Spotlight on CLAL
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IRWIN KULA WINS “BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE” AWARD
Yearnings: Embracing
the Sacred Messiness of Life
Chosen as Best “Spiritual” Book for 2006
On February 26, at the eleventh annual “Books for a Better Life” Awards,
Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life (Hyperion 2006) by
Rabbi Irwin Kula was selected as the best book in the Spiritual category.
Beating out books by such notable authors as Harold Kushner and Gary Willis,
Yearnings was honored as one of the leading self-improvement books of
2006 that helps people to live a better life.
Drawing on Jewish wisdom and other ancient and contemporary wisdom
traditions, Yearnings offers people a way to discover the
opportunities that are hidden in the complexities and difficulties of life.
Challenging the notion that the messiness in our lives is something to be
feared, avoided, or too quickly cleaned up, Rabbi Kula teaches that it is
precisely the messiness of our human experiences in seeking love, happiness,
meaning, and truth that fuels our life journey for self awareness and
understanding of others, for greater wisdom and deeper compassion. Weaving
together classic texts and personal stories, Kula reveals how through a
“dance with uncertainty” we find the sacred path to building a richer life.
The Awards ceremony, emceed by Meredith Vieira, co-anchor of NBC-TV’s The
Today Show, and chaired by Steve Murphy, President and CEO of Rodale
Inc., brought out the foremost authors in the self-help field. Winners of
the nine categories Childcare & Parenting, Inspirational Memoir,
Motivational, Personal Finance, Psychology, Relationships, Spiritual, the
Suze Orman First Book Award, and Wellness were selected by a distinguished
group of authors, journalists and educators from such fields as personal
finance, spirituality and media, who had to judge from a record breaking 450
submissions. The event took place at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New
York City, with proceeds benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
NYC Chapter.
In his acceptance speech, Rabbi Kula acknowledged Harold Kushner as the
first person to read his manuscript, and as a model for bringing Jewish
wisdom into the public square. He stated that “we are living in a moment
when religion is being used in dangerous ways by all communities, and that
we need models of using the particular religious traditions to which we are
passionately committed in ways that both deepen and transcend our own
communities and tribes. We need to mine our traditions for the wisdom that
can enhance our personal and communal lives, helping us to love more deeply
and live more vitally.” Yearnings, he said, was his contribution to
helping anyone deal with the messiness of their lives.
Also at the event, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken
Soup for the Soul series, and Peter Workman, President and Publisher of
Workman Publishing Co., were inducted into the Ardath Rodale Hall of Fame.
Past inductees include Judy Collins and Deepak Chopra.
Rabbi Irwin Kula is the President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for
Learning and Leadership in New York City. Called by Fast Company
magazine a new leader shaping the American spiritual landscape, he is a
regular guest on NBC’s The Today Show, and is co-host of
Hirschfield and Kula, Intelligent Talk Radio, airing on KXL in Portland,
Oregon.
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