unBIASed message
Dear Friends,
It’s hard to believe it is December already! unBIASed has been extremely busy. Along with planning a number of events for 2026, here’s a short recap of a few of the things we have been doing.
On September 18, several of our committee members participated in an Interfaith Dialogue and Peace conference at Miami Dade College. Rabbi Aklepi joined a panel of interfaith clergy, organized by our community partner, MDC Professor Mohammad Homayounvash. The program was presented for the benefit of Miami-Dade College students.
We partnered with the regular TBAM Saturday Minyan group to help sponsor a lovely Sukkot Saturday Minyan service and potluck lunch on October 11. Rabbi Aklepi led us in prayer and a beautiful service, enriched by the inspiring music of Jessica Bass and Dyanna Whitman.
Pamela Lear presented an insightful d’var Torah, encouraging us to consider “living our lives as a Sukkah”—letting in the wind and rain as they come, but also the sunshine—and remembering to invite others in. A delicious potluck luncheon was enjoyed by all.
On October 9, unBIASed co-sponsored with AJC and FIU an excellent and informative lunch and learn, organized by our FIU community partner, Professor Iqbal Akhtar. The guest speaker, Professor Charles Small, director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism Policy (ISGAP), spoke on the topic, “Beyond the Campus Crisis—Reimagining Antisemitism Studies in American Universities.” He raised Important issues, which were followed by insightful dialogue.
We are excited to have additional committee members who have joined the unBIASed Initiative in the past few months. We invite YOU to join us, too. You may be asking, “What does unBIASed do? What can I bring to the project?”
The answer is, we are all volunteers. We do projects and events and make connections in the community based on what each individual committee member brings to the table. We each have our unique talents, life experiences, and interests. We want your ideas—and you. Please reach out to any of our board or committee members or any of our clergy.
This month, I have asked Susan Lampen to share her thoughts on her experiences since becoming involved with unBIASed. A founding member of the unBIASed executive board, Susan, her husband, Dick, and their daughters are longtime TBAM members who have been actively involved in all aspects of our TBAM community. As many of you know, Susan served as Sisterhood president. Most recently, she has taken a leadership role in working with our unBIASed diverse community partners to plan our third annual Breaking Bread Breaking Bias Interfaith Gathering and Community Potluck (November 16). Thank you, Susan, for all you do.
Wishing you and yours a Happy Chanukah
L’Shalom,
Joanne Harvest Koren
Chair, unBIASed