Limmud Festival 2019

Limmud Festival 2019 – Tuesday 09:30

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“Can you spare some change?” – ethical dilemmas and how to solve them

Mia Gray 

Yellow 22

This summer I went to India: In just 12 days, 394 people begged me for money. Our guide told us to just say no. My gut told me to say yes. My head told me I wasn’t equipped to deal with this question... This session looks at some big moral dilemmas facing us from the developing world, in a discussion of our moral insecurities, hopes, and solutions.

Chicken soup for the brain (1 of 2)

Jenny Goodman 

Blue 32

How does nutrition affect mental health? Which vitamins and minerals does the brain need? Which foods can assist intellectual ability and emotional stability, both in adults and in children? Is that the same for all of us? And what environmental factors could be damaging our brains in today's world? Come and find out.

Everything I learned about Passover I learned from Batman

Jordan B Gorfinkel 

Red 7

Veteran Batman creator and JewishCartoon.com artist, Gorf, reveals the astonishing secret origin of the #1 bestselling "Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel": applying the principals of superhero storytelling to making an unabridged ancient text engaging, relevant and fun! Bonus Story: how the Limmud supper queue made it possible!

Extinction Rebellion Jews: this balagan needs our tikkun olam: a Shema@Limmud session

Shulamit Morris-Evans 

Orange 14

Extinction Rebellion (XR) Jews was set up to bring a Jewish voice to XR and the voice of XR to the Jewish community. Hear about the XR Jews participation at the Rebellions, and how Jewish ritual and festivals help us engage with the climate crisis as Jews. Discuss the developments you would like to see and the ways you would like to be involved.

How UJIA can bring Israel to your shul

Jonathan Roland 

Blue 33

UJIA is the UK's leading Israel education and philanthropy organisation. With a busy schedule of visiting Israeli speakers and cultural events, educational programmes, tours and more, UJIA can help develop your synagogue's Israel programming - often free of charge. Learn how your community can benefit from this, and bring Israel to your shul hall.

Menachem Begin's attitude toward the Jewish religion

Avi Shilon 

Red 3

From his days as commander of IZL through his terms as Israel’s prime minister, Begin’s religious ideology shaped many of his decisions . We will argue that in historical-political retrospect a traditional stance toward Judaism propelled him into power and also influenced current Israeli politics and society.

Morning gratitude: visioning, music, and intention-setting

Happie Hoffman  Nasya Miller 

Green 26

This gathering will combine music and visioning to start the day in a communal and reflective way. This experience will offer a creative way to move through a series of songs and guided visualisations around themes from the morning Shacharit liturgy such as gratitude, praise, and wonder.

Orthodox versus Progressive integration in Britain: the debate isn't new

Mark Fox 

Green 25

British playwright Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) wrote a series of bitingly sarcastic plays, Ghetto Tragedies and Ghetto Comedies about Jews in British society at the height of early Zionism. A friend of Herzl, he ultimately turned against Zionism and founded the Jewish Territorial Organisation. What can we learn today from his observations?

 limmud final.pptx

The best Jewish "anti-oppression 101" training you may ever attend in your life. Seriously. (1 of 2)

April Baskin 

Blue 34

Consider joining us for what is likely to be the most inclusive and affirming anti-oppression training you may ever attend. We'll go over the core frameworks and concepts that undergird liberation and social change efforts, through a welcoming, Jewish, socially-conscious lens. Bonus: You'll likely leave having more insight about yourself.

The biblical description of Solomon's palace

Yosef Garfinkel 

Orange 11

This session will analyse the biblical description of Solomon's palace from linguistic and archaeological perspectives. An elaborate building model uncovered at Khirbet Qeiyafa, dated to the 10th century BCE, enables us to decipher a few unclear terms in the text, and bring a new understanding of royal architecture in Jerusalem: a palace and a temple.

The inner life of Jewish art 2: discomfiting Pharaoh (2 of 3)

Marc Epstein 

Orange 10

Everybody knows that the Haggadah portrays the suffering of the Egyptians, the enemies of the Israelites. But what can the depiction of the very personal, inner psychology of Pharaoh, as depicted in the Barcelona Haggadah (Barcelona, c. 1320), teach us about the relationship between emotion and exegesis?

The Jews of Kurdistan: a bridge between two homelands

Ofra Bengio 

Red 2

The session deals with the history of the Jews of Kurdistan and its impact on Israeli-Kurdish relations. It argues that the unique relations between Jews and Kurds in old times has shaped ties in modern times.

The lashon hara/ shmirat halashon survival guide

Jane Ansell 

Red 4

"Every moment we refrain from speaking lashon hara, we merit a light that even an angel cannot fathom" (Vilna Gaon). Negative speech on the other hand can be deeply destructive. So what shall we do about it? This session will outline the importance and main halachot of proper speech, followed by a workshop on implementation in real-life scenarios.

The simple son in Philip Roth’s short fiction “The Conversion of the Jews” (2 of 4)

David Benkof 

Orange 12

Ozzie Friedman’s Hebrew school rabbi won’t answer what should be simple theological questions: are Jews chosen? Overly tribal? And can God make a woman pregnant without intercourse? In Philip Roth’s hilarious “The Conversion of the Jews,” Ozzie rebels, and makes his own answers. The symbols and themes are easy to unlock, but do they speak to us?

Trump: making America great again

Carol Greenwald 

Red 5

President Trump has reinvigorated the US economy and, with his unabashed patriotism, has given hope to millions of Americans who thought they were losing their country. But does Trump’s nationalism encourage extremists? And what are the implications for American Jewry?

Vladimir Nabokov: Jewishness in life and work

Anoushka Alexander-Rose 

Purple 31 (Bar)

Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov didn't just create Lolita, he experienced a remarkable combination of the Russian Revolution, the Holocaust and post-war USA. His writings reference the Wandering Jew and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Can he be described as a philosemite? Is Humbert Humbert Jewish, and why?

What’s a “normal” Jewish family, anyway?

Jon Freedman  Rebecca Freedman  Rachel Heilbron  Louise Heilbron  Michael Heilbron 

Red 6

Growing numbers of Jewish families are different to previous generations: two mums, two dads, one mum only and no dad, adoption, blended, to name a few. We’ll hear the stories of some families. And we’ll ask: are Jewish organisations, shuls & rituals keeping up with this societal trend? This session is ideal for anyone with responsibility for the welfare and inclusion of young people in our community organisations. (Chatham House rules - we ask journalists not to report on session).

Why Jews and non-Jews should learn 'Jewish stuff' together

Sonja Vilicic 

Orange 13

This session will explore the work of Haver Srbija and its impact on both the Jewish community and general society. We consider why creating spaces for diverse communities to learn 'Jewish stuff' together is important for the continuation of our community and for overcoming prejudice, discrimination and anti-Semitism within our society.

American big business and the Holocaust: IBM, Ford, Rockefeller and Carnegie

Mark Creeger 

Green 27

How did IBM deploy machines and onsite service in death camps? How was Ford a catalyst, stimulant and commercial contributor to the early philosophy and development of the Reich? How was Eugenics, synonymous with the Nazi Regime, flourishing in the US decades earlier? Was the Third Reich inventing, emulating, franchising or just following orders?

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