New to the program this year is Cafe Limmud, a unique space at Limmud that aims to generate more discussion between presenters and participants. During each hour of the program, specific presenters will "host" a table in the venue's CC Lounge area. For presenters, it's a great opportunity to begin or continue a conversation with participants who may not have been able to attend your full session, and for participants you might just want to know one last thing from an engaging presenter following their talk. Participants are encouraged to visit the cafe throughout the day, and join one or more conversations of interest to them. All presenter times in Cafe Limmud will be advertised, but it's a fluid space where any new topic can be born. We look forward to sharing this new experience with you.
Books and other merchandise will be available for sale at some presenters' tables in each Cafe hour - come to schmooze and to browse!
Right off the bat, kids will be playing with hoops, balls and more while they get informally acquainted with the volunteers. Next we will do a number of Ice-breakers (games) that will have the kids laughing together, working toward a common goal, and learning an aspect of “Love Your Neighbour as yourself.”
Over the past few decades, Poland has become a true hotbed of contemporary Jewish identity debate—in Europe, but perhaps even more so in North America and in Israel, where we find so many descendants of Polish Jews. "The Meshugene Effect" is a research-creation project situated in a socio-cultural milieu, which has been receiving much attention in academic and popular circles.
Since the fall of communism, thousands of people in Poland have discovered Jewish roots. Among them is a peculiar category of those, whose discovery was preceded by a ‘hunch’ – an irrational conviction that they were Jewish before they actually knew they were Jewish. Katka Reszke tries to make sense of the personal narratives of several Polish women (including her own), who embarked on a pursuit of Jewish identity following a feeling, an intuition, an uncanny precognition about their Jewish descent. These self-narratives reveal different ways of making sense of extraordinary experiences of memory and transition set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.
The present understanding of Halakha (Jewish Law) has been shaped by the phenomenon of "Ashkenormitivity", where the Ashkenazi Halakhic methodologies have been accepted as the norm.
What happens when the focus turns to Halakhic ideas and positions from different parts of the world? Can the way in which Halakha has been conceptualized be maintained, or are the assumptions which are made specific to a particular Ashkenazi Jewish milieu?
The source material for this presentation will be based in the writings and ideas of Rav Yuval Cherlow, Rabbi Marc Angel, Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo, and others who push the distinction between Jewish philosophy and Jewish law.
Children will be watching a short video clip. They will learn the song “Kol Ha’olam Kulo, Gesher Tzar Me’od” and play two games that will help the children understand its meaning: “The entire world is a very narrow bridge, and it is essential that we should not fear anything.” These are movement and teamwork games that will have the child up around and smiling!
YidLive! Limmudnik Nudniks in the Fleish!
What is a 'YidLife Crisis'? YidLife Crisis creators Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion speak about their sense of what makes up modern Jewish identity crises, hoping to learn how this is experienced across geographic and demographic boundaries. (Warning - humour)
As the State of Israel seeks to boost its public image, and boost tourist dollars, one way it has done so has been to highlight its excellent record on LGBT equality. Israel’s critics, however, call this “pinkwashing” – the attempt to whitewash/pinkwash Israel’s occupation of the West Bank by depicting Israel as a liberal democracy. The battle has grown fierce, leading to boycotts and denunciations from right and left. Which side is right? What are the facts and the values at issue, and what do they say about how all of us – left, right, gay, straight, Zionist, anti-Zionist – formulate our political allegiances and solidarities?
Justin Sakofs will be fresh off presenting an engaging session for adults and will jump right in to work with the children. While the children and parents eat together, Justin will show the group how much fun they can have in Shul!
Children will learn some new songs in English and Hebrew that will create great energy and connection. Then they will play a game called Caterpillar that will be followed by a video and discussion about Sukkot.
Books and other merchandise will be available for sale at some presenters' tables in each Cafe hour - come to schmooze and to browse!
Children will be delighted by a Jewish magician who will include some Jewish magic!
Books and other merchandise will be available for sale at some presenters' tables in each Cafe hour - come to schmooze and to browse!
Children will watch a few video clips about Israel and discuss what Israel might mean to them. They will also learn about the service that Israeli women and men give to Israel.
Ken Burns, Emmy Award winning documentary film maker, said this about PORTRAITS IN FAITH: "I was, we were (as several folks in the office crowded 'round)completely blown away. By its power and dignity, its implicit compassion and yet unblinking eye. What a wonderful project and I only wish I hadn't been on the road for the last three and a half months because I would have been able to see this amazing project sooner."
For eleven years, Daniel Epstein, a Marketing Director at one of the world’s largest corporations, Procter & Gamble, has been traveling the world for business and for faith. Motivated by his own search to fill the "Godsized hole" in his life, he did not know where it would lead. He felt that if he did not develop some type of spiritual faith he would die. Born and raised a Jew, Daniel’s challenges with relationships, work, and "life" forced him at age 36 to pray to a God he did not know, a higher power not specific to either his own Judaism or any religion, and ask for help. In order to keep his new found sense of faith alive and to gain from the experience of others, Daniel created a spiritual exercise out of interviewing people around the world about the role of faith in their lives. As a photographer, Daniel also captured a moment with each person in a black and white portrait meant to evoke their true spirit. What emerged is the world’s most extensive oral history / testimony project conducted by one person on the subject of faith. Daniel has interviewed and made portraits of 450 people from 27 countries representing well over 50 religions, denominations, and spiritual followings.
Portraits in Faith is not about religion. It is about documenting the role of spiritual experience inside and outside of formal religion, expected and unexpected, told in people’s own words, and brought to life with video and photography. The message of Portraits In Faith is that despite all the negative press on faith in the world today, faith is a powerful healer, transformer, and changer of lives. The overriding message is that however one calls God (Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Higher Power, The Divine, Creative Intelligence, etc.) there is a greater force that connects us all and it is good for each person to find a path that leads to a faith that works for them. As someone who identifies as Jewish and who has a strong day school/youth group/ Israel/Jewish community background, Daniel helps audiences reflect on their own spiritual journey especially as Jews. Faith and spiritual journeys are not often spoke about in Judaism and Daniel believes this is a deficit that needs to change. Or said in the language of Judaism, we need to decrease the time and space between Naaseh and Nishma!
Books and other merchandise will be available for sale at some presenters' tables in each Cafe hour - come to schmooze and to browse!
The murder of Anezka Hruzova in Bohemia in 1899 is the only case in history in which a Jew (Leopold Hilsner) was found guilty of “Jewish ritual murder”. This Kafkaesque trial is the reason why “Jewish ritual murder” is accepted as a fact in the antisemitic and Arab press. How did this bizarre case unravel? Why did prominent Jews support Dreyfus but not Hilsner? Why is the verdict not yet overturned?
Charles Heller is the grandson of Siegfried Heller, who was Hilsner’s guardian. He has visited Czech Republic many times and is familiar with modern research in this case, most of which is not available in English.
Children will learn about Purim through videos and discussion. Then they will make their very own Purim masks to take home!
Throughout history, the Jewish people have confronted many grave challenges. In each instance, the Jewish response has been wildly inventive, versatile and robust. In response to each challenge, Jewish practice, belief and sense of self and nation were utterly transformed. And yet, Jewish tradition perceives itself as a continuous, uninterrupted chain extending back to Abraham and Moses.
Though Jewish people continue to honour and venerate Moses, their tablet of choice today is an iPad. The present moment in Jewish history is one of tremendous challenge and change. The crisis is profound. The radical break has broken. And most importantly, the remake is live, wireless and extraordinary.
This presentation will focus on the Canadian Jewish community’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis and put it in the context of previous such events. Our presenters have a full range of policy and implementation experience. We will describe previous refugee crises, Canada's policies at the time and the role played by the Jewish community. The Executive Director of JIAS (Jewish Immigrant Aid Services) Toronto will talk about JIAS’ work with over 34 Jewish community groups, families and members of congregations to privately sponsor Syrian refugees. We will describe how these groups evolved and the issues they have faced. Some of them have inspiring stories of how they came to sponsor and how they formed and grew their partnership groups. We will hear directly from members of several of these groups who will describe their own experience and successes.
