40 | FEBRUARY 15 • 2024 J
N
L
os Angeles-based Rabbi
Sharon Brous, who was
voted “
America’s No.
1 Most Influential Rabbi”
by Newsweek and the Daily
Beast, will dive into her new
book, The Amen Effect, at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
on Feb. 21 from 7-9 p.m.
Brous, who serves as senior
rabbi of IKAR in Los Angeles
and whose TED Talk about
reclaiming religion has been
viewed 1.5 million times, will
discuss the book based on
themes of ancient wisdom and
how they intersect with life
today.
The conversation will be
moderated by Congregation
Shaarey Zedek’s Rabbi Yoni
Dahlen and Detroit Opera
Director Yuval Sharon, who
will be interviewing Brous.
‘SHOWING UP’
Released in January 2024,
The Amen Effect, published
by Penguin Random House,
tackles themes Brous first dis-
cussed with her Los Angeles
community 10 years ago.
Witnessing an increase
in loneliness and isolation
amongst the community and
beyond, Brous realized it was
time to speak up. “I had not
spoken about the need to
show up for one another as a
moral, spiritual and religious
imperative,” she explains.
The idea of simply “show-
ing up,” a powerful action
that can often be overlooked,
is a theme in ancient Jewish
wisdom that guides people to
be there for others in times of
both joy and sorrow. Still, this
practice had somehow dissi-
pated over time.
Brous learned that even
prior to the COVID-19 pan-
demic, which only fueled a
devastating increase in loneli-
ness and social isolation, some
30% of Americans didn’t know
the names of their next-door
neighbors. Twenty percent
of Americans, meanwhile,
reported not having a single
confidant they truly trusted
and felt close to in the world.
Alarmed by the numbers,
Brous continued to learn
more about the ancient Jewish
wisdom meant to guide con-
nection, love for others and, of
course, the principle of show-
ing up, eventually inspiring
her to put thoughts to paper
in The Amen Effect.
While it is not an overtly
religious book, Brous calls
the guiding principles of The
Amen Effect an inspiration
for Jewish and non-Jewish
individuals alike. People want
to connect, she explains, but
often don’t have the tools to
do so.
PRACTICAL TOOLS
Each chapter of The Amen
Effect focuses on a different
theme of connection, followed
by practical tools that individ-
uals can apply to their lives
to build upon their own con-
nections or create new ones in
times of love, loss and every-
thing in-between.
One “rule” the book out-
lines, for example, is showing
up to a funeral — a difficult
time when loved ones, and
even acquaintances, need
community and support more
than ever.
“Going to a funeral is an
incredible gesture of love and
re-humanization,” she says.
“Go to the funeral. Go to the
wedding. Go to the 50th birth-
day party. Just show up.”
With a book release that
unexpectedly coincided with
the ongoing Israel-Hamas war,
Brous calls these principles
more important than ever.
“They could help us heal
our own broken hearts,” Brous
explains, “and also help us
mend the rifts in our society.”
The Amen
Effect also discusses getting
to know your neighbors
(influenced by the alarming
statistics on Americans) and
building a “joy break” into
every day.
This short break, Brous
explains, which can be just
a few minutes, can include
anything that makes a person
feel joy, whether that’s blasting
music and dancing around or
calling a friend one knows will
be uplifting.
The Amen Effect, Brous con-
tinues, is “written for anybody
who’s ever had a broken heart
or anybody who’s ever loved
someone with a broken heart.”
In addition, “anyone who’s
trying to understand what it
means to be a human being
in a complicated, painful, bro-
ken and also really beautiful
world.”
The event at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek is sponsored
by Gretchen and Ethan
Davidson, who have pur-
chased 250 copies of The
Amen Effect to give to attend-
ees. Books are available on a
first-come, first-serve basis to
the first 250 registrants.
The event is free and reg-
istration is now open on the
congregation’s website.
To register and learn more about The
Amen Effect: A Conversation with
Rabbi Sharon Brou, visit shaareyzedek.
org.
Rabbi Sharon Brous will discuss themes of connection
in her new book The Amen Effect at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek.
‘America’s No. 1 Most
Influential Rabbi’
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
Rabbi Sharon Brous