The Aaron Reichlin Restorative Justice and Faith Conversations
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 to Thursday, December 31, 2026
The Aaron Reichlin Restorative Justice and Faith Conversations 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. Rooted in the history of Eastern State Penitentiary’s synagogue—the first-ever dedicated synagogue inside an American prison—this series activates Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site as a space for engagement and community-building. This series is made possible in part by a generous grant from The Reichlin and Tuck Families.
Upcoming Events in this Series
Justice 101: Religious Freedom and the Justice System
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Explore the complex legal story of religious freedom and the justice system, and unpack how it continues to unfold in courtrooms, prisons, and jails across the country today. Delve into notable rulings that protected the rights of incarcerated people to practice their faiths behind bars. Speakers include Michael Moreland, J.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Law and Religion & Director of the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Villanova University), Marci A. Hamilton, J.D. (Professor of Practice in Political Science & Fox Family Pavilion Non-Resident Fellow in the Program for Research of Religion, University of Pennsylvania), and others to be announced.
Justice 101: Faith, Sanctuary, and Community
Wednesday, December 09, 2026
5:30pm - 6:30pm
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.
Justice 101: Religious Freedom and the Justice System
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Explore the complex legal story of religious freedom and the justice system, and unpack how it continues to unfold in courtrooms, prisons, and jails across the country today. Delve into notable rulings that protected the rights of incarcerated people to practice their faiths behind bars. Speakers include Michael Moreland, J.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Law and Religion & Director of the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Villanova University), Marci A. Hamilton, J.D. (Professor of Practice in Political Science & Fox Family Pavilion Non-Resident Fellow in the Program for Research of Religion, University of Pennsylvania), and others to be announced.
Justice 101: Faith, Sanctuary, and Community
Wednesday, December 09, 2026
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.
