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Sessions for Wednesday, 15:30 - 16:40 (Mid Afternoon)
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- A Jewish Requiem for Kodachrome
- Can God Be Understood?
- Disability and Mitzvot
- Empowering Jewish Teens: the LimmudLA Way
- Gems of My Grandfather's Music
- Get Up Ladies and Lead! How Can We Get More Women to Lead the Jewish Community?
- Hebrew Cafe (4 of 4)
- If I Were a Rich Man (or Woman) …
- Innovation Isn't Dead: the New Creativity in European Jewry
- Introducing Great Hebrew Writers: Amichai (3 of 3)
- Israel Engagement - Where Is the British Jewish Community and Where Could They Be?
- Jewish Prayer: a Guide for the Confused
- Kosher Sex
- Kubrick's Midrash: the Shining
- My Wife Is a Bigamist: a Journey with Herzl
- Scriptural Reasoning: History, Theory and Practice (3 of 3)
- Shirat Hanefesh - a New Jewish Community for the Future
- Spirituality and Social Justice: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King, Jr
- Taste of Tunisian Food - Kemia Starters Feast
- The Akedah From a Philosophical Perspective: a Dialogue
- The Audacity of Self Love
- The Book of Curses - Performance (3 of 3)
- The Formation of Israeli Society, Culture and Identity
- Through Soviet Jewish Eyes: Photography, War, and the Holocaust
- Trouble-Making Judaism
- Undressing the Torah
- What Have We Learnt About Racism From the Holocaust?
- When Words Are Not Enough: Witness and Memory in Holocaust Art (2 of 2)
A Jewish Requiem for Kodachrome
Michael Berkowitz
Location: Soc 1
Tracks: History, Visual Arts
Type: Lecture
This presentation, accompanied by photographs and music, recounts the 'Jewish history' of the creation of Kodachrome. Kodachrome colour film was one of the most popular consumer products of all time which revolutionised both popular and professional photography. Its inventors, Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky, Jr, emerged from a distinctively Jewish realm that fused music, film, entertainment, and science.
Can God Be Understood?
Elliott Malamet
Location: Rootes Chancellors 3
Tracks: Philosophy, Tanach/Text
Type: Discussion, Lecture
The episode in Genesis 22 of the binding of Isaac, where God orders Abraham to sacrifice his only son, presents severe moral and theological problems. How can God be understood in the face of a seemingly arbitrary and unethical command? Are Jews compelled to obey such commands? This talk will review Jewish and philosophical sources and discuss the moral implications of the story for contemporary Jews.
Disability and Mitzvot
Naftali Moses
Location: Soc 8
Tracks: Disability, Halacha, Medical Ethics
Type: Lecture, Discussion
Judaism has traditionally been an 'embodied' religious practice-asking of its members to utilise their very physicality in the performance of mitzvot. Whether listening to the shofar, eating matzah, walking up to the Temple or offering sacrifices therein-many mitzvot require proper physical function for their completion. What does this mean for those lacking full function-the physically disabled? Is physical 'normalcy' a requirement for mitzvah observance?
Empowering Jewish Teens: the LimmudLA Way
Yechiel Hoffman
Location: Sci 7
Tracks: Communities, Education, Modernity
Type: Discussion, Training
Learn about the ways LimmudLA works to empower Jewish teens by partnering with Jewish schools, youth groups and community organisations. Explore two distinct projects, Teens@LimmudLA and the High School Jewish Futures Project, that empowered teens to develop new skills, engage with community leaders, while transforming themselves and the Jewish community. Study the videos, websites and materials created by teens to promote their work. Discuss how to implement your own projects within your Limmud community.
Gems of My Grandfather's Music
Deborah Katchko-Gray
Location: Arts - Studio
Tracks: Music, Music Workshops, Spirituality
Type: Workshop / Practical, Performance
Cantor Adolph Katchko was a giant amongst the Golden Age of Hazzanut. Come and discover how radical he was in his day - his gorgeous nusach-based music will be explored, listened to as sung by the master cantor and reworked for a new generation of cantors by his granddaughter. You will hear three generations of cantors sing and bring back a few gems to share with your own congregations.
Get Up Ladies and Lead! How Can We Get More Women to Lead the Jewish Community?
Carolyn Bogush,
Nicky Goldman,
Laura Marks,
Abigail Morris,
Hannah Weisfeld
Location: Sci 3
Tracks: Age/Gender Issue, Communities, Leadership
Type: Panel Debate, Discussion
The Jewish Community has fewer women in top level leadership roles than even the UK average yet our women are highly educated and achievers. Do the men actively exclude us, are we not up to the task or is there something else? The consequences are detrimental to the whole community. Join us to explore the problem and to tell us what we should do - if indeed anything at all.
Hebrew Cafe (4 of 4)
Gili Dvash,
Jewish Agency for Israel,
Limmud Conference Social Events Team,
Tzofim - Israel Scouts
Location: SU Pool Room
Tracks:
Type: Social / Informal, Discussion
Whether you prefer a Kaffeh Hafukh (latte) or a Teh Nana (mint tea), all are welcome at Limmud's Hebrew Cafe! No matter what your level, enjoy an informal, facilitated discussion in Hebrew. Each day we will use an article from an Israeli newspaper, Hebrew song lyrics or Israeli poetry to spark discussion over a cup of coffee. So bring a finjan or a flask... just remember to speak in Hebrew!!
If I Were a Rich Man (or Woman) …
Ellen Flax
Location: Soc 4
Tracks: Tanach/Text
Type: Discussion, Text Study
Most of us, alas, are not wealthy. We'll explore how the Jewish tradition provides us with tools to live our lives in a rich and satisfying manner, no matter the size of our bank account.
Innovation Isn't Dead: the New Creativity in European Jewry
Andras Borgula,
Jeremy Leigh,
Michael Schudrich,
Barbara Spectre
Location: Sci 8
Tracks: Communities
Type: Panel Debate
This session will discuss the remarkable Jewish renaissance in European Jewry, with new initiatives in art, spirituality and cultural ventures. What has caused this recent surge in European Jewry? Find out how and what is being done in all corners of Europe. How does it compare to innovation in the UK?
Introducing Great Hebrew Writers: Amichai (3 of 3)
Steve Israel
Location: Ram 4
Tracks: Israel, Literature
Type: Text Study
Yehuda Amichai who died a decade ago is considered to be one of - if not THE - greatest Israeli poet. We will be using Amichai's poems of Jerusalem to try and understand something of what makes him such a challenging and thought provoking writer and poet.
Israel Engagement - Where Is the British Jewish Community and Where Could They Be?
Andrew Gilbert,
Doug Krikler,
Jeremy Newmark,
Daniel Sheldon
Location: Soc 3
Tracks: Anglo Jewish Politics, Israel
Type: Panel Debate
Communal discussion around Israel in the last year has sometimes been controversial. What are the issues? How much is this affected by specific British, Israeli or American governments or events in the Middle East? How united is British Jewry? How much does British Jewry care about Israel, how much does it show it and what does it care about? How much does it know? Is this about advocacy or engagement?
Jewish Prayer: a Guide for the Confused
Shira Solomons
Location: Ram 6
Tracks: Spirituality
Type: Lecture, Text Study
They sit. They stand. The pages go on and on. But what does it all mean? If you have ever felt lost in a synagogue service, then this is the session for you. We will learn about the overall structure of Jewish prayer, how the siddur is organised and why we pray as we do.
Kosher Sex
Shmuley Boteach
Location: Ram 1
Tracks:
Type:
Adults only. Come and discuss a revolutionary approach to intimacy, marriage, and personal relationships, drawing on traditional Jewish wisdom. Based on Shmuley’s international best-selling books on love and intimacy, as well as his experience of counselling individuals and couples, we will break down sexual taboos and openly, yet respectfully, discuss the meanings, emotions, and hidden power of sexuality.
Kubrick's Midrash: the Shining
Nathan Abrams
Location: Sci 5
Tracks: Film/Theatre, Midrash, Visual Arts
Type: Lecture
This session will take an in-depth focus on Stanley Kubrick's film 'The Shining' (1980) to explore how movies are midrash to be explored midrashically and to be understood as a contribution to midrash.
My Wife Is a Bigamist: a Journey with Herzl
David Breakstone
Location: Lib 1
Tracks: Current affairs, Israel, Modernity
Type: Lecture, Discussion
The problem isn't with the term 'a Jewish state,' but rather with agreeing about what it means. Gender-segregated buses and sidewalks, impending legislation on conversion, increasingly restrictive Chief Rabbinate rulings and other recent manifestations of religious coercion now threaten to disenfranchise huge segments of the Jewish people. We will explore this issue through personal anecdotes regarding marriage and divorce, all against the backdrop of Herzl's own vision for a Jewish state.
Scriptural Reasoning: History, Theory and Practice (3 of 3)
David Ford
Location: Soc 7
Tracks: Interfaith, Modernity, Tanach/Text
Type: Lecture, Discussion
In the mid-1990s some Jews, Christians and Muslims developed the practice of Scriptural Reasoning: joint study of Tanach, Bible and Qur'an and their traditions of interpretation. David Ford was part of the initial group. This session will tell some of the history, examine the rationale for Scriptural Reasoning, and describe how it has worked in practice. There will also be contributions from others who have participated in previous practice sessions during Conference.
Shirat Hanefesh - a New Jewish Community for the Future
Roanne Pitluk,
Ramón Tasat
Location: Arts - Ensemble
Tracks: Communities, Diaspora, Music
Type: Lecture, Discussion
During this session Roanne will describe the different groups that form Shirat HaNefesh such as the type of religious services, the Religious school, the Youth Community choir and Kolot HaLev, the Choir in Residence at Shirat HaNefesh.
Spirituality and Social Justice: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King, Jr
Or Rose
Location: Soc 2
Tracks: Social Justice
Type: Lecture, Text Study
Heschel and Martin Luther King met for the first time in 1963 and soon became friends and fellow activists, working closely until Dr King's assassination in 1968. What brought these two outstanding religious leaders together? What were their theological commonalities and differences? How did they each view the role of the religious leader in the public square? What might we learn from the lives and work of these two men?
Taste of Tunisian Food - Kemia Starters Feast
Fabienne Viner-Luzzato
Location: Rootes Panorama
Tracks:
Type: Creative, Training
Fabienne will show how to transform vegetables, herbs, spices into a colourful and tasty Tunisian starter feast. Cumin potatoes, harissa with soft carrots and coriander, beetroot radishes grated carrots with orange dressing, courgette with harissa, crushed nuts and spices... and a lot more to discover! This will be served with some briques (Tunisian samosas) and boulettes (vegetarian option of Tunisian meat balls).
The Akedah From a Philosophical Perspective: a Dialogue
Michael Harris,
Samuel Lebens
Location: Ram 2
Tracks: Philosophy, Tanach/Text
Type: Discussion
The Akedah, the story of the Binding of Isaac in chapter 22 of Genesis, is one of the most famous passages in the Torah. It raises some fascinating philosophical issues which have occupied both Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers for centuries, including the nature of the relationship between God's commands and morality. No background in philosophy required.
The Audacity of Self Love
Daniel Newman
Location: Rootes Chancellors 1
Tracks: Psychology, Spirituality
Type: Discussion, Workshop / Practical
A confidential workshop in which we will explore ways to practise self esteem and the paradoxical insight that the more we are able to love ourselves and esteem ourselves, the more love we generate for others and the greater our ability and capacity to give to others.
The Book of Curses - Performance (3 of 3)
Michael Kagan
Location: Soc 6
Tracks: Drama, Holocaust, Storytelling
Type: Performance
The Performance of The Book of Curses: an audio play based on the newly discovered diary of Benjamin Berkovitch who lived and was killed in the liquidation of Novogrudok ghetto. It is about a man who loved Western culture and how that love was destroyed by the very people who created it. The play journeys through his life where love turns to hate, hope is lost and where all is cursed. Discussion follows.
The Formation of Israeli Society, Culture and Identity
Eli Amir
Location: Sci 4
Tracks: Israel, Social Justice
Type: Lecture
Eli Amir was born in Baghdad in 1937. Aged 13, he was exiled along with 120,000 Iraqi Jews to Israel. He served the Israeli government as a ministerial adviser on Arab affairs, immigration and absorption, striving to acknowledge the problem of immigrants from Arab countries, whose culture was considered to be inferior. He will be discussing the formation of present day Israeli society, its culture and whether Israel is as independent as we believe.
Through Soviet Jewish Eyes: Photography, War, and the Holocaust
David Shneer
Location: Hum 2
Tracks: History, Visual Arts
Type: Lecture, Discussion
In 1942, three Jewish photographers working for the Soviet press became the first liberators to photograph the Holocaust. What pictures did they take as journalists for the 'other ally'? Why were Jewish photographers documenting the war and the Holocaust in the first place? Together, we will uncover the lost history of the first liberator photographers of World War II as told in Shneer's book and upcoming Ben Uri Gallery exhibition.
Trouble-Making Judaism
Elizabeth Sarah
Location: Ram 3
Tracks: Midrash, Social Justice, Tanach/Text
Type: Discussion
Participants will explore the ways in which making trouble is an essential part of Judaism. From the prophets who admonished the leaders and people of Israel through to the rabbis who troubled the Torah to make meaning for Jewish life, Judaism has been engaged with troubling and trouble making. Participants will have an opportunity to explore some troubling texts.
Undressing the Torah
Amichai Lau-Lavie,
Jacqueline Nicholls
Location: Sci 2
Tracks: Tanach/Text, Visual Arts
Type: Lecture, Discussion
Stripping back the layers, can new forms be found that reinterpret our rituals, respect tradition while also celebrating a contemporary sensibility? In 2011 Storahtelling commissioned a Torah cover. The result, a corset Torah dress that created a cultural buzz and inspired debate about modern aesthetics of traditional Judaica. Artist Jacqueline Nicholls and Storahtelling's Amichai Lau-Lavie will discuss ancient ritual objects, new makeovers and the problem with kitsch.
What Have We Learnt About Racism From the Holocaust?
Ruth Barnett
Location: Soc 5
Tracks: Education, Holocaust, Social Justice
Type: Lecture, Discussion
What have we learnt about racism from the Holocaust? This session will explore links between white supremacy and colonialism in the series of major genocides preceding the Holocaust, genocide denial, impunity and our problems with racism today. Some background knowledge of 20th century genocides useful but not essential. Interest in challenging prejudice and indifference vital.
When Words Are Not Enough: Witness and Memory in Holocaust Art (2 of 2)
Irene Wise
Location: Ram 5
Tracks: History, Holocaust, Visual Arts
Type: Discussion, Lecture
Holocaust Art: Memory. The second of two parts that overlap, this session looks at Holocaust artworks that were produced at some distance from the atrocity and those made after liberation. Again, the images will be the starting points for our discussion. Works featured will include examples by British and American artists, some by survivors who painted their experience after the event (even many years later), and memorials created by artists born post-1945.
