We naturally join together in the face of danger and would more easily see ourselves as “human beings” rather than specific religious communities if life is discovered on other planets. So if we did find life on other planets, what would this mean for religion? Would those planets also have their own gods and theologies? From our perspective on Earth, the existence of life elsewhere may unite us – especially if this extraterrestrial life is threatening in nature. The possibility of extraterrestrial life is no longer just the domain of science fiction. The universe is so unimaginably vast, with billions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy alone – and some may have conditions favorable to the development of life. Since the first one was detected less than 30 years ago, exoplanets in the habitable zone of stars have been found in ever-increasing numbers, which are now believed to be in the 10 22 magnitude. Max spoke about the discovery of exoplanets, which are planets circling other stars. Our outdoor picnic dinner was followed by a lecture from Professor Clare Max, the Director of the University of California Observatories at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Seeing the astrophysicists at work, and videoconferencing with the UCLA black hole research team, was a fascinating treat. We also visited the Shane 3-m telescope and others located at the facility. In the late afternoon sunlight, we toured the magnificent facility and learned about its history, which dates back to the late 1800s.
To explore these questions, inspired by our Scientists in Synagogues event series, members of Shir Hadash Congregation braved the tortuous road up Mount Hamilton for an extraordinary evening together at the Lick Observatory, located in California’s Diablo Mountains Range overlooking the Santa Clara Valley in the Bay Area. How would alien life impact our special relationship to our creator? How would the existence of other sentient beings affect Jewish belief and understanding? Would the discovery of intelligent life on another planet change the way we think about religion?Īs Jews, our identity and spiritual heritage comes from the belief in an almighty Creator who sculpted the heavens and the earth from chaos, or ‘ Tohu va-vohu’.
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