Limmud Festival 2023

Limmud Festival 2023 – Saturday 20:20

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'Jewface: making sense of the ethnic casting controversy

Rich Brownstein 

Orange 15

Considerable backlash has been generated by Bradley Cooper's 'fake Jewish nose' in 'Maestro', where he portrays conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. Likewise, Dame Helen Mirren has been criticized for her ethnic portrayal of Golda Meir. When is it fair to demand that characters be portrayed by actors of the same ethnicity or background?

Everything you always wanted to know about converting to Judaism, but were afraid to ask

Marques Hollie 

Red 4

In this conversational, ask-me-anything session, rabbinical student Marques Hollie will share the story of his conversion process (heavily featuring Madonna), and leave ample time for you to ask questions you've always wanted to ask about what converting to Judaism is like. This session is open to born-Jews, seekers and converts alike!

Football and the Jewish community

Zeev Portner 

Orange 14

Football has a reach beyond the pitch and has the power to do much good in society. Ze'ev Portner helped set up the Watford FC Jewish Supporters Group club. He was the brainchild behind the first ever Chanukah party at a football club and will discuss how the Jewish community can engage with football clubs on matters of importance to the community.

Jewish Jesus in British art

Clive Kennard 

Red 5

Israel Zangwill has been described as the Jewish Dickens. The first tale of his 'Ghetto Comedies' tells of an artist who finds a suffering Jew to model for a realistic painting of Jesus. But his model turns out to be a crook. What British art inspired the story? And how do we respond to the Christian fantasy of Jewish suffering?

Jewish women and music in Vienna from the 18th to 20th century

Judith Valerie Engel 

Red 7 - Brightsmith

Among the main players shaping musical life in Vienna between the 18th and 20th centuries were several Jewish women. They were salonnières, composers and performers. This session follows the stories of a select few of these women, among them Fanny von Arnstein (1758-1818), Amalie Mauthner (c 1832-1915) and Bertha Engel (1887-1945).

Limmud Europe schmooze: cocktails, connections and conversations

Tamas Buchler  Jekaterina Erlich-Koren  Marika Guralik  Mihails Beškins 

Red 9 - The Arbour

An evening of cocktails, snacks, vibrant conversations and networking exclusively for Limmud activists and Europe enthusiasts. Choose a breakout session aligned with your interests for diverse discussions. Join us for spirited conversations, new connections and stimulating insights.

The Torah’s idea of living a good life: “For there is no righteous person on Earth that won’t sin”. (2 of 2)

Samuel Millunchick 

Red 3

God makes demands on us that seem, at times, to be impossible to fulfil. The Torah's demands can feel insurmountably challenging. Are we truly expected to lead a sin-free, fully halachic life? Does the Torah honour our humanity and our struggle to do God's will? This session explores some of these thorny issues.

There must be a better world somewhere

Mark Creeger 

Orange 10

When antisemitism and Jim Crow laws were growing in America, why were Black artists singing and recording Hebrew and Yiddish songs? How did Jewish singers and songwriters feel more at home next to black neighbourhoods? What made Paul Robeson sing in Yiddish in Madison Square Garden and Moscow? What made BB King cry recording a Doc Pomus song?

Was the first mention of genetic counselling in the Talmud?

Alan Silman 

Yellow 21

Queen Victoria’s curse, the spread of (then) incurable haemophilia to European royalty and a cause of the Russian revolution, could have been minimised by genetic counselling. The Talmud, Mishnah and also Maimonides fascinatingly suggest that what was presumably haemophilia was detectable following circumcision and families counselled accordingly.

 Was the first mention of genetic counselling in the Talmud.pdf

What the Kaddish really means, or how Jewish prayer is structured

Irwin Oppenheim 

Orange 11

Even rabbis are baffled by the Kaddish prayer. Why is it hardly mentioned in the Talmud? Why is it said right after the Torah reading in morning services, but not so when the Torah is read during afternoon services? We will explore all such questions and gain a clear understanding of what the Kaddish means and how the structure of the Jewish service works.

 Limmud - What the Kaddish really means _ Sefaria.pdf

Where humanism and Judaism meet

Alavari Jeevathol 

Red 2

What is humanism? How does it relate to Humanistic Judaism, and what makes Humanistic Judaism distinct from other forms of Jewish belief and practice? How do people celebrate a Judaism without God? Is Humanistic Judaism a religion, and what can it offer our society going forward?

Why are Polish Jews baptised?

Anna Ciszewska (Betty Q) 

Red 1

A personal dig in to the Jewish identity of Polish Jews born in communist Poland (PPR). How did politics and the Roman Catholic Church influence Jewish identity and what happened to the Jewish people in reborn Poland?

The Narrow Bridge

UK Jewish Film Festival 

Orange 13

'The Narrow Bridge' is a searching journey into the souls of four people who, after searing pain, develop strengths they never had before. We watch with wonder as Bushra, Rami, Meytal and Bassam - women and men who lost a child or parent in violent conflict - transform their grief into a bridge for reconciliation. (80 mins)

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