Limmud Conference 2016

Limmud Conference 2016 – Friday 21:15

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Confess! Confess! Confess!

David-Yehuda Stern 

Green 25

The concept of confession may be intricately linked with the Roman Catholic Church and the forced pre-trial confessions of the Middle Ages, but Judaism has its own very different understanding of confession. In this session we will explore a range of Jewish sources that explore how, what and why Jews confess.

Is the hunt for Nazi war criminals over?

Efraim Zuroff 

Red 2

A look at the Wiesenthal Center's "Operation Last Chance" project which offers money in return for information which facilitates prosecution of Nazi war criminals, and the new dramatic developments in Germany which led to dozens of new investigations.

Joseph: the man and the myth

Joe Gamse 

Blue 33

Joseph is mentioned in the same breath as Moses and the patriarchs, and as the progenitor of the first Messiah. But who was he, and what ideals does he come to represent in Jewish tradition? We will explore some answers through biblical, rabbinic and chassidic texts. No Hebrew skills required, though knowledge of the musical very much encouraged.

Midrash and metaphor

Samuel Lebens 

Red 4

Some metaphors are literally true: no man is an island. Some metaphors are literally false, but convey something true. When you say that someone has a stone heart, you're not accurately describing their anatomy! How do metaphors do what they do? We explore some Midrashic answers to this question.

My ancestors were Syrian refugees

Albert Ringer 

Blue 34

Torah starts with people, forced out of paradise, the story of our Patriarchs with Abraham, leaving Padam-Aram. Diaspora is central to our understanding of the world. Nobody is in the right place not even God. In this session, we read traditional texts and will speak about what it is to be a refugee and how we feel about refugees coming here.

Shabbat melodies in Jerusalem

Mordechai (Motti) Friedman 

Orange 10

Jerusalem is blessed with colourful and diverse communities, each with its own synagogues, traditional prayers and Zemirot (Shabbat table songs). This session will be a glimpse of assorted melodies and stories still experienced at the Shabbat meal in Jerusalem today.

The most important theologian you've never heard of

Jonathan Neumann 

Red 3

This time last year saw the passing of Michael Wyschogrod z"l, one of the most remarkable Jewish theologians of recent times. This session will introduce his groundbreaking interpretation of Judaism, which deserves a wider reception than it received in his lifetime.

The Rebbe's tisch

Janie Grackin 

Orange 12

A long-time tradition of our Jewish culture, The Rebbe's tisch offers opportunities for everyone, young and old, experienced tellers and newcomers, to share a special Shabbat story or song. Come tell! Come sing! Come listen!

What does Donald Trump's presidential victory mean for us?

Ben Crowne  Kayla Feldman  David Benkof 

Red 7

It's perhaps the greatest shock ever seen in electoral politics. Nobody saw Donald Trump occupying the White House, but in the next month that's exactly what will happen. Join our panel to discuss what this means for us and where we go from here, as interested observers, Jews and citizens of the world.

Yehuda Amichai: was he a traitor?

Aviva Dautch 

Green 26

In 1965 Ted Hughes commissioned English versions of Yehuda Amichai’s poems for "Modern Poetry in Translation". On introducing his work to an international audience, Amichai implied he could be considered a traitor for writing as he did. In this session we'll think about why he said this and explore one of his early (potentially traitorous?) poems.

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