Shaul Farber
Machon Itim
Telephone: 972 2 648 2205
Email: show
Seth (Shaul) Farber is the founder and director of ITIM: The Jewish Life Information Center and the Rabbi of Kehillat Netivot in Raanana, Israel. He received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University and his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University. He is the author of “An American Orthodox Dreamer: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Boston’s Maimonides School.” Before moving to Israel, he co-founded Ma’ayan: The Boston Torah Studies Initiative. He lives in Raanana with Michelle and their five children.
New Halachot (Jewish Laws) Emerging from Israel
Is modernity influencing the rabbinate?
Israel,
Ritual and Prayer,
Text and Thought
A wide variety of legal cases involving personal status have recently ended up in Israeli rabbinical courts. Offering examples from personal experience, the presenter of this session will open a debate whether decisions in Israeli rabbinical courts contitute a new and perhaps revolutionary stage in the history of halacha (Jewish law). If you are thinking of getting married in Israel, you won’t want to miss this session.
The Crisis of Jewish Life in Israel.
The Challenges Israelis Face in Life Cycle Events
Israel
This session will begin with narratives of some of the nightmares Israelis face when confronting the religious establishment in their experience of lifecycle events. Utilizing stories from the trenches as well as statistics about Jewish life, we will explore the challenges of Jewish life in Israel, in addition to some of the new initiatives that are gaining momentum to help transform this difficult side of Israeli life
Conversation about Conversion
Between Conversion in the US and Conversion in Israel
Israel
The state of Israel has damaged its relationship with the Diaspora over three issues of conversion: recognizing Diaspora conversions for purposes of aliya, recognizing Diaspora conversions for purposes of marriage and raising the bar for those seeking conversion in Israel. This session will describe and analyze what’s happening here, and talk about the possibilities for the future. If you are a convert, have a convert in your family, or know a convert, you might not want to miss this session.
