The English have the bells of Westminster Abbey declaring changes of royalty. The French have the bells of Notre Dame Cathedral calling the faithful to their knees. Chautauquans have the bells of Miller Bell Tower to serenade them throughout the season.
But who plays the tunes each day?
Rabbi Debra Orenstein could boast of her impressive resume. She’s supported progressive movements such as LGBT rights and is an alumna of the first entering class at the Jewish Theological Seminary to include women. But when approaching Judaism in the 21st century, Orenstein wants to go back to the basics.
“In a sense, my lecture is very radical,” she said. “And in a sense, it could have been given 500 years ago.”
Orenstein, the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Israel in Emerson, N.J., will speak at 2 p.m. today in the Hall of Philosophy about the promise and limits of tradition and the promise and limits of change. She sees it all starting with a return to the essential values of the Hebrew Bible.
As it had for many years, the name The Chautauquan Daily topped the July 3, 1950, edition of Chautauqua Institution’s summer paper, the first issue of the season.
Added in the 1945 season, a subtitle followed: News of a Famous American Center of Culture. The first headline read “Tradition Marks 77th Season Opening.”
The front page included photos of four men: Ralph McCallister, vice president, in charge of program and education at the Institution; Edgar Fisher, professor at Sweet Briar College who would deliver Week One’s morning lecture series; Hugh Thompson, a nationally known baritone of the Metropolitan Opera Association who would sing that night in the Amphitheater; and Samuel M. Hazlett, president of Chautauqua Institution.
The Chautauquan Daily 