Felix Frankfurter, vilified by conservatives for being too liberal when he was a law school professor and an advisor to President Roosevelt and vilified by liberals for being too conservative when he was on the Supreme Court (1929-1962), is the subject of a new biography: Democratic Justice. The thesis of the book is that Frankfurter's views on the role of the Supreme Court in the American system of government was consistent throughout his life, consistently democratic. This SDG will examine those views, how they were formed and how they were tested by studying Frankfurter's opinions dealing with the hot button issues of the day (which continue to be hot button issues today, e. g., Brown v. Board of Education and Involved Citizens v. Seattle). But Frankfurter's life is worthy of study not just for his judicial role; he took on the Boston and Harvard establishment in bringing to light the procedural flaws in the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti and the attempt to set a quota for Jewish students at Harvard, he served as the HR Department for the New Deal as well as advising Roosevelt on a range of issues, including matters of war and peace, and as Justice Brandeis's surrogate he became one of the leading Zionists in the United States.
The Book of Genesis
This SDG proposes to engage in an in depth study of the book of Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible. We will discuss such issues as:
Why was the book of Genesis written and why was it included in the Bible?
Why does the story of creation, which is probably the latest writing to be included in the Hebrew Bible, appear at the very beginning of the book?
How does the Biblical creation story compare to Mesopotamian creation stories?
What happens when a divine commandment conflicts with one's own conscience?
Why are we introduced to so many dysfunctional families?
Finally, we will discuss whether the text has any relevance in the 21st century.
In addition to the Biblical text, we will also be introduced to other texts which relate to the Biblical text, such as Mesopotamian texts relating to the creation story and the Flood story.
Each week's discussion will culminate with an artistic depiction of an event related to the weekly topic.
Our text will be Robert Alter's translation of Genesis, including commentary.
If you wish to explore this ancient, fascinating text and learn more about it, join the Genesis SDG.
