https://spinozahavurah.org/2026/01/06/shabbat-with-marcos-bazmandegan-january-10-2026/

Besides, our regular Shabbat service, we will also have a special speaker. Here's more info about it:

This service will be followed by a talk by Dr. Marcos Bazmandegan on his recent book which explores the life and thought of Uriel da Costa, a Sephardic Jew of Portuguese origin, presenting him as an intellectual precursor of Spinoza and the author of the first major critique of Rabbinic Judaism prior to the Theological-Political Treatise. It examines his life of exile, his break with religious orthodoxy, and his defense of reason, individual conscience, and ethical humanism, placing his ideas within the broader context of the Sephardic diaspora. At the same time, the book serves as a reflection on Sephardism, secularism, and Jewish Humanism, portraying Uriel da Costa as a powerful symbol of intellectual resistance and freedom of thought.

#UrielDaCosta #Spinoza #HumanisticJudaism #Philosophy #Sephardism