Justice 101: Faith, Sanctuary, and Community
Thursday, December 03, 2026
5:30 - 7:30pm EST
Additional details to come, check back for updates.
In sites of incarceration, faith is often more than a personal belief, it a bridge. It builds community, fosters found families, and creates shared warmth in spaces of isolation. Join us for an evening that opens with a panel discussion and features live musical performances exploring how religious connection sustains people through incarceration. In the spirit of Hanukkah, a celebration of perseverance, light, and community, we will gather to honor the spiritual bonds that bring people together behind bars and celebrate Eastern State’s historic synagogue as an enduring space of memory, unity, and hope.
About the Panelists:
We strive to make the penitentiary and our site, programs, and exhibits accessible to all visitors. Click here to learn more about accessibility and accommodations at ESPHS.
This event is part of The Aaron Reichlin Restorative Justice and Faith Conversations, which bring together scholarship, performance, and dialogue to examine how faith traditions foster community, sustain people through and after incarceration, and inform conversations about reentry and justice reform.
This program is part of Justice 101, a discussion series that dives into some of the most pressing issues in criminal justice today, through a historical lens and with a focus on civic education. Each program includes interactive elements, expert voices, and opportunities for community dialogue.
This program is part of A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs exploring the evolving meanings of liberty and justice in America. A Time for Liberty is made possible with support from civic and cultural partners including the City of Philadelphia, America250PA, Campus250, the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, the Philadelphia City Fund’s 2026 Milestone Grant Fund, supported by PECO, the National Trust Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program series, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
