This three-part course, Power Point program will briefly touch on the origins of countries surrounding Israel, and issues of water, natural resources, religion, and regional alliances. It will then examine Israel’s relations with its neighbors, along with threats to and opportunities for peaceful coexistence.  It will speak to the Abraham Accords, what is evolving from them and which countries might be the next to join.  It will discuss in some detail Iran and its proxies, how Israel broke through the “Iranian noose;” and bring matters up to the current moment in time.

Using maps extensively, Rabbi Joel will help participants identify locations of and developments in countries that surround Israel.

Rabbi Schwartzman is a Reform rabbi, ordained at the Hebrew Union College, where he received his Bachelor of Hebrew Letters, Masters of Hebrew Letters, and Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa). He served for twenty-three years as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, retiring in the rank of colonel. He is a graduate of both Air Command and Staff, and Air Force War College. After leaving the Air Force, he led congregations in Denver, Colorado, and the Synagogue of the Summit in Summit County, CO.  He is now retired from the active rabbinate, but continues to teach about Israel and its neighbors.