AboutRabbi Barry Dov Lerner Expertise Write to me with questions about Jewish customs and law, history,
philosophy and tradition for answers from a Conservative perspective or conversion. I am a graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary and a member of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly. Having served in congregational pulpits since 1970, I now am President of the Foundation For Family Education, Inc. a non-profit educational endeavor. I established it to create new formats of hands-on programs and provide free educational downloads at www.jewishfreeware.org. In addition to general informational questions I welcome your questions about programs for social action, outreach to dual-faith families, inter-faith clergy projects, healing services, education for conversion, adult education for the congregation and the community. If you have questions about Informal and Formal Education I am ready to share my extensive experience with Youth Activities, Camping and Religious School/Hebrew High School on a congregational, community and national/international level.
Experience I have served on the National Youth Commission for more than 25 years and serve on the Boards of the Conservative Zionist movement MERCAZ and the World Council of Synagogues. I have always dual-families and taught candidates for conversion with a great sense of fulfillment. I am very proud of 25 years on the Jewish camping staff of Camps Ramah. My greatest source of pride is my family! Ask me about them, please!:-)
Question Years ago I was inspired by a Jesuit priest's serenity to do a portrait of Jesus. This of course came out as a typical Christian generalization. As a white Christian with no affiliation to any church and much older I would like to know what Jesus more likely looked like. I'd like to try again on a spiritual quest to find a more accurate portrayal of Him. I am more knowledgeable about the various races (or race) of Africa and believe that we all came from the same beginning and are different due to changes that occurred as the original humans spread over the planet. I believe in a divine origin but I also believe that my God was intelligent to know there was a need for evolution to get where we are and that this is an ongoing experiment. Thanks for listening and any light you may be able to shed on where I can Jesus' twin - whether Jewish or Arab.
Answer Dear D.,
Thanks for writing with an interesting question - to which probably only an anthropologist will have the answer.
I would suggest that you check with any text that responsibly presents - perhaps with photographs of models - recreations of the types of people who lived in that area of the world at that time.
While I have no text in mind, any university library should have a reference desk who could help you. Alternatively contact the reference desk of the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America at www.jtsa.edu.
Good luck. Send me an attachment of your painting bdlerner1@comcast.net, please.
