Join us for a screening of The History of Sound at West Newton Cinema, followed by a panel sponsored by Brookline and Newton clergy.
Set around World War I, the film tells a tender story of two young men bound by music and a profound connection.
The discussion will feature Rabbi Toba Spitzer and Rev. Diego Garrido Barreto.
In 1917, Lionel — a young, talented music student — meets David at the Boston Conservatory, where they bond over a deep love of folk music. Years later, Lionel receives a letter from David, leading to an impromptu journey through the backwoods of Maine to collect traditional songs. This unexpected reunion, ensuing love affair, and the music they collect and preserve, will shape the course of Lionel’s life far beyond his own awareness.
PANEL DISCUSSION FOLLOWS:
RABBI TOBA SPITZER
Rabbi Toba Spitzer has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek in West Newton, MA since graduating from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1997. She is a past president of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis , and currently serves as the co-chair of the New England region of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Her groundbreaking book God Is Here: Reimagining the Divine, was published by St Martin’s Press in 2022, and is now being taught in synagogues and churches around the country. She served as the President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association from 2007-2009, and was the first openly LGBTQ rabbi to head a national rabbinic organization. Rabbi Spitzer has received the honor of being included in Newsweek’s Top 50 Rabbis in America 2008 list as well as the 2010 Forward list of 50 Female Rabbis Who Are Making A Difference. She has a life goal of bowling in all 50 states (32 down so far!).
REV. DIEGO GARRIDO BARRETO (He/Him)
Rev. Diego Garrido Barreto, MDiv (2025), born in 1996 in Bogotá, Colombia. He is a recently ordained Unitarian Universalist minister whose ministry is shaped by a bilingual and multicultural vision. A graduate of Boston University School of Theology, he is the recipient of the 2025 Hare Preaching Prize and the 2024 Climate Justice Revival UUA sermon award. He has served as ministerial intern at First Church in Chestnut Hill, where his work integrates preaching, spiritual direction, and community-building. Grounded in mystical traditions while drawing from interfaith sources, his ministry explores belovedness, migration, and contemplative justice.
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