Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Breakfast
Monday 7:30 AM–10:00 AM
Dining Room
Good morning! Meet your fellow participants at Breakfast before the last (half) day of Limmud NY 2008.
Breakfast with Nigel Savage
College Student Chat 'N Chew
Nigel Savage
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Dining Room
University Student Recommended
A chance for college students to engage in an informal conversation with Nigel Savage, founder and director of Hazon, an organization that strives to create and healthier and more sustainable Jewish community.
Cosmology and the Talmud
The Talmudic Rabbis: Creationists or Cosmologists?
Alan Gersch
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Tower Board Room
Text and Thought
Conflicts between creationists and scientists are once again making headlines. In courts across the country Biblical fundamentalists are challenging the teaching of evolution in schools and the age of the Earth.
Although the rabbis of the Talmud lived long before the discovery of modern scientific theories, they have something to say on this issue. Their teachings may surprise as well as help us as we, modern Jews, come to grips with this vexing issue.
Holy Matter, Sacred Space:
Land for peace in the Jewish tradition
Chaim Seidler-Feller
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Embassy Room 2
Current thinking has it that trading land for peace is contrary to halakha (Jewish law) and can only be permitted on account of a consideration of saving an endangered life. However, an analysis of the teachings of RaMBaM and RaMBaN regarding the sanctity of the land demonstrates that there exist two distinct conceptual views - one mystical and the other rational and instrumental - that define contrasting attitudes towards the land, each of which lends support to a different political opinion.
It Took Me 20 Years To Love This Place”
A reading and discussion of the work of Israeli poets
Shlomit Naor
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Congressional Room 2
Israel,
Text and Thought
We will read works of Shimon Adaf, Sivan Har Shefi, and Dori Manor, three young Israeli poets who come from different backgrounds. We will explore spirituality and space, see how these poets' locality is reflected in their art, and discuss whether or not we can see them as defining a new path in Israeli poetry. No previous knowledge is required. All texts will be in Hebrew and English.
Jewish Renaissance
The revolution will be published
David Russell
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Tower VIP Room
Global History and Culture
Jewish Renaissance Magazine defied the sceptics, launching six years ago to become British Jewry’s most successful new publication this millennium. Today it continues to grow, documenting and intensifying the current renaissance in Jewish culture in the UK and worldwide. The session will chart the magazine’s transatlantic ambitions; it is your opportunity to give input into this groundbreaking venture and to experience some of the stories that have put it on the map - in technicolor!
Late Bloomers: Coming to Judaism as an Adult
Paul Golin
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Congressional Room 1
A growing number of individuals -- including Jews-by-Choice, many adult children of intermarriage, and the non-Jewish spouses in intermarriages -- begin their “Jewish journey” much later in life than the usual straight-line of JCC pre-school through Jewish summer camp through bar/bat mitzvah through Hillel. Share those journeys and discuss how the community might better foster them.
Oh, Brother!
God and Israel in a Sibling Relationship
Michael Levy
Canceled, sorry
Additional schedule
- Saturday 9:00 AM–10:15 AM
Embassy Room 1
Identity and Responsibility,
Ritual and Prayer,
Text and Thought,
University Student Recommended
You are probably familiar with the portrayal of God as a parent or a spouse of the Jewish people. We will study a poem from the Middle Ages in which the author uses the “God as brother” metaphor to pray, plead and protest. You may find yourself rethinking how you relate to your siblings and to those whom you would treat as siblings.
Raising Up Babylon to Zion: Creative Zionism
Redefining Jewish Peoplehood and Purpose
Ariel Beery
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Empire Room 3
Israel,
Text and Thought
The creation of the State of Israel has fundamentally transformed the activity horizon for the Jewish People, creating greater potential for collective action than ever before -- and yet our people remain divided, and the gulf between Israel and the Diaspora grows. This session will workshop different ideas put forward by the Zionist thinkers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, who held that Zionism is the movement for the realization of the collective potential of the Jewish People.
Tekiah! Shevarim! Teruah!
Learn how to blow the shofar in one hour!
Michael Weis
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Safari Back Space
Ritual and Prayer,
Children's and Family Programming
In this action-packed, hands-on session with expert instructor Mike Weis, you will not only learn how to blow the shofar, you will come away with a much deeper knowledge of the spiritual significance of shofar, as well as all the relevant Jewish laws for this most important mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah. Learn the secrets of how to clean a shofar, how not to get stuck with a dud when you buy one in the store, and what makes a shofar kosher. Bring your shofar and be ready to have a blast!
When Tolerance Is Not Enough
Sparking a Revolution Towards LGBT Inclusion
Gregg Drinkwater
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Festival Room
Global History and Culture,
Identity and Responsibility
Sandi Dubowski’s groundbreaking film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews, “Trembling Before G-d,” sparked a revolution in Jewish communities worldwide. Come watch portions of “Trembling on the Road,” a short film that brings you the most dramatic dialogues, protests and events from Trembling’s global tour. Together we’ll talk about the amazing progress toward LGBT inclusion we’ve seen in the Jewish world over the last few years, and how we can all be a part of creating welcoming communities.
Why Did Isaac Favor Esau?
Nathaniel Helfgot
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Embassy Room 1
Text and Thought
A puzzling element in the Genesis narrative is the fact that the patriarch Isaac intends to bless Esau and not Jacob. This session will engage in a close reading of the biblical text and try to tease out some theories as to why Isaac might have favored the "wrong" son.
Write Reaction
Naomi Soetendorp
Monday 8:10 AM–9:25 AM
Empire Room 1
Limmud NY can be a fantastic experience. It can also be a little overwhelming and, at times, challenging. In this session we will use creative writing to help reflect on our experience of being at Limmud NY and explore how we can integrate the experience and ideas gained here in our “real” lives.
