Limmud Festival 2017

Limmud Festival 2017 – Tuesday 17:30

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Bar Mitzvah - an initiation?

David Bash 

Red 4

We have a unique chance to help our boys transition into becoming men. Yet, is compelling them to sing Torah, in order to get to the presents and party, enough to help them do that? David co-leads outdoor-based men and boys’ retreats held around Bar Mitzvah times. He will share his experiences and discuss possibilities for our communities. This session is for men only.

Breaking the silence: military occupation through the eyes of the soldiers

Frima Bubis 

Green 25

Frima Bubis, former IDF soldier who served in the Civil Administration of the West Bank, will describe the military occupation in the Territories, through soldiers' testimonies. Breaking the Silence is an organisation of veteran soldiers. Its aim is to expose the public to the high moral toll of military control over a civilian population.

Daf yomi - Shevuot 28

Aryeh Klapper 

Blue 32

About slightly-too-keen Nazirites. Limmud takes you one step further in your daf yomi.

Feldenkrais - the gentle way to improve your movement & posture

Orna Dale Eliashiv 

Red 7

This gentle class is taken on floor mat. It is designed to help you gain greater flexibility and let go of redundant effort in your movement. The result is a feeling of vitality, lightness & ease without wrenching or straining anything! Please bring loose clothes, a pinch of curiosity and a drop of adventurous spirit.

Go vegan you cow-sucking perverts!

Daniel Shine 

Orange 13

In order to get the milk you put in your cereal today, and the meat for your burgers you are now involved with rape, bestiality, theft and murder. This will be a full on session and will challenge the barbaric practices of eating and using animals for food and anything else.

Holy war: the Muslim view (2 of 2)

Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz 

Red 3

Everyone seems to have an opinion about jihad, but have they actually read the relevant Islamic sources and learnt how the concept works? We will trace the evolution and diversification of Muslim ideas about holy war from the Qur’an onward and survey the different positions Muslims hold today - and compare them to the Jewish tradition of holy war.

“In the Eyes of God and Man": Orthodoxy, Torah min HaShamayim, and academic Bible studies

Tova Ganzel  David Bigman  Michael Harris 

Red 1

The relationship between the traditional doctrine of Torah min HaShamayim,Torah from Heaven, and academic study of the Bible, is currently a renewed focus of attention and debate in parts of the Orthodox world. In this session, three Orthodox thinkers who have written on this important and fascinating topic explore some of the issues.

'Miscarried, The Comic': when procreating isn't as simple as 'Pru U'rvu' - a woman's perspective (1 of 2)

Chari Pere 

Orange 11

If 1 in 4 women suffer a miscarriage, why are fertility issues still considered taboo? What can we learn from our Biblical ancestors who dealt with similar struggles? Cartoonist Chari Pere shares her personal experience, in all its graphic glory, in an attempt to break down some barriers.

Poverty porn: where do we draw the line?

Hannah Myerson 

Orange 10

A current divisive topic within the charity sector is the ethics of charities using imagery and stories of vulnerable individuals to generate sympathy and raise funds. Join this interactive session to explore where we should draw the line: how far before it becomes exploitative?

Purim - reading the megillah with pink-tinted spectacles

Dave Shaw  Neil Levitan  Benjamin Ellis 

Orange 15

Judaism can come across as straight-laced, but on Purim we drink, party and dress to impress and embrace our gender fluidity! How did this come to be? Come along with your pink-tinted spectacles to read this story of gender politics, oppression, coming out, role reversal and celebration!

Saffron and sapphire: Sephardic songs

Andrew Kay  Karen Kay 

Red 6

We will perform a selection of our favourite Sephardic songs: piquant musical tales of passion and life from the oral tradition; tales of wayward daughters locked in tall towers; love lost, found and borrowed; lullabies and babies secretly swapped. A delicious mix of sounds and textures.

Sexuality and gender in the Ultra-Orthodox communities

Hadar Galron 

Blue 34

Who are modesty laws made for? Do they prevent or encourage sexual harassment and abuse? The session will be based on modern and ancient modesty laws and true stories. The session will include excerpts from the plays "Mikveh" and "The Secrets", the film "Bruriah" and TV drama "The Harem", all created/co-created by the presenter.

The Balfour Declaration & Resolution 242: a dual narrative approach

Michael M. Cohen 

Orange 14

Last month, November, marked the 100th and 50th anniversaries of the two seminal documents from the Arab-Israeli Conflict. In a conflict that seems overwhelming to understand, these two documents provide a way to understand both sides when viewed through the Dual Narrative approach; or as Hillel said, “do not judge another until you are in his place.”

The four corners of disability & inclusion in Jewish law

Melinda Jones 

Red 5

A text-based approach to disability in the Jewish tradition. Why are people with disabilities excluded from the Jewish community? Is the issue that the category of disability is a form of modern identity politics? This should be a central concern of us all. What can we learn from our Jewish sacred sources about disability and inclusion?

The Jewish community of Golders Green: some well-known people

Pam Fox 

Green 26

After giving a brief overview of the development of the Jewish community of Golders Green, Pam will speak about a selection of well-known characters. The audience will be encouraged to share their memories of these and other famous people who have lived in the area.

The last taboo: considering Brit Milah

Jenny Goodman 

Red 2

Brit Milah (infant circumcision) is our tradition. We "just do it", and we mostly avoid thinking about it. This session will examine the practice and the many myths surrounding it, looking both at scientific findings and parents' personal experiences.

The necessity of looking back

Sandy Sasso 

Green 27

Looking back at Lot's wife through the eyes of rabbis, artists and poets, we will explore the importance of human witness and dangers of historical amnesia. What rabbis did with midrash, artists did with image and sound, moving beyond literal analysis to the creation of new meaning.

The rise of the Jewish saint in sixteenth century

Roni Weinstein 

Orange 12

Saintly figures accompany Jewish heritage along the century. The establishment of formal role for a 'Jewish Saint' is an innovation of sixteenth-century Safed Kabbalah, and it had deep repercussions on Jewish religiosity.

The SIX C's model: Psychological First Aid (PFA) for layman

Moshe Farchi 

Blue 33

This session will discuss and demonstrate the SIX C's model. This PFA model uses cognitive communication and encouragement for effective action as main components for shifting the traumatized person from the sense of helplessness into effective action in less than 90 seconds. This model has been chosen recently as the national Israeli PFA model

What does the future hold for religious LGBT Jews?

Moshiel Newman Daphna  Yiscah Smith  Joe Hyman 

Yellow 23

LGBT Jews are calling out to their communities but are often not heard. The panelists will explore how communities can create space for inclusion. They will draw from their experiences to move the issue from words to action and push for the greater acceptance of observant LGBT Jews within religious settings.

Oral Torah or Written Torah: how God communicates with us, how we communicate with each other

Dena Weiss 

Yellow 24

Torah is often seen as being comprised of two distinct and complementary components, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. We’ll explore the significance of this distinction and address the question of what the different modes of Divine teaching can teach us about how we do and should communicate with one another.

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