Dr. Stephen B. Segall

Website: http://www.etzhaimpress.com
Residence : Ann Arbor, Michigan

Biographical information

Dr. Stephen Segall is a physicist who has worked in the areas of controlled thermonuclear fusion, Star Wars lasers, theoretical physics and artificial intelligence. He received his bachelor's degree from Columbia College and his MSc and PhD from the University of Maryland. He has also studied at the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University and taught physics and math at the high school and college level in Hebrew in Israel. At the present time Dr. Segall is the Head of the Optical Measurements Laboratory at the Engineering Research Center at the University of Michigan.

As one would expect, Dr. Segall tries to view religion from the viewpoint of a scientist. This includes understanding what the fundamental concepts of a religion are and when, where and by whom the concepts were originated. He has applied this approach to understanding the origin and evolution of the Jewish religion as well as the influence of Judaism on other monotheistic religions. Much of this is described in his book Understanding the Exodus and Other Mysteries of Jewish History published by Etz Haim Press.

Dr. Segall is married, has four children and lives with his wife Miriam in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In his spare time he enjoys bicycle touring.

• The historical accuracy of the Torah
  The Torah is a book of legends transmitted orally for many generations before they were written down. These legends include myths, highly embellished accounts of real events and reasonably accurate descriptions of actual events. This talk shows how descriptions of natural phenomena in the Torah can help separate fact from fiction in the biblical stories.
• The Great Flood and global warming
  This talk describes the evidence for a Great Flood, when it occurred, the geophysical events leading up to the Flood, the possibility of another great flood and the relationship between ice ages, global warming and the Flood.
• The Exodus and the origin of the Jewish religion
  This talk gives the historical background for the Exodus. It explains how and why the Israelites became slaves, where the religion Moses gave the Israelites originated, what the fundamental principles of this religion were, who organized the Exodus and when and why it took place.
• Life after death in Judaism
  A belief in life after death was totally absent from the religion Moses gave the Israelites. This talk explains when and by whom the concept of life after death was introduced into Judaism and how it became a pervasive belief that was also incorporated into Christianity and Islam.
• The evolution of Christianity from a Jewish sect to an independent religion
  This talk discusses where the beliefs of Jesus and the early Christians originated, how Christianity survived the death of Jesus and how and why the early Christians tried to differentiate their religion from Judaism.
• Ancient contact between Jews and American Indians
  After the failure of the Bar Kochba rebellion against Rome in the second century many Jews who had fought the Romans fled to areas not under Roman control. There is evidence to indicate that some of these refugees reached North America and had a lasting impact on the religion and culture of the Cherokee Indians.
• The origins of Eastern European Jewry
  With the rise of Christianity in Western Europe and the rise of Islam in the Middle East in the seventh century, the position of Jewish communities in their traditional locations became precarious. This talk explains the reason Jews were welcomed and Jewish communities thrived in Eastern Europe.
• The future of Judaism in America
  What must Jews do individually and collectively to address the challenges of intermarriage and assimilation? How can young people be encouraged to become more active in the Jewish community? How can rituals and practices be adapted to have meaning in today's society? This talk shows how Judaism can become more relevant in a modern world by returning to its ancient roots.

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