The Smith Lectures in Contemporary Jewish Life and Thought will be offered as an extension of the academic offerings at William Jewell College for the 2012-2013 academic year. The free lectures are open to the public.

In their second year, the lectures are provided by the family of Edward and Beth Smith through the Jewish Community Foundation of Kansas City. Their daughter, Debbie Smith, serves on the Board of Trustees of William Jewell College.

Leading the four-part Smith Lectures throughout the year will be Rabbi Neal Schuster of Overland Park, Kan. Two evening lectures are planned during each semester. Lectures are at 5:30 p.m. Sunday evenings in the Gill Family Meeting Room of Yates-Gill College Union (Rooms 221-222). The fall semester schedule includes:

• Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012: Essential Texts in Torah Study, Part 1
• Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012: Essential Texts in Torah Study, Part 2

Rabbi Schuster holds a B.A. in business administration from the University of Washington, an M.A. in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Los Angeles, as well as an M.A. in Hebrew Letters from HUC-JIR. Since 2009, he has served as the rabbi and Senior Jewish Educator at the Hillel chapter at the University of Kansas, where he is also a member of the faculty in the university’s Jewish Studies Program.