Learning power

Every year Limmud Conference is enriched by the cream of the Jewish world. Many of our presenters are leaders in their field – scholars, artists, musicians, writers politicians, activists, teachers, journalists. Many simply love their subject. They all have something engaging to say, insights to offer and Jewish treasures to give you to take home.

There are sessions to delight and engage, whether you want to study Torah, meet writers, argue with politicians or stay up into the small hours in the company of some of the best performers in the Jewish world.

A selection of our confrmed presenters is below: 

Admiel Kosman is Academic Director of Abraham Geiger College, as well as teaching Talmud and halacha

Agi Veto teaches Rabbinic Literature at Vassar College and has a particular interest in gender studies. She is a graduate of the Hebrew University is currently completing a PhD in Jewish Studies at NYU. She teaches rabbinic literature at Vassar College and has a particular interest in gender studies

Alastair Falk is Director of Educational Leadership at the UJIA, having been a head teacher in two Jewish schools

Alex Goldberg is the Chief Executive of the London Jewish Forum and Chaplian of the University of Surrey

Ali Abu Awwad served four years in prison in the first Intifada and lost his brother Yousef, who was killed by an Israeli soldier, in the second Intifada. He co-founded and spearheads Al-Tariq ('The Way'), a Palestinian peace and non-violence movement, and is a leading figure in the Parents Circle-Families Forum

Aliza Lavie lectures in the Department of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University and is active in social initiatives promoting tolerance, equality and peace

Anat Gueta is a lecturer in the Avshalom Institute for Eretz Israel Studies and the owner of a private history institute for lectures, workshops and research

Andrew White is the creator of the Israel advocacy and information website ‘Beyond Images’ and lectures to MPs, researchers, students, professionals, Jewish communities and Christian groups

Antony Lerman is the Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research

Arieh Kovler is the co-ordinator of Fair Play Campaign Group, fighting boycotts against Israel

Aviva Zornberg is a highly praised and acclaimed bible and midrash scholar who teaches widely in Israel, US and UK

Ayelet Shahak's 15 year-old daughter Bat-Chen was killed by a suicide bomber in 1996, following which the Shahak family founded The Association for the Commemoration of Bat-Chen to honour her memory through undertaking initiatives that foster literacy, creative expression and conflict resolution

Barbara Spectre is the Founding Director of Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, and received the 2007 Max Fisher Prize for Jewish Education

Baruch Sienna is a senior Jewish educator, has interests in the intersection of Judaism and the environment, and is working on a Jewish encyclopaedia of nature

Benjamin Segal is Chair of the Executive of Israeli political party Meimad; researches biblical, Zionist and educational issues; and has just published the book ‘Song of Songs: A Woman in Love’

Bill Rubenstein is a professor of Modern History at the University of Wales , Aberystwyth. He writes on a wide variety of topics and is currently editing a dictionary of Anglo-Jewish history.

Brian Klug is a senior research fellow in philosophy at Oxford University and writer, lecturer and broadcaster on subjects of Jewish interest

Chana Rothman is a New York singer songwriter who fuses singer/songwriter folk with a progressive worldbeat sound in English and Hebrew

Clive Lawton is a co-founder of Limmud and now its Senior Consultant. He’s the scholar-in-residence at London's Jewish Cultural Centre, a member of Metropolitan Police Authority, a magistrate, chair of Tzedek and the Shap Working Party on World Religious Education

Coolooloosh, is one of Israel's most popular bands, combining hip-hop, rap, jazz and funk

Daniel Taub is the Deputy Legal Advisor in Israel's Foreign Ministry. He teaches negotiation theory and international law and currently heads one of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiation teams

Daniella Kolodny is a rabbi and a chaplain in the US Navy

Danny Burkeman is in his final year of rabbinic school at Hebrew Union College. He has worked for RSY-Netzer, UJIA-Makor, and synagogues in England and America

Danny Maseng is a popular Limmud figure – he’s a spiritual singer, songwriter and story teller

Danny Rich is Liberal Judaism’s Chief Executive, a magistrate, a rabbi, a prison and hospital chaplain.

David Clark wrote his PhD on Jewish museums in Europe. He is  heavily involved in local synagogue and interfaith work

David Graham is the UK Jewish demographic expert at Board of Deputies

David Hakak has degrees in Modern Hebrew, Jewish Studies and drama from both Israel and the UK and he also worked in education and journalism in both countries.

David Hirsh is a lecturer in sociology at Goldsmiths and a leader in the fight against the Israeli academic boycott

David Newman is a Professor of Geopolitics in the Department of Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University

David Resnick is a senior lecturer at the School of Education of Bar Ilan University and director of Jewish Educational Service of North America in Israel

David Shneer is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Program in Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder; and the author of various books including "New Jews: the End of the Jewish Diaspora"

Deb Filler is New Zealand's only Jewish comedienne, critically acclaimed international
theatre artist, comic, teacher and writer. She celebrates the fine line between
laughter and tears; using humour as a tool for survival.

Deborah Fink read music at London University and found her voice in Jews for Justice for Palestinians

Deborah Lipstadt is a professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University and a long-standing friend of Limmud

Diana Villa is a rabbi and lecturer in rabbinic literature and a research fellow at the Center for Women in Jewish Law at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem

Donald Sylvan is the President of the Jewish Education Service of North America and former Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University

Elisha Ancselovits, ordained a dayyan by Yeshiva University, teaches his hermeneutic method in the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, in Yeshivat Maale Gilboa of the Religious Kibbutz Movement

Elkan Levy is Director of the Office of Small Communities and past President of the United Synagogue

Elyse Goldstein is founder and Rabbinic Director of Kolel: The Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning in Toronto, and a recipient of the Covenant Award for Exceptional Jewish Educators

Eran Feitelson is a Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A previous chair of the Department of Geography, he currently heads the Federmann School of Public Policy and Government

Gavin Schaffer is a senior lecturer in European History at the University of Portsmouth, where he specialises in racial science and immigration policy in twentieth century Britain

Gerald Steinberg is Chair of the Political Science Department, Bar Ilan University and founder of NGO Monitor

Gershon Baskin is the Co-Director of IPCRI - the only joint Israel-Palestine think tank

Gershon Gan is a former Israeli diplomat and expert on international development

Gideon Sylvester is the Director of Yeshivat Torat Yosef-Hamivtar and the United Synagogue Tribe rabbi in Israel; he’s a former adviser at the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel.

Gil Hovav is Israel's leading celebrity chef and culinary writer, with his own TV show

Gil Troy is a Professor of History at McGill University and a Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC; and author of many books including "Why I Am A Zionist"

Gilad Kariv is the Associate Director of the Israel Religious Action Center; responsible for guiding the public policy, social action and legal work of the IMPJ; works with IRAC's lobbyist in tracking legislation in the Knesset; represents the interests of Progressive Judaism in Knesset committee meetings, in local government and in the Supreme Court

Gregg Drinkwater is the executive director of Jewish Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

Guy Wilkinson is the Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for Inter-Faith Relations and National Adviser to the Church of England

Hagai Agmon-Snir is the Director of the Jerusalem Inter-Cultural Center. He holds a PhD in Computational Neuroscience at Hebrew University .

Hagai Segal is an academic, consultant and analyst specialising in Middle Eastern affairs and terrorism; lecturer in Near and Middle Eastern politics at New York University; in London he advises numerous banks, companies and security agencies

Halima Krausen is a Muslim theologian based in Hamburg, Germany She teaches theology and law at universities, colleges and in Muslim study circles and is involved in various interfaith projects in Germany, Britain, the Middle East and America.

Hillel Athias-Robles is a Costa Rican rabbi serving Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue. He was a charedi rabbi until he joined Liberal Judaism and came out.

Howard Deitcher is a lecturer at the Melton Centre for Jewish Education at the Hebrew University and its previous director. He is a faculty member at the Mandel Leadership Institute and a former director of the Jerusalem Fellows.

Jack Wertheimer is a Professor of Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and a writer about contemporary American Jewish life. 

Jaclyn Chernett was the first ordained female chazan in the UK; and is the founder of the European Academy for Jewish Liturgy – the innovative teaching facility for inspired leaders of synagogue prayer

Jacob Joshua Ross studied Talmud in Ponevez Yeshiva, Bnei Brak and received his PhD from Trinity College, Cambridge.  He has served as professor of philosophy at Tel Aviv University for 30 years, authored three books and many scholarly publications.

James Kugel Starr is Professor of Bible at Harvard University (retired) and now teaches at Bar Ilan University in Israel, specialising in the Dead Sea scrolls and ancient biblical interpretation

Jason Kalman is Assistant Professor of Classical Hebrew Text and Interpretation at the Hebrew Union College, and specialises in the history of Jewish biblical interpretation

Jean Jacques Wahl is the Director of the Alliance Israelite Universelle, the biggest Jewish educational and cultural organisation in the French speaking world

Jess Gold & Pilpel perform a unique blend of lyrical melodies and intricate harmonies, combining elements of jazz, blues and folk, drawing inspiration from Hebrew texts and Jewish ideas

Jill Rogoff is a singer-songwriter in Jerusalem and her unique repertoire covers a millennium, including traditional British and Celtic-language material, early music (especially medieval), and Jewish music from around the world

Joel Chasnoff is a stand-up comedian and writer. He's currently at work on a humorous memoir about his year in the Israeli Army

John Mann is an MP and chairs the All Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism

Judah Arotsky was formerly a lecturer in analytical chemistry at the University of Salford

Judith Silver is a freelance musician, working in a diverse range of contexts. Her work in the Jewish community this year has included teaching and leading music at the Reform and Liberal Biennial conferences

Kate Craddy is the director of the Galicia Jewish Museum, Krakow

Khaled Abu Awwad comes from a politically active family in the West Bank. After the killing of his brother Yousef he joined the Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF). Currently he is the General Manager of the Palestinian Section of the PCFF and of Al-Tariq ('The Way')

Ladislaus Löb was rescued from Bergen Belsen by Rezso Kasztner; he grew up in Switzerland before moving to Brighton. He is an emeritus professor of German at Sussex University

Liat Benhabib is the founder and director of the Visual Center, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem

Los Desterrados are a group of popular Sephardi music performers returning to Limmud Conference by popular demand

Marc Brettler is Dora Golding Professor of Biblical Studies at Brandeis University and studies metaphor and the bible, the nature of biblical historical texts and gender issues. He co-edited the Jewish Study Bible and wrote How to Read the Jewish Bible.

Marc Michael Epstein directs Jewish studies at Vassar College and is a leading expert in Hebrew manuscript art

Mark Goldsmith is principal rabbi of North Western Reform Synagogue (Alyth) and a leader of 3iG (International Interfaith Investment Group)

Mehri Niknam is an executive director of the Joseph Interfaith Foundation, a joint Muslim-Jewish organisation.

Melvin Konner is Professor of Anthropology and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Michael Cook is a rabbi and Professor of New Testament at the Hebrew Union College (Cincinnati campus) and author of the new book, "Modern Jews Engage the New Testament: Enhancing Jewish Well-Being in a Christian Environment"

Michael Harris is rabbi of Hampstead United Synagogue, holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of London and is the author of 'Divine Command Ethics: Jewish and Christian Perspectives'

Michael Pinto-Duschinsky is a political scientist and modern historian who specialises in corruption, democracy promotion, political parties, elections and their funding

Michael Whine is the Government and International Affairs Director of the Community Security Trust and Defence Director of The Board of Deputies

Miriam Berger is principal rabbi of Finchley Reform Synagogue and gained s’michah from the Leo Baeck College

Mimi Feigelson is an Israeli orthodox rabbi who weaves elements of mind, heart and soul through rigorous text analysis, music and contemplation

Natasha Hirschhorn is an accomplished performer and recording artist, featured on numerous CDs as singer, pianist, arranger and composer. She’s Music Director of Congregation Ansche Chesed and conductor of two Jewish Community Choirs

Nathan Abrams is the Programme Coordinator of Film Studies at the University of Wales, Bangor. He has published widely on film and Jewish culture and his most recent book is 'Jews and Sex'

Nathan Lopes Cardozo, described by The Jewish Star as ‘one of the most important Jewish theologians of our time’, author, dean of the David Cardozo Academy and Ohel Avraham, Tel Aviv

Nigel Varndell is the inter-faith manager for Christian Aid. His work involves getting people of all faiths to collaborate in the struggle against global poverty and injustice

Nir Nadav is a rabbinical student at Montefiore College, a holder of strong opinions and is delighted to be running the Beit Midrash at Conference this year

Pablo Ariel is an actor and director, artist and puppeteer. He is director of the Galilee Multicultural Theatre and has performed all over the world in theatres and at festivals.

Paul Freedman studied physics at Bristol, education at Cambridge and for the rabbinate at Leo Baeck College. He is the rabbi of Radlett and Bushey Reform Synagogue and Vice-Chair of the Assembly of Rabbis

Peter Salomon sought voluntary work in the area of social justice to support asylum seekers in his retirement

Rachel Adelman completed a PhD in Hebrew Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and currently teaches tanach and midrash at Matan, in Jerusalem, as well as internationally 

Raphael Zarum is Chief Executive and senior lecturer at the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS). A Jerusalem Fellows graduate, he created the Torah L’Am Crash Course, led the Melton Mini-School faculty and has taught for the UJIA.

Richard Freund is director at the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford. He directed their archaeological projects in Bethsaida, Qumran, the Cave of Letters, Nazareth etc in Israel

Robert Fine is Pofessor of Sociology at the University of Warwick and researched social theory (Hegel, Marx, Arendt) as well as the development of cosmopolitanism in the social sciences, and racism and antisemitism

Roger Cukierman has a PhD in economics and has chaired the French Edmond Rothschild group as well as being the former chairman of Israel General Bank and Director of Club Med

Rosalind Preston is a professional volunteer involved in status of women, interfaith dialogue and care of the elderly

Ruth HaCohen is the Chair of Musicology at Hebrew University    

Ruth Lande is the adviser to Israeli President Shimon Peres on world Jewish affairs

Sarah Benor is an assistant professor at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and holds a PhD in linguistics from Stanford University. She researches into and teaches American Jewish language and culture

Shy Nobleman is an Israeli indie popster who is finding international critical acclaim for his upbeat and uplifting music

Shlomo Hasson is a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he teaches in the geography department, the Institute of Urban and Regional Studies, School of Public Policy

Shlomo Riskin is a leading voice in the Modern Orthodox world, a noted educator, social activist and author, founder and Chancellor of the Ohr Torah Stone network and the Chief Rabbi of Efrat, Israel.

Simon Hirschhorn is a psychoanalyst and rabbi who focuses on spirituality, end-of-life as well as dementia and ageing. He works extensively with Holocaust survivors and children

Stephen Smith is the co-founder of UK Holocaust Centre and chair of UK Holocaust Memorial Day

Steve Dalachinsky lives in New York and works as a poet

Sue Gessler has a longstanding interest in the relationship of Judaism and psychology and holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology

Tamar Ross is a professor of Jewish philosophy at Car Ilon and has a long term affiliation with Midreshet Lindenbaum and has published widely in scholarly journals on various theological issues

Tony Klug has written widely on the Arab-Israeli conflict for 40 years. He wrote the recent Fabian pamphlet 'How peace broke out in the Middle East'. Vice chair, Arab-Jewish Forum.

Tzvika Shahak is a decorated Lieutenant Colonel in the Israeli Navy, who, as a result of the murder of his daughter, Bat-Chen, in 1996, together with his wife tierelessly advocates for dialogue and non-violence over revenge and works closely with Palestinian partners on peace-building projects

Uriya Shavit is a fellow at the Moshe Dayan Centre for Middle East and African studies at Tel Aviv University. Published ‘The Wars of Democracy: The Arabs and the West from the fall of Communism to the War in Iraq’

William Chapman is policy director at the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Previously he was a career civil servant, and the Prime Minister's Secretary for Appointments

Yael Unterman is a creative educator, life coach and writer, and author of a new biography of Professor Nehama Leibowitz

Yair Dalal is a multi award winning Israeli composer and pianist and pioneers developments in ethnic music

Yair Lipshitz is currently completing a PhD at the Theatre Department of Tel Aviv University. He is a Junior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and teaches at the Theatre Department of Tel Aviv University

Yardenna Alexandre is a senior research archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority, directing many Galilean excavations.

Yaron Ezrahi is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the Hebrew University and Senior Fellow as the Israel Democracy Institute; and a former adviser to the White House

Yoske Nachmias is a veteran Irgun fighter

Yossi Chajes is a senior lecturer in Jewish history at the University of Haifa

Zipora Ne’eman is a second generation traditional Jewish paper cutter. She creates hand made paper cuts and teaches the craft in Israel, America and Europe using a special method

Zvi Bekerman teaches anthropology of education at the School of Education and The Melton Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Zvi Solomons has been rabbi-ing for eight years at orthodox shuls in the UK, including Liverpool and now Reading