The Eighth Annual Celebration of Abraham will be held Sunday January 30 from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. 

There are obvious cases where race or religion causes someone to feel victimized, “but many individual experiences in our lives, such as a traumatizing marriage break up, a history of childhood abuse, or career disappointments, can also leave people with feelings of victimhood,” said Ernie Biberstein, a member of the Celebration of Abraham organizing committee who himself survived the horrors of living in Nazi Germany.

 It is a universally pertinent discussion that organizers hope will help those attending with not only their own process, but that of those around them. “There is not a person in Davis who cannot identify, either through personal experience or indirectly, with the state of victimhood,” said Michael Hirsch, who will be introducing the topic at the event on January 30^th. “Whether it is historical or currently part of a person’s life, there is a place for mutual understanding that we hope will benefit all present at the gathering.”

The design of the program will be similar to what it has been in years past. Participants, sitting at round tables, will have ample opportunity to share their ideas with their neighbors by answering questions meant to spark discussion. The afternoon completes with a ritual of washing each other’s hands at each individual table and breaking a loaf of bread together as symbols of respect and connection.

All are invited to the Celebration of Abraham, which is free and typically draws between 300 and 400 people of all spiritual paths from throughout Yolo County, Sacramento, and the region. The event will be held at the Memorial Center gymnasium at Saint James Catholic Church, 1275 B Street in Davis.