Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Cool Jew Returns
Lisa Alcalay Klug
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Newport Beach 1
Global History and Culture,
Teen Approved
A fun romp across the contemporary Jewish cultural landscape. Includes musical samplings, slides, poignant personal anecdotes and humorous escapades fresh from the massive tour across North America that launched the best-selling humor book "Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe" -- a 250-page antidote for Jewish self-hatred! How do you know you're a Heebster and what is cool about every Jew.
Eat Your Bible: The 7 Species
Lev Metz
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Balboa Bay 1
Text and Thought,
Teen Approved
The Torah lists 7 species of fruits and grains that are native to the land of Israel, and symbolic of the luxury of living a good life. Come and taste the foods, explore their connotations in the text and learn about how they can help us connect to healthy eating choices.
FILM: Out of Faith
Ethan Isenberg
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Huntington Beach 1 & 2
Arts and Performance
This documentary follows three generations of a family torn apart by conflicts over interfaith marriage. The family’s matriarch, Leah Welbel, and her husband Eliezer, both survived nearly three years in Auschwitz; however, in their minds, their grandchildren marrying non-Jews represents a posthumous victory for Hitler. "Out of Faith" examines these issues by capturing the intimate details of one family's attempt to persevere in the face of a heart wrenching intra-familial conflict; a conflict that impacts countless families in multicultural societies. Anyone who has ever struggled to remain loyal to a cultural identity in the face of great societal pressure to assimilate will undoubtedly relate.
Jewish Healthcare Choices
Diane Roosth
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Emerald Bay 1
Health and Healing,
Identity and Responsibility
Learn how to prepare yourselves and your families to apply Jewish values to the decisions presented by 21st century Medicine. Presentation and discussion includes clarifying Jewish faith based beliefs in completing an advanced directive and in making medical decisions in the hospital setting; the psychosocial-spiritual impact of having or not having an advanced directive on Jewish patients and their families; deciding whom to involve as surrogate decision makers; some resources on Jewish medical ethics and for making Jewish health care decisions.
The Jews of Latin America: How Are They? Where Are They?
Ruth Broyde Sharone
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Laguna Beach 2
Global History and Culture
Thirty years ago, as a young journalist, Ruth Broyde Sharone conducted an extensive study of the nature and disposition of the Jewish communities of Latin America in 19 countries, and 50 cities. Recently, she was able to revisit a number of the same Jewish communities and assess the current state of their well-being in the light of the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East.
Judaism and the Environment
Shaya
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Laguna Beach 1
Identity and Responsibility
Discover how and why the most powerful tools available to us to make a positive impact on the environment are forks and spoons. And knives, too.
A Millennium of Oppression: Life as an "Impure" Jew Among Iran's Shiite Majority
Houman Sarshar
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Laguna Beach 3
Global History and Culture
With the arrival of Islam in Iran ca. 650 CE, various restrictions were placed on the dhimmi (People of the Book) communities. By 1500 CE and the official declaration of Shiite Islam as the dominant creed of Islam in Iran, these restrictions took on absurd and generally abusive dimensions with respect to the Jewish communities living throughout the land. Many communities vanished through forced conversion, and those who survived endured the harshest of living conditions. Many among them, however, would go on to make invaluable contributions to the development of Iranian culture. This presentation will discuss the concept of religious impurity in Shiite Islam as it pertained to Iranian Jews, and explore its consequences.
Neuroplasticity and the Jews
Josh Horwatt
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Newport Beach 2
Health and Healing,
Identity and Responsibility
What happens when groundbreaking neuroscience meets the Orthodox world? Over the past 7 years, a phenomenon has developed in the Orthodox education system across the country -- The Arrowsmith Program. The Arrowsmith Program applies the idea that the brain is plastic and cognitive shortcomings can be effectively addressed through intensive cognitive remediation. Come learn about how this program works and how its entrance to America has been almost exclusively through Orthodox day schools.
Spirituality and Self-Esteem
Batsheva Frankel
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Balboa Bay 2
Health and Healing,
Teen Approved
An interactive, text-based class that explores the relationship between obtaining/maintaining a healthy body image and developing a stronger spiritual sense.
Spirituality, Breath and Body
Stephanie Avedon
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Catalina Ballroom 1
Additional schedule
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Saturday 9:30 AM–10:45 AM
Pacific Ballroom 3
Health and Healing,
Teen Approved
Breathe deeply. Slow down. Take a break from the buzz of your LimmudLA agenda. Roll out your mat and join us for a yoga session where we will listen to our bodies and spirits and make deeper connections to both.
The Triumph of Orthodoxy:
What Can We Learn?
Chaim Seidler-Feller
Sunday 8:30 AM–9:45 AM
Emerald Bay 3
Identity and Responsibility,
Text and Thought,
Teen Approved
Fifty years ago, Jewish sociologists predicted the eventual demise of Orthodoxy. The reality, however, is that not only has Orthodox Judaism not disappeared but it has thrived and become the most vibrant denomination in America today. In this workshop, we will examine the demographic evidence for the Orthodox resurgence, identify the reasons that explain this success and develop a programmatic application for the general Jewish community.
