cornell Law School. Rabbi Robin worked in the San Francisco Bay Area as an attorney, legal editor, and legal author before attending rabbinical school. Rabbi Robin embraces the definition of rabbi as “teacher” – in the classroom, while leading worship, during meetings, and in personal conversations and interactions. Rabbi Robin is an alumna of both the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and the Wexner Heritage Foundation's program for community leaders. She shares her life with her partner, Cantor Shira Nafshi, who serves as Temple Beth Jacob's part-time cantor. They are the delighted parents of Liba, who joined their family in January of 2014. Robin Robin was born and raised in northern New Jersey and remains a devoted Yankees fan. According to her family lore, her grandfather played automobile poker with Babe Ruth!

Rabbi Leora Kling Perkins has served since 2019 as Associate Rabbi of Temple Emunah in Lexington, Massachusetts. Originally from Needham, Rabbi Kling Perkins is a graduate of Brandeis University and earned rabbinic ordination and an M.A. in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York. She was the Secretary for the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards from 2017-2019, and during her JTS year in Israel in 2015-2016, she was a T’ruah Israel Fellow. She  was a fellow with JOIN for Justice, a national organization dedicated to training, supporting, and connecting Jewish organizers and their communities, and worked as a program coordinator for the Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy. Rabbi Kling Perkins is married to Matthew Goldstone and enjoys cooking local vegetarian food, hiking, crocheting, swimming, listening to podcasts, and learning how to garden.