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Sessions for Tuesday, 14:00 - 15:10 (Afternoon Intensive)
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- Archaeology in Israel: a Personal Perspective (3 of 4)
- Conference Catering Behind the Scenes
- Crafternoon Tea: Accessorise Yourself
- Defending Israel Beyond the M25
- Escaping the Prison of Halacha (3 of 4)
- Fighting for the Diaspora: Jewish Soldiers in National Armed Forces
- Four Jewish Spiritual Revolutions that Changed the World - and Me (3 of 4)
- From Hank Greenberg to Heeb: How Jews Became Part of Mainstream America
- Getting Ahead with (Jewish) Hats! (2 of 2)
- Hot AND Bothered: the Life-Changing Chemistry of Kashrut (3 of 4)
- Improve Your Photographic Skills! (2 of 3)
- Intermediate Hebrew (2 of 3)
- Israel's Regional Relations in an Ever More Turbulent Middle-East
- Jerusalem: Beyond United and Divided
- King James Stole Our Bible
- Kosher Sushi-Making
- Limmud Book Club: George Eliot's Daniel Deronda
- Limmud International Surgery (3 of 5)
- Mental Health First Aid Lite
- Musicians' Intensive (3 of 4)
- Shlichim on Israel: Talking the Tough Stuff (2 of 4)
- Stories From the She-Bible - on the Road (3 of 4)
- The Brilliance and the Horror: Faces of German Jewry (2 of 3)
- The Interconnections of the 'Sefirot' (2 of 2)
- The Jewish Leadership Council: Everything You've Always Wanted to Ask
- The Philosophy of Rav Kook: Is It Still Relevant? (2 of 3)
- The Quality of Jewish Leadership in the Generation of the Expulsion From Spain
- US Middle East Policy: the Harm It Is Causing and What It Should Be
- Why Jews Should Help the Poor
Archaeology in Israel: a Personal Perspective (3 of 4)
Steve Rosen
Location: Soc 7
Tracks: Archeology, Israel
Type: Lecture
A Virtual Tour of Tel Sheva: The excavations at Tel Sheva, directed by Yohanan Aharoni in the 1970s, offer an ideal look at the nature of a biblical tel, and the issues surrounding biblical archaeology. This is the site tour offered beginning students in archaeology at Ben-Gurion University, based on a detailed slide show presentation.
Conference Catering Behind the Scenes
Conference Catering Co-Chairs
Location: Rootes Bar
Tracks: Communities, Food
Type: Performance
If you thought your seder was big, try preparing 7,500 hot meals a day for 5 days in a row! Join the Conference co-chairs for Catering, along with Limmud's professional caterer, Jason Millan, for a walk-through tour of the galleys of the largest kosher event in Europe. Spaces strictly limited.
Crafternoon Tea: Accessorise Yourself
Limmud Conference Social Events Team
Location: SU Pool Room
Tracks: Arts and Crafts
Type: Social / Informal, Creative
Celebrate the joys of crafting with plenty of opportunity for socialising and tea drinking.Today's session will have you accessorisng in no time with bracelet making. Suitable for all ages and skill levels.
Defending Israel Beyond the M25
Steven Jaffe
Location: Ram 4
Tracks: Communities, Israel, Politics
Type: Discussion
No, we are not suggesting the M25 as Israel's new defensive line. If you are from a regional community, with a great tradition of supporting Israel, how can you promote Israel's case today? Whether a concerned community member who would like to better inform friends and colleagues, or a seasoned activist running your own campaign - please join me. Hear what's going on around the country, share experiences, contribute ideas. North West Londoners welcome too!
Escaping the Prison of Halacha (3 of 4)
Matt Plen
Location: Soc 2
Tracks: Halacha, Modernity, Philosophy
Type: Discussion, Text Study
Is it possible to be an observant Jew in the modern world without abandoning either the Jewish ideal of obedience to God or the modern value of personal autonomy? We'll explore creative responses to this question by three orthodox (or not so orthodox) thinkers. Do they successfully defend traditional Judaism, or do they unwittingly undermine the foundations of Jewish faith? This time: iconoclastic Israeli religious guru and scourge of the right-wing religious establishment, Yeshayahu Leibowitz.
Fighting for the Diaspora: Jewish Soldiers in National Armed Forces
Reuben Livingstone
Location: Sci 8
Tracks: Communities, Halacha, Modernity
Type: Lecture, Discussion
The session will focus on the surprising numbers of Jews who serve - not in the IDF - but in National Armed Forces around the world - and particularly in the UK. It will highlight some of their unique religious, moral, and practical challenges - and will feature comments from classic Jewish sources. The presenter is a serving Jewish Chaplain in the British Army and member of the Jewish Committee for HM Armed Forces
Four Jewish Spiritual Revolutions that Changed the World - and Me (3 of 4)
Tzvia Greenfield
Location: Hum 1
Tracks: Modernity, Philosophy, Politics
Type: Lecture, Discussion
Can Jewish Law be Renewed in Light of Changing Times? (Or: Can Absolute Truth Become Doubt without Destroying Faith?) - Most Orthodox believers perceive Jewish law as reflecting God's one eternal truth, and therefore as unchangeable. Yet by introducing the idea of God as transcendental - never to be identified with anything concrete - Judaism has replaced the obvious truth of the world with the unavoidable presence of doubt (and therefore faith). How could I, an Orthodox person, become convinced that our moral obligation is to re-understand and re-interpret Jewish law?
From Hank Greenberg to Heeb: How Jews Became Part of Mainstream America
Shuly Schwartz
Location: Sci 2
Tracks: Comedy, Diaspora, Food
Type: Lecture, Discussion
Hank Greenberg, Barbara Streisand, Alexander Portnoy, Fran Drescher-American Jewish icons who have entered the American cultural mainstream. They remind us just how deeply American Jews have integrated into American life. By exploring their contributions, we'll consider what makes Jews Jewish in today's world, and what will ensure our Jewishness in generations to come.
Getting Ahead with (Jewish) Hats! (2 of 2)
Jonathan Myers
Location: Soc 3
Tracks: Education, History, Modernity
Type: Lecture, Discussion
Fashionistas of headcoverings - or not! You've chosen your coloured kippah, that really nice fur shtreimel, or that extremely cute sheitel (wig)... with the bangs! And having now seen the historical context that led to the development of many of these types of headgear, this session asks participants to consider what 'Jewish' headcoverings mean to them in today's modern world.
Hot AND Bothered: the Life-Changing Chemistry of Kashrut (3 of 4)
Raphael Zarum
Location: Sci 3
Tracks: Halacha, Philosophy, Tanach/Text
Type: Lecture, Text Study
This four-part series brings some much-needed meaning to the practical intricacies of dividing meat and milk. Why is everything separate in a Jewish kitchen? Can all these laws really inspire us rather than obsess us? The Shulchan Aruch comes to life as we analyse cold collusion, hot interaction, liquid submersion and gaseous exchange. You will see how basic chemistry can unpack the living logic of Jewish law. Each session stands alone, together they are salivating.
Improve Your Photographic Skills! (2 of 3)
Chaim Bacon
Location: Soc 4
Tracks: Arts and Crafts, Visual Arts
Type: Creative, Workshop / Practical
Learn to take better photographs (portraits, landscape, architecture, abstract, anything). Chaim's an ex-professional photographer and will share many skills including exposure, lighting, framing your subject, the 'rule of thirds' and much more. Session 1 was the theory. This Session we'll all be out on site practising and honing those skills together. Session 3 will be a review of pictures with more Q&A. No photographic experience required. Camera recommended. This session is 2 hours.
Intermediate Hebrew (2 of 3)
Etty Someck
Location: Lib 1
Tracks: Israel
Type: Text Study
This session will be on current affairs. We will read the latest news either from the internet, or through the latest papers from Israel, and discuss it. We will use Yediot, Maariv or Shaar Lamatchil newspapers, depending on the level of the class.
Israel's Regional Relations in an Ever More Turbulent Middle-East
Hagai Segal
Location: Ram 1
Tracks: Current affairs, Israel, Politics
Type: Lecture, Discussion
Just a few short years ago Israeli leaders would have spoken with pride and confidence about the Jewish State's relations with a few key Muslim states in the Middle-East. Yet today these relationships face significant challenges, or are in crisis. Hagai will examine the current nature of Israel-Turkey, Israel-Egypt and Israel-Jordan relations, and what the future might hold for these key strategic connections and their impact on the wider Middle-East.
Jerusalem: Beyond United and Divided
Eetta Prince-Gibson
Location: Sci 7
Tracks: Communities, Israel, Politics
Type: Lecture, Discussion
There have been nearly 100 different plans for resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Jerusalem. Almost all of them have focused on sovereignty and all of them have failed. As a proud resident of Jerusalem, and as a member of a high-level Palestinian-Israeli working group, I propose that we move beyond worn-out terms such united/divided and East/West and listen to the rhythm of the city to find solutions to the conflict.
King James Stole Our Bible
Jonathan Romain
Location: Lib 2
Tracks: Halacha, Philosophy, Tanach/Text
Type: Lecture
At the end of the year celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James edition of the Bible, here is a chance to explore the curious paradox that the Bible is both essential and irrelevant to Judaism today - with both descriptions being true at the same time!
Kosher Sushi-Making
Michie Yana-Berger
Location: Rootes Panorama
Tracks: Food
Type: Creative, Workshop / Practical
Making sushi is easy and enjoyable experience whether you prefer it plain or elaborate. This is a hands-on session for learning about sushi and how to make one. The session will start with discussion on history, key ingredients and different styles of sushi. This will be followed by actual preparation, rolling with sampling.
Limmud Book Club: George Eliot's Daniel Deronda
Shoshi Ish-Horowicz,
Limmud Conference Social Events Team
Location: Rootes Sutherland
Tracks: Literature
Type: Creative, Discussion
This stand alone session is a chance for all book lovers to meet, chat and share insights. Dealing with one novel a day, we will discuss our favourite extracts, characters and theories - for those who've already read the book and those who haven't but would like to find out more. Today's choice is a classic by one of the great Victorian novelists, controversial for its depiction of Anglo-Jewish identity and the proto-Zionist Dream.
Limmud International Surgery (3 of 5)
Limmud International Team
Location: SU Terrace Bar
Tracks:
Type:
Limmud volunteer team members from throughout the world are welcome to join this small group discussion on a topic of the day e.g. Young Limmud, family provision, organisational structure and development, or Shabbat at Limmud. Look out for postings on the Limmud International stand in Rootes. Bring along your questions and challenges and find out what your peers have done in a similar situation or work out a solution together.
Mental Health First Aid Lite
Tanya Harris
Location: Sci 1
Tracks: Communities, Disability, Social Justice
Type: Workshop / Practical, Discussion
By the end of this session, participants will be able define mental health and some common mental health problems and to identify the discrimination surrounding mental health problems. JAMI will consider the attitudes to mental health matters within the Jewish community. Please note this session is 3 hours long with no break.mental health
Musicians' Intensive (3 of 4)
Jess Gold,
David Hoffman
Location: Arts - Studio
Tracks: Music Workshops
Type: Creative, Workshop / Practical
The third session of composing and rehearsing for the Limmud musicians' intensive, taking Jewish texts as our inspiration, building to an open performance. A chance to compose, rehearse and perform with other musicians, professional and amateur.
Shlichim on Israel: Talking the Tough Stuff (2 of 4)
Michael Brodsky,
David Cohen,
Rafi Nassi,
Avigail Shapira,
Daniel Sheldon
Location: Ram 5
Tracks: Israel
Type: Panel Debate
The Jewish Agency representatives ('shlichim') in the UK, along with a guest from Israel, will debate issues on the minds of Israelis. Come listen and join the debate about a matter affecting Jews everywhere. Today we will be discussing the image of Israel, in a special panel made up of professionals dealing with this issue daily, including representatives of the Israeli Embassy, the ZF and the UJS.
Stories From the She-Bible - on the Road (3 of 4)
Maureen Kendler
Location: Soc 1
Tracks: Literature, Tanach/Text
Type: Lecture, Text Study
Where are the places that women go? Where lies safety, where is danger? These sessions explore the key places where women in Tanach are found, where they decide their fate, or where their fate is decided for them.
The Brilliance and the Horror: Faces of German Jewry (2 of 3)
Jonathan Wittenberg
Location: Sci 4
Tracks: History, Literature, Politics
Type: Discussion, Lecture
Heinrich Heine: Poet or Prophet? Among the greatest German lyric poets, a political commentator with a brilliant, ironic pen, an unwilling convert to Christianity who regretted it at once, a lover of the good life who repented while paralysed for years on his death bed, what does Heine have to teach about Judaism? What does he have to say about German? Why did the Nazis obliterate his tomb?
The Interconnections of the 'Sefirot' (2 of 2)
Michael Picardie
Location: SU Copper Rooms 1
Tracks: Kaballah, Meditation, Psychology
Type: Workshop / Practical, Training
The second session repeats the yoga, the breathing and elaborates the interconnections between the 'sefirot' of 'Ayn Sof', 'Keter', 'Chochmah', 'Binah', 'Chesed', 'Gevurah', 'Tiferet', 'Yesod', 'Netzach', 'Hod' and 'Malkut / Shekhinah'. This session is suitable for beginners and the more advanced in both Yoga and Kabbalah meditation.
The Jewish Leadership Council: Everything You've Always Wanted to Ask
Jeremy Newmark
Location: Sci 5
Tracks: Anglo Jewish Politics, Communities
Type: Lecture, Discussion
Come to this question-and-answer session where you are invited to discuss the role and work of the Jewish Leadership Council in our community and beyond. The JLC exists to strengthen the major institutions of British Jewry, to promote co-operation between them, and to help the leadership of our community articulate a confident and compelling narrative of mainstream Jewish life in the United Kingdom.
The Philosophy of Rav Kook: Is It Still Relevant? (2 of 3)
Marc Shapiro
Location: Soc 8
Tracks: Halacha, Israel, Modernity
Type: Lecture
Rav Kook was the most creative and influential Orthodox thinker of the twentieth century. Yet we must ask some hard questions about some of his ideas, such as are they still relevant? And if not, is that necessarily a bad thing?
The Quality of Jewish Leadership in the Generation of the Expulsion From Spain
Marc Saperstein
Location: Ram 3
Tracks: Diaspora, History, Leadership
Type: Lecture, Discussion
Modern Jewish historians have often been extremely critical of medieval Jewish leaders, especially those in Spain during the generation of the Expulsion. Such leaders have been condemned for having failed to foresee and take adequate measures to prevent the Expulsion, and for intellectual mediocrity in the areas of Jewish law, philosophy, and Kabbalah. My presentation will challenge the assumptions underlying such assertions, with special reference to Don Isaac Abravanel and Rabbi Isaac Aboab.
US Middle East Policy: the Harm It Is Causing and What It Should Be
Barry Rubin
Location: Hum 2
Tracks: Current affairs, Israel, Politics
Type: Lecture
The Obama Administration has formulated a Middle East policy on the basis of a set of clear premises that did not correspond to reality. As a result, not only have U.S. interests suffered but so have regional stability, Israel's security, and Western interests. This lecture is a detailed examination of precisely what the Obama Administration has done; why and how it has gone wrong; and what American-and European-strategy should be.
Why Jews Should Help the Poor
Steve Miller
Location: Rootes Chancellors 2
Tracks: Social Justice
Type: Discussion
This session will look at important Jewish values like tzedakah (justice and charity) and tikun olam (perfecting the world). We will look at some Jewish teachings and also how Tzedek, a Jewish organisation, helps the poor in Africa and Asia.
