Har Sinai Hebrew Congregation will be presenting a forum, America and Its Guns: The Local and National Debate on Gun Control, on Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m., at its synagogue located at 2421 Pennington Rd., Pennington.
The forum will include a discussion about the state of gun control in America and in the community, and will feature a panel of national and regional experts versed in the topics of second amendment rights and gun control legislation. The forum is free and open to the public.
Panelists include:
• Steven J. Santarsiero (D-Bucks), who represents the 31st Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
• Jonathan Goldstein, an attorney whose Hatfield, PA and Berwyn, PA practice focuses on firearms law, election law and entrepreneurial business advising, who is also a National Rifle Association certified pistol instructor.
• Timothy Grant, a captain with The College of New Jersey police department.
• Dr. Arnold Speert, former president of William Paterson University.
Attendees are asked to RSVP in advance for the forum by calling the Har Sinai office, 609-730-8100, or visiting www.harsinai.org. Har Sinai’s Arms of the Temple committee is presenting the forum. The committee sponsors a continuing speaker series that invites knowledgeable guests to discuss vital topics for the enrichment of Har Sinai congregants and the community.
About the Panelists
Representative Santarsiero will be the evening’s keynote speaker. Santarsiero, a resident of Lower Makefield, PA, is an advocate for gun safety. He is the is the prime sponsor of Pennsylvania General Assembly House Bill 1010, which would require background checks to be conducted on all firearm purchasers. Santarsiero has announced his intention to run for a seat in the U.S. Congress representing Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District comprised of Bucks County and portions of Montgomery County.
Mr. Goldstein is a volunteer attorney for several firearms organizations. He speaks on firearms law and safety across Pennsylvania and is a non-director member of the NRA board’s Outreach Committee. Mr. Goldstein is also active in Pennsylvania politics, having twice been a candidate for Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Captain Grant is 35-year law enforcement professional. As Associate Director of TCNJ, he is responsible for the overall safety of the campus community. Captain Grant contributes monthly to Trenton’s Violent Crime Strategic Targeting team, which develops strategies for reducing gun violence. In 2009 he retired from a career with the NJ State Police, which included assignments in its street gang, missing persons, and organized crime units.
Dr. Speert will hold the role of moderator during the panel discussion. Dr. Speert earned a doctorate in chemistry from Princeton University where he was a National Institute of Health Fellow. He is a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
About Har Sinai
Har Sinai Hebrew Congregation, founded in 1857 in Trenton, is a Reform Jewish Congregation that is affiliated with the Union of Reform Judaism. The congregation serves as home to people from Mercer, Hunterdon, Burlington, Middlesex and Somerset Counties in New Jersey, as well as Bucks County in Pennsylvania.
Har Sinai is an inclusive congregation that welcomes all who wish to learn about Judaism, teach it to their children, and live a Jewish life. The congregation seeks to provide a sense of community among members, to enhance Jewish family life and culture, and to promote the practice of Jewish values and good deeds (“mitzvot”), social action, and social justice in daily lives, at home, at work, and in the community.
Har Sinai is located at 2421 Pennington Rd. in Pennington. The congregation’s phone number is 609-730-8100.
