Stephen Frosh Laurence Harris UK Jewish Film
Orange 13
Born in a post war displaced persons camp and separated as toddlers, Shep and Izak grew up unaware of each other’s existence. Reunited six decades on, they put the pieces together. Their biological mother Aida holds key information about their identities that she refuses to share. When they find out, they understand her years of silence.
Green 27
Birthright Israel has engaged nearly 600,000 Jewish young adults from around the world. We will explore what has been accomplished, and why it has had transformative effects on participants.
Yellow 21
Maimonides outlines an order and hierarchy of giving, but does this text need an update? Together we will interact with some of Maimonides’ levels, explore how they relate to our own inclinations towards giving, and consider if this text is a living roadmap for now or a relic of the past.
Marquee 2
The “Anthology of Yiddish Folksongs”, published by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, devotes one whole volume to Mordechai Gebirtig, a giant of Yiddish folksong, murdered by the Nazis in his beloved Krakow in 1942. The talk will illustrate his life through his songs and poetry. Be prepared to sing: lullabies, love songs and songs of resistance!
Blue 34
As a researcher and writer, Keith has two separate areas of expertise: Jews and heavy metal. But how far do they cross over? How Jewish is heavy metal (and vice versa)? Despite presenting dozens of sessions at every Limmud since 1996 he has never done a session on Jews and metal. Today, he will break his silence.
Orange 12
How can Israel reconcile Jewish nationhood, democratic norms, and a large ethnic minority with competing nationalist claims? Why can't Israel write a constitution? What of the purportedly "anti-democratic" bills that seem all the rage in the Knesset in recent years? Warning: there won't be many satisfying answers here. Come for the questions.
Julian Sinclair Shoshana Boyd Gelfand Nick Gendler Zahavit Shalev
Orange 15
Ever wondered what it would look like if you crossed Limmud with TED (the popular conference where inspiring speakers give "the talk of their life")? Launched at Limmud Conference 2011, JDOV is back for our sixth year. Join us as four inspiring speakers give the “Jewish talk of their life.” Previous talks can be found at www.jhub.org.uk/jdov.
Red 5
“Let my People Go!”, “J’accuse!” are two well-known slogans of Jewish Struggles for freedom from the 19th and 20th centuries. Explore these struggles and others with images, posters and documents from the archives of the National Library of Israel.
Orange 10
In the early 19th century, German Jewish radical thinkers played a lively role. They opposed the early expressions of German nationalism, relayed enthusiasm for the French revolutionary tradition, critiqued financiers and princes, and wrote wonderfully. This session will look at some of them, particularly Ludwig Boerne, Heinrich Heine, and Moses Hess.
Red 1
For two years Zoe Jacobs spent her time explaining Judaism to non-Jews. And it's tough - how do you explain Shabbat to someone who has never experienced it? Not the 7th-day-of-creation bit, but the indefinable sense of peace? And what about when someone asks "but how's that different to a weekend?". Come join Zoe for a chance to put your explaining to the test!
Red 7
Janusz Korczak is most famous for choosing, when offered escape, to go with the children of his orphanage to Treblinka. Before his death he wrote the celebrated and unusual children's book King Matt the First. Come along to see clips from the theatrical adaption of both Korczak's life and book, followed by a Q&A with the playwright.
Marquee 3
Join international Ladino singer Sarah Aroeste as she gives the 101 on the beautiful Judeo-Spanish culture of Sephardic Jews. By looking at a series of Ladino folksongs, get a taste of Ladino history, pronunciation, rhythms, melodies, and more in this fun, interactive workshop.
Red 6
What does an artist notice that a scholar might not see? And what does a feminist Jewish artist bring to the traditional learning conversation? Drawyomi is Jacqueline’s online project that draws inspiration from the daf yomi, the day's Talmud page, and offers a different perspective on the text.
Turquoise 16
Levinas was one of the most influential and intriguing Jewish thinkers of the 20th century. We will explore his philosophy of the “face-to-face” relation, his understanding of Judaism as ethical teaching, and the connections between the two. No prior knowledge of philosophy required. Today: an accessible introduction to Levinas’s ethics.
Blue 32 (Millers)
Mind Trap is an amusing brain teaser team game especially when taken with wine and soft drinks. Middle aged singles only.
Red 2
Avner Bernheimer is talking about his successful TV drama series "Mom and Dads", about a gay couple having a baby with a straight woman. The story is based on his own life experience, being a dad for Yoel, now an 8 year old son.
Turquoise 20
Resourceful innkeeper, notorious harlot, friend to Israelite spies, mother of kohanim – who is the real Rachav? As we discover the Biblical story of the woman who saved her family while aiding the conquest of Jericho, we’ll get a taste of how rabbinic tradition both vilifies and redeems her.
Orange 14
Prospective traitors or the hope for the future? Clergymen burnt at the stake for daring to convert. We’ll look at the texts and see how they can enlighten us and teach us about our people’s experience of converts.
Yellow 24
Yentl the Yeshiva Boy, a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, deals with a young woman who dresses as a male yeshiva student in order to be able to learn Torah. This session will explore the complex understandings of gender it embodies and whether it subverts the dominant patriarchal religious paradigm or, in fact, reinforces it.
Red 3
Our Talmudic sages debated a great many subjects in detail. So it is no surprise that they discussed every aspect of sexual relations—how, when, where, with whom. Maggie, impressed at how our tradition is more progressive—and more bawdy, than one might think, decided to share the best of what she'd learned in her new book, "Fifty Shades of Talmud."
Diti Ronen Michal Ish-Horowicz
Orange 11
Follow the journey of the poem "littlebird" from Israel to India, Albania, France, Germany and Poland. Accompanied by a visual slideshow, the session will reveal how one littlebird, that was shot from behind in a concentration camp, continues to fly, constantly inspiring new art works, and being immortalised through them.
Green 26
In Philip Roth’s witty, thoughtful and rich 1958 short story “The Conversion of the Jews,” pre-barmitzvah boy Ozzie asks three Jewish questions that go unanswered. A trenchant critique of postwar American Jewish life, Roth’s themes remain challenging today. Optional: read the 5,000-word story (tinyurl.com/ConversionOfTheJews) before the session.
Blue 33
It is often claimed that Jewish communities – and their courts – live subject to the principle that “the law of the land is law”. And that sounds really good. But what does this dictum actually mean, where does it come from and what is its scope? We will examine the talmudic sources and explore the range of legal opinions.
Yellow 23
Islam as a political movement and the rise of radical Islam following the Arab Spring.
Red 4
Many of our ancestors would have kept warm at night with a bottle of vodka while managing inns and taverns in eastern Europe. Come and learn about its Jewish history and taste some samples from Ukraine, Poland and Russia.
Yellow 22
From Mapai and Herut to Labor and Likud. Like politics? Want to learn more about the Israeli political system? Feel the need to better understand its history and current challenges? Come for a session about political history and insights from a young Israeli political professional, who’s been active, working and breathing this field for years.
Purple 31
Gary and Jodi Rudoren, former Jerusalem bureau chief of The New York Times, talk about work-life balance when work involves two wars in Gaza and intense personal vitriol on social media. Whilst Jodi was covering the conflict, Gary - an architect, theatre director and comedy writer - was navigating conflicts between their twins, who are now 9.
Marquee 1
Adam Kadmon and Chava Kadmona express "sefirot" which are essentially moral and psychological aspects of identity: being, knowledge, understanding, righteous love, power, the beauty of compassion, sexuality, victory, majesty and earthly "being in the world". Inspiration comes also from their performance of Spanish Jewish poetry.
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