Metro Weekly

Sixth and I’s upcoming discussions include Malcolm Gladwell, Amy Klobuchar, and “Rabbi vs. Jedi”

Virtual discussions at Sixth and I will highlight bold-name authors and topical concerns

sixth & i
Malcolm Gladwell, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Daniel H. Pink

Downtown’s Sixth and I Historic Synagogue is on tap to host a number of notable all-virtual discussions over the next several weeks, most featuring bold-name authors promoting newly published books addressing timely or topical concerns — with the exception of two non-book-oriented events that couldn’t be more different.

The lineup includes Justin Baldoni, the actor and director from Jane the Virgin who will discuss his new book Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity, on Wednesday, April 28, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 plus Eventbrite fee, or $34 including one signed book. A day later, on Thursday, April 29, at 7 p.m., celebrated author Malcolm Gladwell will be in conversation with like-minded, social sciences-focused author Dan Pink focused on Gladwell’s new book, The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, A Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War. $32 plus fees and including one book with a signed bookplate.

Things take a seriously cerebral turn with a truly capital-I-important discussion on Monday, May 10, at 7 p.m., when Amy Klobuchar, the senior senator from Minnesota and former Democratic presidential candidate, will train a critical eye on today’s technology giants in a discussion led by Kara Swisher, one of the nation’s preeminent tech journalists.

The discussion will surround Klobuchar’s new book, Antitrust: Taking on Monopoly Power from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age. $10 plus Eventbrite fee, or $38 including one signed book.

A week before Shavuot, on Tuesday, May 11, at 7 p.m., Sixth and I’s Chef Vered Guttman will put a Sephardic twist on the Ashkenazi tradition of eating dairy dishes on the holiday with “Jewish Flavor: Shavuot Feast.” Guttman will feature recipes for Israeli-style cheesecake, green pea, kale, and ricotta pashtida (kugel), and Iraqi crepes. The cost is $12.

Prior to that, on May 4, at 7 p.m. Sixth and I’s Rabbi Aaron Potek will lead the most unexpected discussion delving into the most unexpected question of them all — how Jewish is Star Wars? Titled “Rabbi vs. Jedi: Star Wars Through a Jewish Lens.”

On that “unofficial holiday” for Star Wars fans comes an examination of the Jewish themes found in the recent films from the franchise’s most recent trilogy, and comparing “famous quotes, major themes, and central ideas from the films to Jewish texts on similar topics.” No knowledge of Judaism is necessary. Knowledge of Star Wars, however. The cost is $12.

For a complete listing of events, visit www.sixthandi.org.

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