Yellow 21
How did IBM, now an enormous technology corporation, 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 did eugenics, synonymous with the Nazi regime, flourish in the USA decades earlier? Was the Third Reich inventing, emulating, franchising or just following orders?
Purple 31
Are you a stand-up comedian of ANY level of experience? We want to home grow our talent, so this is a new initiative for Limmudniks who’d like to perform their poetry, monologue, comedy or music but aren’t ready to present a full session. Sign up for a slot. An optional prep session will be available. Not a comic? Join the audience and support our stars!
Orange 15
Multi-award winning musical storyteller and Limmud favourite brings you his brilliant wordplay, great musicianship and haunting tunes you won't forget. 'An extraordinary performer. At times heartbreakingly poignant, at others laugh-out-loud funny. Utterly charming, highly recommended' (Edinburgh Festivals Guide). 'The Comic-Bard of Anglo-Jewry' (The JC).
Red 1
The sage or the prophet? 2500 years ago, the sages of the Great Assembly began consciously changing Judaism. What happened in that historical moment? How did they revolutionize Jewish law? After discussing these questions, we'll jump to Abraham Isaac Kook and the 20th century, to Zionism and secularism, and ask what is the power and the weakness of the halakhic system.
Halakha is the Solution. Halakha is the Problem 22.pdfOrange 12
Is Israel actually extraordinary? We can only know the answer by comparing it to other countries. Join us for a whirlwind tour of demography, economics, society, health, religion, democracy, environmentalism and much more as we see the surprising ways in which modern-day Israel is and is not an outlier statistically. Although parts 1 and 2 are linked, each session stands alone.
Red 5
Freud saw this as a good subject for his book and indeed jokes teach us more about ourselves than we (may) want to know. Yehoshua is great at telling jokes. In this late-night session he will share his favourites and have you laughing and learning.
Blue 33
With more and more people getting their education from social media, especially as it pertains to issues of social justice, online Jewish activism is more popular than ever. This session will provide an introductory glance into the world of Jewish social media activism.
Red 4
When fighting for legal rights, British Jews proudly associate with Hebrew morality. However, this session looks at vicarious strategies of British Jewish assimilation into élite Victorian culture through 'le vice Anglais' - sadomasochism.
Red 7
Come along for a fun lesson in this partner dance. It's easy to learn the basics and can be danced to many different music types. Each session will be standalone - come to both if you enjoy it, and get ready to show off the moves you've just learned at the disco later!
Red 9 (Boulevard)
Get in to teams and test your general - and not so general - knowledge. The victors will go down in Limmud history. Until someone else wins next year, that is.
Orange 10
The Book of Ruth is a very queer tale. It challenges norms of identity, gender and family on multiple levels. Join us for an exploration of the queerness of Ruth.
Queerness and Otherness2.pdfOrange 11
The Torah teaches that a town subverted by idolaters has to be erased from the face of the earth. The rabbis had many questions: what about children? What about visitors from elsewhere? And that all-important question: what if there's a mezuzah there? This session will explore the role of mercy in what might look like a savagely unmerciful law.
Yaffa Epstein Jacqueline Nicholls Sara Wolkenfeld Wendy Amsellem
Red 2
Come learn from four Talmud teachers as they each teach their craziest talmudic stories – and you chime in with your favourites. Extra points will be given for performance and scary voices! All texts will be provided with English translation, and no prior experience with Jewish text is necessary.
Tall Tales and Pale Ales - Talmud .pdfYellow 22
We will learn a little about the hasidic movement, and how and what roles hasidic music has played in religious rituals. We will learn about the different types of hasidic tunes, their classical structure and of course we will learn to sing them together.
Blue 34
Orthodox Judaism is permeated with gender norms: one rule for men and another for women. From the Roth Teshuvah to recent Orthodox responsa, rabbis have grappled with the existence of people who cannot live according to sex-based norms, but they seem unable to escape binary thinking and also to face biological reality. Can we square the circle?
Gender summary and sources (web version).pdf gender slides.pdf