A Rabbi and a Doctor Walk into a Bar (or a Rotary Meeting…)

Speaker Friday, September 5, 2025

What happens when a Rabbi and a doctor walk into a Rotary meeting? You get a conversation that challenges assumptions, deepens understanding, and explores life’s most meaningful questions. In their new book, A Rabbi and a Doctor Walk into a Bar, Frank Boehm and Mark Schiftan ask whether science and religion can truly share the same table—and whether questions about God, ethics, and meaning can be explored not through argument, but with empathy. Their candid dialogue creates a space for critical reflection that is both challenging and inspiring, reminding us of the importance of approaching life’s biggest questions with open minds and open hearts.

Join the Green Hills Rotary Club on Thursday, September 5, 2025, at 7:15 a.m. at the Boy Scout Service Center on Hillsboro Road for a thought-provoking presentation by Dr. Frank Boehm and Rabbi Mark Schiftan. Drawing from their collaborative work, Boehm and Schiftan will discuss how a man of science and a man of faith can engage in honest dialogue about belief, ethics, life passages, and meaning.

Dr. Boehm is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he served as Director of the Maternal Fetal Division, Co-Chair of the Department, and Chair of the Vanderbilt Medical Center Ethics Committee. Rabbi Schiftan is Rabbi Emeritus at The Temple in Nashville, where he served as Senior Rabbi for 23 years. He is also Chair of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission and Rabbi in Residence at Belmont University.

Whether you consider yourself a person of faith, a follower of science, or simply someone interested in life’s deeper questions, this session offers a unique opportunity to reflect, connect, and engage.

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