Limmud Toronto 2016

It is estimated that although only 2% of the US population is Jewish, 30% of Western Buddhists in the United States are Jewish. Further, many teachers of so-called, "Jewish meditation," actually teach mindfulness meditation techniques derived from the Buddhist tradition with a thin veneer of Jewish religious trappings layered over top of them. Many Jews today feel a need for a more inward, spiritual, or experiential type of practice than they are able to find within their own Jewish communities. Those who feel spiritually disconnected from Judaism very often turn to Buddhism or to the now wildly popular secularized form of Buddhist meditation known as "mindfulness." Perhaps, the emphasis on simple sitting, stillnesss, and silence are restorative antidotes to the endless stream of words in synagogue and the frenetic busyness of traditional halachic observance?

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 phrase “Christian atheist” isn’t something you hear very often. Neither is “Muslim atheist.” But Judaism – especially the North American variety – seems less attached to its theological roots, and “Jewish atheism” is, as the young people say, very much a thing these days. You don’t have to go very far to find people who don’t believe in God, but still consider themselves Jews. In many cases, they’re still very much in touch with their Jewish heritage – it’s just that they’ve decided they can get along without believing in a deity. The goal for this session is to start a discussion about the nature of Jewish identity in a post-belief age. Along the way, a number of provocative questions will be confronted: Is there some connection between the reduced role of God in Judaism (compared to other faiths) and the traditional Jewish love of science and learning? Did the Holocaust make it impossible for Jews to believe in God – or was the decline in belief inevitable, in a high-tech, science-oriented world? And, what does it mean, exactly, to be a Jew if one no longer believes in the God of Abraham, Moses, and the rest of the gang?

Hear Rabbi Lila Kagedan, the first Orthodox woman in North American to assume the title of rabbi, share her journey as a woman to the orthodox rabbinate. A discussion about women in leadership roles in Orthodox Judaism as well as an exploration of text will highlight Rabbi Kagedan's journey. 

Are you hungry for Judaism that merges tradition and the spirit? Unsure of how to create programs and services that resonate with your community? Inviting burnt-out and inspired Jewish leaders to join for a workshop that replenishes your self and moves you to nurture everyone else. Experimenting with innovative and nonconventional ways to draw people back to Jewish tradition, you will grapple with your Jewish journey and the needs of your community. Using the metaphor of the sukkah, you will leave this workshop flexible and rooted in the power of Jewish living to carry Judaism - and your self - to unfamiliar and dangerous communal terrain.

In societies that were defined by clear gender binaries, and in which ritual, social, and physical work was divided along gender lines, it is perhaps not surprising to discover that both Jewish and Islamic texts had anxieties about bodies that did not easily fit into these sex/gender paradigms. The Talmud explores the ritual obligations of the tumtum and the androgynus, while Islamic legal sources examine the rights of the khuntha and the mukhannath, all of whom represent either intersexed bodies, bodies with ambiguous genitalia, or those who "behave" like someone of the opposite sex. While the mere recognition of sexual diversity in such ancient texts is encouraging, can these texts serve as a basis for more inclusive discourses on LQBTQ issues in contemporary Jewish and Muslim communities? Or does the fact that they were written to solve 'the problem' presented by these 'nonconforming' bodies render them too problematic to be useful? This session will explore the relationship between Jewish and Islamic textual traditions and contemporary attempts at inclusion in living Jewish and Muslim communities, using translated passages from classical texts as well as examples from popular media such as the Amazon Prime series "Transparent" and a recent documentary on the "Trans" mosque of Indonesia.

We are a grassroots organization of concerned individuals who view the most important immediate and long-term priority for our community to be making Jewish education affordable for the majority of the families in our midst.By striving to make Jewish education more affordable, we fulfill a moral obligation to our community and a historic obligation to the wider Jewish people. The status quo is an affront to conscience. Inaction is not an option. Nor is failure.

The format will be a conversation between Yacov a member of the clergy of Beth Tzedec and Kayla a congregant who is committed to raising a Jewish family together with her non-Jewish partner. Join Kayla Kwinter and Yacov Fruchter for an open discussion about the latest data on the effects of intermarriage on the Jewish community in North America and how they understand the opportunities and challenges that the current reality presents.

Exmining the role of siblings within the lives of people with learning disabilities, mental health issues and complex needs, The Judith Trust presents a workshop session exploring the dynamic of siblings within families who have a child with learning disabilities, mental health issues and complex needs. The session will include a range of perspectives and approaches to roles and responsibilities of siblings as well as offering a unique opportunity for siblings and parents to share their views.

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.