Sunday, March 15 | 4:30 – 6pm
In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join one of our country’s most prominent rabbis, Sharon Brous, for a conversation about her bestselling book The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal our Heart and Mend our Broken World with Oregon Humanities director Adam Davis.
This program will explore what it means to rebuild trust, belonging, and moral responsibility in a time of isolation and alienation, and how shared ritual, presence, and community can become acts of repair. Drawing on Jewish tradition, lived pastoral experience, and contemporary civic life, The Amen Effect reframes connection not as a luxury, but as a human necessity—one that requires showing up for one another in moments of joy, grief, and uncertainty. The conversation will consider how these ideas resonate far beyond religious spaces, offering insight for anyone concerned with the health of our civic and communal life.
General admission is $18 with reduced-cost tickets available upon request. VIP tickets are $75 and include a private pre-event reception with Rabbi Brous, a copy of The Amen Effect, and reserved seating within Lincoln Hall. Please email programs@ojmche.org to request discounted tickets.
About the Speakers
Sharon Brous is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR (‘Essence’ in Hebrew), a leading-edge Jewish community based in Los Angeles, and the author of The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World, a national bestseller.
In 2013, Brous blessed President Obama and Vice President Biden at the Inaugural National Prayer Service, and in 2021 returned to bless President Biden and Vice President Harris, and then led the White House Passover Seder in 2021 and the Hanukkah candle lighting with the Vice President and Second Gentleman in 2023. She was named #1 on the Newsweek/The Daily Beast list of most influential Rabbis in America and has been recognized by The Forward and Jerusalem Post as among the most influential Jews alive today. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, and her TED talk, “Reclaiming Religion,” has been viewed by more than 1.5 million people.
Brous is in the inaugural cohort of Auburn Seminary’s Senior Fellows program, which unites top faith leaders working on the frontlines for justice, she sits on the faculty of REBOOT, and serves on the International Council of the New Israel Fund and national steering committee for the Poor People’s Campaign.
A graduate of Columbia University (both undergraduate and M.A. in Human Rights), she was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.
This very special program is presented in partnership with
Thank you to our sponsors:
Ruth and Gerald Cohen, in memory of Sarah Cohen-Doherty and her passion for Holocaust Education
Emily Georges Gottfried Fund of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation
The Holzman Foundation
Steve Reinisch
Madelle and Stanley Rosenfeld
Additional thanks to our community partners:
Art/Lab
Congregation Ahavath Achim
Congregation Beth Israel
Congregation Neveh Shalom
Congregation Shaarie Torah
Congregation Shir Tikvah
Eastside Jewish Commons
Havurah Shalom
Jewish Family & Child Service
Jewish Federation of Greater Portland
Jewish National Fund Pacific Northwest
Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Oregon Board of Rabbis
PDX Hillel
TischPDX
WorldOregon