Limmud Festival 2023

Limmud Festival 2023 – Sunday 15:30

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'Nobody lives here' - a lone boy's incredible survival in World War II Amsterdam

Babette Lichtenstein 

Red 5

This unusual memoir, by Lex Lesgever, was recently translated and published in October 203 by History Press. It is a page-turner, told with immediacy and incredible recall of the details of the events during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. It is eminently suitable for the Holocaust education of young teens. The co-translator will read from the book, answer questions and discuss how it could be used in education.

Blessed are You for not making me a gentile... slave... woman. Really?

Raphael Zarum 

Orange 15

These three morning blessings, recited each day, seem to grate with modern sensibilities. Where do they come from? Are there historic variations? We will analyse and study the rabbinic intentions underpinning these blessings, both in classic and contemporary sources - with some surprising results...

Jewish music in the world of American cinema

Mordechai (Motti) Friedman 

Orange 11

A look at the effects of Jewish music in general, and synagogue music in particular, on the film industry in the United States.

Knit and knatter (1 of 3)

Melanie Kelly  Limmud Social Programming 

Red Bar/Lounge

Pack your knitting for Limmud! Join us for a relaxing time with like-minded crafters. Whether you knit, crochet, or simply want to learn how, it's a chance to recharge with fellow yarn enthusiasts. Life is better seen through a ball of wool!

Modern (Jewish) family

Tamas Buchler 

Red 4

Queer Jews continue to push the boundaries on what constitutes a Jewish family. This session will explore the spiritual, halachic, communal and political dilemmas that emerge around LGBTQ+ Jewish (co-)parenting, through a personal story from Hungary.

On being a female Jewish education entrepreneur

Tal Bassali 

Orange 14

Innovating is not simple, especially when it comes to the hearts and minds of Jewish public opinion. So what happens when an objective is set to redesign something as basic as Jewish education? I will take you through the stages of innovation and the challenges, both personal and professional, that I had to overcome to achieve my goals.

Our cheder didn’t prepare us for the Israel-Hamas war

Dalia Blass 

Red 8

Join Yachad for a discussion with movement workers and youth leaders from several Zionist youth movements about their changing relationship to Israel, especially in light of the Israel-Hamas war. We’ll consider how to create space for nuanced conversations rather than polarising debate, the absence of which we’ve felt more acutely in recent months.

Peace in the Holy Land - not what you thought (2 of 2)

Yehuda Stolov 

Red 2

The session will first summarize the theoretical aspect for the benefits of those who did not attend the Shabbat session. Then it will present audio-visual material with examples from its successful implementation and some of the special results it yields. Here too substantial time will be left for conversation with the people who attend the session.

 english brochure final.pdf

Practical steps in protecting our climate

Gabriel Rozenberg  Sharona Shnayder  Felipe Burman 

Red 3

What can we actually do to protect the environment? What are activists and organisations doing? Join us in discussion with a climate activist from Israel and an entrepreneur from Brazil to talk about these questions and more!

R-rated Torah - things we don't talk about in shul

Rona Matlow 

Orange 10

In this workshop, we will look at texts in Bereishit (Genesis) that are 'R-rated', that are highly sexually charged. They will be read with Rona's original translations and with rabbinic interpretations at times. We will discuss the interpretations and implications of these texts in the broader picture of the Torah.

 R Rated Torah.pdf

Rikud chadash

Slavyan Kanovski 

Yellow 24

Get a taste of IDI's youth dance programme - for the young and young at heart. Learn new line and circle dances to energise you and encourage you to join the circle.

Safe haven: how the UK offered refuge to Nazi collaborators and denied justice to their victims

Jon Silverman 

Orange 12

Why was only one person convicted in the UK in the 1990s, out of dozens of compelling cases investigated by police? This session describes how the criteria applied by prosecutors, in effect, divorced the crimes from the Holocaust and enabled some of the worst killers to escape a trial. The full story is told in a book by the author out in November.

 Book cover and info..pdf

The biblical and rabbinic origins of Nittel Nacht

Gabriel Gendler Yom-Tov 

Red 7 - Brightsmith

We'll learn about Nittel Nacht, a Jewish observance on the 24th December, parallel to a non-Jewish festival. But is Nittel Nacht in fact much older than its gentile counterpart? We will study the claims that Joseph observed Nittel Nacht in Egypt, and that Hillel's snowy night on the roof of the beit midrash (study house) was the true 24th December origin story.

The daily argument (1 of 4)

Robbie Gringras  Abi Dauber Sterne 

Red 1

Come join us for your daily dose of disagreement! How can we address our deep heartfelt disagreements about Israel, Judaism and life in general, and feel enriched not attacked? We’ll work in small groups with stories, clear guidelines and courageous honesty to dig in to the real stuff. Each day we'll address new topics and share new techniques.

Torah on one foot

Miriam-Simma Walfish 

Yellow 21

You may have heard the story of Hillel teaching the Torah to the prospective ger (convert to Judaism) on one foot, but few of us have studied this text 'inside'. When we do, we discover it’s spicier than we might have thought! Through a chavruta- (partner) learning experience, we will unpack it and consider: what would we teach if we had to teach our Torah on one foot?

 TextStudies_OnOneFoot_protocol.pdf  TextStudies_OnOneFoot_pages.pdf  Section_1_1_PoP Partnership Learning Triangle (1).pdf

Video presentation of the early traditional songs of Israel

David Cohen 

Orange 13

'Israel in Song' is an hour of songs, from the times of the pioneers who built the towns and villages of Israel and tilled the soil. Songs of Israel's War of Independence, the paratroopers who liberated East Jerusalem in the Six Day War and the soldiers who defended Israel in the Yom Kippur War, with a backdrop of breath-taking scenery.

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