Mayoral hopefuls will debate

AFSCME Council 66, which includes BENTE/AFSCME Local 2419 and AFSCME 1635, will host a mayoral candidates forum on Thursday, June 8, featuring the three Democratic candidates: former TV reporter Rachel Barnhart, Monroe County Legislator James Sheppard, and Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren. The event will be held at East High School, 1801 East Main Street, at 5:30 p.m. Information: 721-1191.

Untangling religion and governance

Americans United will present "Church and State: the Strange Career of Free Exercise," a talk by legal scholar and writer Garrett Epps, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13. Epps is the author of "Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial" and "Ten Right-Wing Myths about our Constitution." In his talk, at the Brighton Memorial Library, 2300 Elmwood Avenue, he'll discuss the issue of separation of church and state.

Creating peace in Israel

Temple Beth Am will present "Fifty Years On: The Cost of Occupation from an Israeli Perspective," a talk by Maya Haber, director of Partners for Progressive Israel, on Sunday, June 11. Haber completed her graduate studies at the University of London, where she focused on the relationship between the collapse of the Israeli welfare state and the occupation. The event will be held at Temple Beth Am (on the Temple B'rith Kodesh campus), 2131 Elmwood Avenue, Entrance A, at 10:30 a.m.

Linking transit and sustainability

Reconnect Rochester and the Rochester People's Climate Coalition will present short films and a panel discussion on the topic of "The Road to Sustainability" on Wednesday, June 14. The program will explore the relationship between transportation and sustainability. Panelists are Anne Spaulding, energy and sustainability manager for the City of Rochester; Pittsford Mayor Robert Corby; Benjamin Woelk, Common Ground Health; and Abby McCue McGriff, Rochester People's Climate Coalition. The event will be at the Little Theatre, at 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation: $5 to $25.