January 15, 2009
Steve Posner is the author of "Israel Undercover: Secret Warfare and Hidden Diplomacy in the Middle East," published by Syracuse University Press. He the founder of iAmericanSpirit, a leading educational newsmagazine that is used in thousands of high school classrooms across the U.S.. Steve teaches Advanced Writing for International Relations and Global Economics at the University of Southern California and he has an Ed.M. from Harvard University.
His commentaries on the Arab-Israeli conflict have appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, International Herald Tribune, Arizona Republic, Washington Examiner, and The Huffington Post.
Steve was the subject of a profile on NBC-TV’s Today Show, has appeared on ABC-TV’s Inside San Diego and WCIU-TV’s Business Newsmakers in Chicago, and he has been a featured guest on dozens of radio talk-shows throughout the United States. Newspaper articles on Steve’s work include features in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Times Advocate, Blade-Citizen, Huron Plainsman, and the China Daily.
Steve has also appeared as a guest speaker at various events in the United States, Middle East, Asia, and elsewhere. These include talks at interfaith gatherings in Israel as well as having delivered the keynote address at the fifth anniversary of the 21st Century Educational Weekly in Beijing.
A longtime teacher of meditation, Steve’s latest book is “Spiritual Delights and Delusions: How to Bridge the Gap between Spiritual Fulfillment and Emotional Realities,” published by John Wiley & Sons.
Discussion Topics
- How to Pursue Spirituality without Religion - One-third of American Jewish college students identify themselves as Jews who do not feel tied to any particular form of Judaism. A third of America’s Jewish university students also identify themselves as spiritual, though not religious. So what is Jewish spirituality without Judaism? An opportunity.
- How to Attain Inner Peace in an Age Hamas, Gaza, and al-Qaeda? The Jewish connection to centuries of anti-Semitism has sensitized them to the plight of others who have similarly suffered from oppression and genocide. This tie makes it difficult for many to Jews envision a life of emotional serenity and spiritual happiness. Can the nirvana promised by mystics and saints truly be achieved in this world of tragedy, cruelty, and heartache? Find out how.
- How to Keep the Jewish Identity Relevant in the Era of Globalization? “Promise me you’ll marry a Jewish girl,” my grandmother used to ask me. There was nothing unusual about the question, except that I was only five at the time. Jewish intermarriage has risen dramatically in the past thirty years, from an average of less than 10 percent before 1965 to more than half in 1990. The American Jewish community shrank by 300,000 in just the past decade. Should we care? Why should we even bother staying Jewish? Can our Jewish identity thrive? It can if we grasp why it should.
- How to Bridge the Gap between Spiritual Enlightenment and Emotional Realities? We need not resist or deny the natural anxieties that come and go in order to attain a spiritual awakening. Uncertainty itself can offer opportunities for a profound peace and a forgiving heart. Is there a guide for imperfect people who seek enlightenment in an imperfect world? It’s simpler than you think.
- How to Love our Enemies even When we Have to Fight Them? A young Israeli soldier once told me that in order to shoot suicide bombers, he needed to hate them so he could feel the rage needed to pull the trigger. Yet, once the threat was over, he no longer had to keep the hate inside of him. ‘‘Love your enemies,’’ says the New Testament. ‘‘Because he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and raise on the just and the unjust.’’ Can Jews follow this teaching? Yes, but in order to love our enemies, we first have to first understand that we have enemies—and know who, and where, they are.
Please contact Steve Posner to book a speaking engagement:
Phone: 760.598.8739 • Fax: 760.598.8814
Email: Steve@steveposner.com
Please visit Steve Posner's website.