Sinai and Synapses, fiscally sponsored by Clal – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, is thrilled to announce the selection of 11 communities as part of its project “Scientists in Synagogues.”
These institutions will be drawing on a combination of their own internal expertise and leadership, as well as guest speakers, to present classes, talks and events on topics ranging from “DIY Messiah: Brain-Computer Interface, Telepathy, and Bio-Hacking Human Enhancement” to “The Nuclear Family and the Nuclear World: Religion and Science for Los Alamos in the 21st Century” to “Fire Resilience and Jewish Values in the Face of Climate Change” (developed by a synagogue that lost its physical home in the southern California wildfires last year).
The selected organizations represent five different U.S. states plus Israel; three of them were Reform communities, four were Conservative, two were Orthodox, two were independent, one was unaffiliated, and one was post-denominational. Funding for Scientists in Synagogues comes from The John Templeton Foundation and other donors, and the program is run in consultation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER).
The selected organizations will receive $5000 for programming, as well as guidance and mentorship from both Sinai and Synapses and AAAS DoSER. They will run a minimum of three programs addressing issues around science and religion between June 2026 and July 2027, at least one of which will be open to the larger public, and create multimedia content on how they explore the interaction of Judaism and science in their communities.
“Even in just the last few months, questions surrounding artificial intelligence, science-based medicine, and building resilience have come even more to the forefront of people’s minds,” said Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman, Founding Director of Sinai and Synapses. “And as we have seen since its launch in 2016, Scientists in Synagogues brings to bear Jewish wisdom on how we both grapple with and embrace these challenges. How do we understand our ancient wisdom in light of new findings and new technologies? These communities will lift up new ways to see how science and Judaism can come together in meaningful ways.”
The selection of these communities now brings the total number of synagogues that have been part of this project to 75, reaching over 20,000 people in live programming since 2016. Sinai and Synapses is excited for the work that these eleven communities will be doing to elevate the conversation on science and Judaism.
The selected communities for February 2026 are:
Beth Jacob Congregation, Mendota Heights, MN — “Leading Edge Technology and Judaism”
Congregation Emek Beracha, Palo Alto, CA — “SCI & Sinai”
Congregation Agudas Achim, Austin, TX — “DIY Messiah: Brain-Computer Interface, Telepathy, and Bio-Hacking Human Enhancement”
Congregation Kol Ami, West Hollywood, CA — “AI in Scientific Research, Education and the Treatment of Psychological Trauma”
Kehillat Or Hadash, Jerusalem, Israel — “Synthesizing Judaism and Science: Case Studies in Conflict and Resolution”
Los Alamos Jewish Center, Los Alamos, NM — “The Nuclear Family and the Nuclear World: Religion and Science for Los Alamos in the 21st Century”
The Open Temple, Venice, CA — “Star // Light”
Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, Pasadena, CA — “Fire Resilience and Jewish Values in the Face of Climate Change”
Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village, CA — “Mada u’Mesorah (Science and Tradition)”
Temple Beth Sholom, Framingham, MA — “Faith and Facts: Jewish Conversations on Science”
Temple Isaiah, Lexington, MA — “JudAIsm in the 21st Century”
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