Howard Kaplan will speak about traveling to Syria, the history of Syrian Jewry interwoven in his novels, and his recently published book, The Syrian Sunset; a sweeping novel of international intrigue about the Syrian Civil War, the failure of the West to save the Syrian people, and how that inaction against the Russian incursion in Syria emboldened Vladimir Putin to attack Ukraine.

Dinner will be catered by Falafel King.

Howard Kaplan, a native of Los Angeles, has lived in Israel and traveled extensively through Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. At the age of 21, he was sent on a mission into the Soviet Union to smuggle a dissident's manuscript on microfilm to London. His first trip was a success. On his second trip, he transferred a manuscript to the Dutch Ambassador inside his Moscow embassy. A week later, he was arrested in Khartiv in the Ukraine and interrogated for two days there and then two days in Moscow, before being expelled from the USSR. The KGB had picked him up for meeting dissidents and did not know about the manuscript transfers. He holds a BA in Middle East History from UC Berkeley and an MA in Philosophy of Education from UCLA. He is the author of five novels.

DAMASCUS COVER is now a major motion picture starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Sir John Hurt and Olivia Thirlby.

Visit Howard's website: http://www.howardkaplanbooks.com

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/HowardKaplanauthor/

$12 member, $18 nonmember suggested donation for the catered meal.

On the second Friday of each month, join your Shomrei Torah family at the Rabbi’s Tisch (table) in lieu of regular Friday night Shabbat service. 

Evening Schedule (times are approximate):
6:15 - 6:45 - Shabbat Blessings and Meal
6:45 - 7:10 - Misheberach and Kaddish
7:15 - 8:15 - Speaker Presentation

You may also join us virtually via Livestream or Facebook Live. The Zoom link is available in your weekly CST Connect email or by request. If you missed a previously live-streamed service, view our Video Library.

Please reserve your seat below to attend in person.