Limmud Conference 2016

Limmud Conference 2016 – Wednesday 10:30

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Applied Halakhah: Category Shifts in Jewish Law (3 of 3)

Ethan Tucker 

Orange 14

How do eternal values get applied to a changing world? One of the greatest strengths of halacha (Jewish law) is its insistence that God's word is meant to be applied in all times and places. We will review a range of bold interpretations featuring shifting legal categories, in the areas of Shabbat, Jewish status and gender.

A world of Jewish Philanthropy

Tamar Remz 

Green 26

Financial support for Jewish life is critical to ensure a strong Jewish future. Who is funding Jewish causes and why? How does Jewish philanthropy differ by community? What do we anticipate for the future? Together we will explore trends, trajectories and important people impacting philanthropy generally and Jewish philanthropy specifically.

Beit Midrash Group A: Modern Halachic Perspective (3 of 4)

Michael Pollak  Limmud Beit Midrash Group A 

Red 8 (Boulevard Back)

Limmud's Beit Midrash is studying the Chapter 8 of Sanhedrin “Wanton and Rebellious Son”. Is time to find the halachic implications of this text for, in particular, Jewish ruling on abortions. Our guide on this stage of our journey will be Rav Moshe Feinstein – a fierce opponent of the pro-life lobby and his halachic opponent – Rav Eliezer Waldenberg. This is a double-length session.

Beit Midrash group B: be killed rather than transgress (3 of 4)

Joel Levy  Limmud Beit Midrash Group B 

Red 8 (Boulevard Back)

Limmud's Beit Midrash is studying Chapter 8 of Sanhedrin “Wanton and Rebellious Son”. This session will analyse the Talmudic text that explores the connection between keeping mitzvot and staying alive. When is it preferable to live and when to die in the name of God? [We will also compare the conclusions of this text to others that deal with the question of martyrdom in different ways. This is a double-length session.

Beit Midrash Group C: the pursuer (3 of 3)

Shlomo Zuckier  Limmud Beit Midrash Group C 

Red 8 (Boulevard Back)

Limmud's Beit Midrash is studying Chapter 8 of Sanhedrin “Wanton and Rebellious Son”. Today’s section deals with The Pursuer, and the general question of justified self-defense in Jewish law. We will engage various philosophical justifications alongside the Jewish sources. This is a double-length session.

Charedi schools and children's rights

Naomi Webber 

Red 1

A school that provides no secular education: is this a breach of children's rights?

Collecting life stories - everyone has a story to tell!

Eve Cowan 

Green 27

Explore the possibilities of collecting member's life stories in your community and publishing them as social history. This is based on the successful publication of "Emet" 1 and "Emet" 2 in Bournemouth.

Commanding voices – Talmud in a new light (3 of 3)

Neil Janes 

Orange 11

When the sages of the Talmud ask about the blessing for Chanukah they are really posing a question regarding the human role in creating Judaism. In the space that is created in this discussion we will find a place for thinking about our relationship to ritual and mitzvot no matter what we believe.

Community festival organisation and management

Nathan Finkel 

Blue 32 (Millers)

Drawing on his experience of working with the Burning community and of building co-created art events and camps in Europe, Nathan will discuss some successful methods and answer questions about managing volunteers, arranging art and content, finance and logistics and any other aspects of festival management that come up!

Crimes, misdemeanours and other infractions by biblical leaders: The Lion King: leader or predator? (3 of 3)

Judy Klitsner 

Marquee 2

What are the processes that allow for a gifted leader to blur boundaries and to exploit power for personal gratification? How does such a leader avoid resistance from the community and from victims? The Bible addresses these questions in two very disturbing - and remarkably similar - stories: Judah and Tamar, and David and Batsheva

Defiant Requiem: Screening and Q&A (120 minutes)

Murry Sidlin  Deborah Lipstadt 

Orange 13

Award-winning film that highlights the remarkable story of Rafael Schächter, a brilliant, young Czech conductor who was sent to Theresienstadt (Terezín) in 1941. He demonstrated moral leadership under the most brutal circumstances, determined to sustain courage and hope for his fellow prisoners by enriching their souls through great music. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with conductor and man behind the work Murry Sidlin and historian Deborah Lipstadt

Does my tuchus look big in this? Jews and the fashion industry

Dave Shaw  Lara Smallman 

Red 4

Jews were once at the heart of the schmutter trade in the early 20th century. Today, the fashion industry is a world away from Petticoat Lane Market. It's the planet's second most polluting industry (after oil) and is one of the most exploitative. What role can Jews play in making fashion fairer? Join us for a lively discussion.

Dynamic yoga: it’s all in the breath. Movement as a meditation

Maxine Levy 

Marquee 3

Learn how to harness your breath, connect to your body and replenish your energy supplies. Mindfully we will flow through movements and postures to clear the head, de-stress and flex the body! Suitable for the fairly fit. An experiential opportunity to balance, centre and cultivate awareness.

Great openings to Talmudic tractates: Ta'anit: rethinking Jewish environmentalism (2 of 2)

Julian Sinclair 

Red 2

The Talmud is, among much else, a great work of Jewish thought. Themes and ideas developed in each tractate are subtly announced in the opening pages and can be elicited by literary readings. Open to all levels. Today, Ta'anit, the Talmud's most sustained thinking about the natural world, often differs from what's called Jewish environmentalism.

Impact investing as a mitzvah and new paradigm

Mark Goldsmith  Yosef Abramowitz 

Blue 33

Jewishly responsible investment – an adventure in Jewish business ethics through text and discussion for the individual and institutional investor alike. Come and find out how to make money and change the world.

Islamic and Greek philosophy in the Guide for the Perplexed

Barry Kleinberg 

Red 6

Maimonides' great philosophical work has been burned and praised over the centuries. Was Maimonides influenced by the thought around him? How did he believe in God? A book that will no doubt leave us more perplexed than ever before!

Jewish teachings and experiences of the criminal justice system: trial and error (2 of 3)

Rob Prager  Danny Rich 

Yellow 22

As the criminal justice system remains a hot topic of public debate, does Jewish teaching, the Jewish experience or the experiences of Jews tells us anything of relevance? In three linked but separate sessions a Jewish teacher and a Jew with relevant experience will facilitate a discussion on current realities and future possibilities for the CJS.

Mind the connection gap

Nora Ghodsian 

Purple 29 (Monarch Overflow)

Parenthood is both a challenging and rewarding stage of life. Enhance your experience of parenthood no matter how old your children. Explore the foundation of good parenting. Prepare to respond appropriately to challenges of parenthood. Create a more joyous family life. And narrow the “GAPS” in the process.

Out of the shadows: the return of the Bnei Anousim ("Marranos")

Michael Freund 

Red 5

500 years after their Spanish and Portuguese ancestors were forced to convert to Catholicism, a growing number of their descendants (known as Bnei Anousim or by the derogatory term "Marranos") are returning to Judaism. Michael Freund has spent the past 15 years working with Bnei Anousim around the world, and will discuss the wave of return.

Paper midrash: Text study with knives

Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik  Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik 

Purple 31

Midrash is the stories about the stories in the Torah. We bring the knives, paper, and comic books, and together we will create “paper midrash.” Join husband and wife/ artist and rabbi “dynamic duo” Isaac and Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik for a hands-on workshop learning about contemporary and traditional midrash and creating papercuts. No experience necessary! (25 people max)

Peeking Beyond the Wall: Screening and Q&A

David Newman 

Red 3

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University were part of the EU funded FP7 EUBorderscapes project between 2012-2016. As part of the project they created a 40 minute documentary video looking at the lives and attitudes of Israeli and Palestinian children living on both sides of the Separation Wall in the heart of Hebron in the West Bank.

Rescue in the Philippines: an open door policy

Karina Veal  Hannah Gaventa 

Yellow 21

This is a one-hour documentary of how the cigar-making Frieder brothers in pre-WWII Manila, together with Manuel Quezon, the first president of the Philippines, Paul McNutt, the US High Commissioner and an ambitious Army Colonel named Dwight Eisenhower helped 1,300 Jews escape the Nazis and immigrate to the Philippines.

Sephardi Voices: stories from our archive

Elliot Jebreel 

Red 7

Over the latter half of the 20th century, c. 850,000 Jews were expelled and left their homes across the Middle East and North Africa – sizeable Jewish populations in countries such as Syria, Egypt, Iran and Iraq disappeared. Join us to hear a selection of stories from our archive and discuss how we continue to preserve this important heritage

Shmattes: an intimate history of Jewish origins in the modern rag trade

Adam Mendelsohn 

Green 25

How and why did Jews come to dominate parts of the clothing trade in Britain and the United States in the late 19th century? Providing a lively tour of Victorian London and antebellum New York, this session will explore the unlikely path of Jews from the underside of the clothing trade to its upper reaches.

Should Jewish schools be forced to be inclusive?

Helena Miller  Neil Levitan  Clive Lawton  Rachel Cohen 

Orange 12

To what extent should the government intervene in community run faith schools in order to promote inclusion? This panel will debate the extent that OFSTED should regulate faith schools with particular reference to LGBT+ inclusion. The panel will include a representative from Stonewall as well as Jewish educational leaders and policy makers.

Should Jews be living in Hebron?

Lisa Saffron  Gilad Halpern  Yishai Fleisher  Ethan Schwartz  Abraham Bell 

Yellow 23

When one speaks about settlements, Hebron is often what one has in mind. A city with a predominantly Arab population and a small Jewish community, it's at the heart of the settlement movement. Are the problems we always hear true, and, if so, should Jews really be living there? This diverse panel of scholars and activists will share their insights.

Subversive texts in the Torah: legalised rape and enslaved wives

Ariel Abel  Shira Solomons 

Orange 10

The Torah justifies slavery, patriarchy, even rape. Is this merely a ruse to fool the powerful into accepting laws that actually overturn the social order? A rabbi and rebbetzin tease out paradoxical texts whose literal meanings contradict their social impact. Today we explore the age old problem of human trafficking and sexual slavery.

The creation of the Palestinian refugee problem, 1948

Benny Morris 

Orange 15

The lecture will describe the emergence of the Palestinian refugee problem in the course of the first Arab-Israeli war, of 1948. It will describe the connection between the course of the fighting and Arab flight and expulsion, and the policies of the various sides relating to the emergent refugee problem. It will look at the causes of the flight and the consequences.

The Syrian chaos: What happened, and what are the options for the future?

Miri Eisin 

Yellow 24

After 5 years Syria is a fragmented violent arena. The war is not in rhetoric- it is in actual harsh fighting with horrific casualties. Miri will describe the events and try to understand the implications for Israel, who now borders a variety of warring factions.

Your own triptych: three questions that map the journey to your soul

Shep Rosenman 

Blue 34

Questions can alter the way you think about things, the way you relate to someone, the way you engage. This session explores three questions posed in the Torah that have the capacity to change our lives.

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