Samuel Klein
www.coexistencetrust.org
Samuel Klein is Executive Director of The Coexistence Trust, an international parliamentary interfaith network, and Community Director of London’s Carlebach Synagogue “The Saatchi Shul” (www.saatchishul.org). A lecturer and writer on theology and the arts, Samuel established an art consultancy representing emerging contemporary artists and has worked with leading galleries in Israel and London. Samuel is a Five Rhythms dance practitioner with an interest in the dialogue between existential and gestalt psychotherapy and art of movement. He holds degrees in Theology and Religious Studies (Cambridge University), History of Art (University College London), and Psychotherapy & Counseling Psychology (Regents College London), and is currently studying Conflict Resolution & Mediation (MSc) at Birkbeck College, London.
Tefillah and Gestalt Awareness
Identity and Responsibility,
Ritual and Prayer
Gestalt Awareness is a nonanalytic, noncoercive, nonjudgmental practice derived from the work of Fritz Perls. Here we will explore how the practice of spoken word, song, and movement in Tefillah (prayer) allows us to sift through multivalent layers of personal and communal identity. The workshop will utilize textual sources, group exercises, and discussion, with the leader helping to reflect, clarify, and respect whatever emerges in this process.
Quoting Caravaggio
Identity and Responsibility,
Text and Thought
In this interactive workshop, we will explore themes in the “Biblical Stories” series of Israeli artist Adi Nes. Nes' early work has been characterized as subverting the stereotype of the masculine Israeli man by using homoeroticism and sleeping, vulnerable figures; the models' poses often evoke the Baroque period and the work of Renaissance maverick Michaelangelo Merisi Del Caravaggio. Nes has said that the inspiration for his photography is partially autobiographical: “If I ignore that I'm gay, I ignore that I grew up in a Sephardic family, I ignore that I grew up in a development town, I ignore that I'm an artist-what is the main thing in my own identity? I thought that the first layer that would exist is Judaism -- that I can't run away from my Jewish identity. But when I finished the project...I found that humanity, friendship, and being generous and compassionate, these are the last things that I have as a human being.”
Emet Ve'Emunah: Are We All Searching for Truth?
Identity and Responsibility,
Teen Approved
Does Truth exist objectively or subjectively? Do participants in consensual community building seek the same Truth? What makes a person change an understanding of Truth in their lives and how does this impact on those around them? With reference to the work of James Fowler and Donald Winnicott, among others, this workshop will examine the place of Truth claims in personal development and community building.
