Limmud Oz 2019: Full Schedule

BOOK TICKETS
MORE INFORMATION about Limmud Oz
KIDS PROGRAM now LIVE!
15 – 17 June | Roundhouse UNSW

9:30am PDT

Acute emotional stress and heart attack: biblical and medical insights interwoven

Dramatic Torah scenes will be explored that provide insight into the link between acute emotional stress and heart attack. These include Sarah’s death after the near sacrifice of Isaac and the fainting then revival of Jacob when he learned that Joseph was alive. Geoff will weave Biblical commentary with current knowledge of the link between acute stress and heart attack, as well as findings from his own medical research, and suggest a guide to prevention.

Speakers

Geoffrey Tofler

Geoff is a Professor of Cardiology at Royal North Shore Hospital and the University of Sydney. He is fascinated by the insights that the Torah can provide into the association between stress and the heart and how it may link with his ongoing research interest into the relationship... Read More →

Sunday June 16, 2019 9:30am - 10:30am PDT
Room 7

Text and tradition, Presentation

10:45am PDT

Memory wars: how Europe remembers, forgets, or revises the Holocaust

Poland’s 2018 Holocaust Law made it illegal to accuse the Polish state of complicity in Nazi crimes. How does this law fit with the revival of Jewish culture in Poland? Join the personal journey of a child of Polish Holocaust survivors visiting Kielce, the site of a post–WWII Polish pogrom. A senior lecturer in Modern and Jewish History will add a historian’s perspective to the memory wars now raging between public institutions and international historians.

Moderators

Ruth Balint

Historian of migration, UNSW

Ruth is a senior lecturer at UNSW and convenor of History. She teaches and writes on histories of migration, displacement, and refugees and family, with a current focus on the Displaced Persons of postwar Europe. Her recent radio documentary for the ABC, ‘Cooking for Assimilation... Read More →

Speakers

Jan Lanicek

Holocaust historian, UNSW

Dr Lanicek was born in the Czech Republic and is now senior lecturer at UNSW, specialising in the history of the Holocaust and modern European history. He is the author of three books: Czechs, Slovaks and the Jews, 1938–48 (2013), Arnost Frischer and the Jewish Politics of Early... Read More →

Yvonne Selecki

Yvonne is a child of Polish Holocaust survivors who had always been reluctant to visit Poland. For her parents it will always be one large graveyard. A recent trip changed that and she found a greater affinity to Polish culture than she imagined. Yvonne works as a doctor and a writer... Read More →

Sunday June 16, 2019 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 7

Our history our memory, Presentation

12:00pm PDT

Jews, now presented in technicolour

Even as more and more awareness of the rich racial and cultural mosaic of Judaism that has always existed comes to the forefront of public consciousness, there still exists the spectre of ‘whiteness’. While ‘whiteness’ inhabits a very specific social meaning nowadays, what has textual tradition said on the topic of Jews and race?

Speakers

MaNishtana

Anti-racism activist & rabbi

New York–based African-American Orthodox Jew MaNishtana—born from two African-American Orthodox Jewish parents—is a writer, playwright, speaker, novelist, and rabbi. His work tackles prejudice and bias head on and shatters misconceptions about Orthodox Judaism, American Jewish... Read More →

Sunday June 16, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 7

Society and politics, Presentation

1:15pm PDT

Ilan Ramon: a Torah in space

In light of Israel’s recent Bereshit moon-launch we will look at another inspirational Israeli pioneer of space, Ilan Ramon. This session will focus on the symbolic importance of Ramon’s achievements for Israel, Zionism, and Jews throughout the world. Ramon’s mission symbolised that Israel, despite all that it is wrestling with, can go anywhere and continues to reach for the stars.

Speakers

Tuvia Book

IDF veteran & author

Tuvia was born in London and is an IDF veteran. He is an experienced Jewish educator in both formal and informal contexts and has guided and taught Jewish students and educators from around the world and throughout Israel. Tuvia has a doctorate in Israel education and is the author... Read More →

Sunday June 16, 2019 1:15pm - 2:15pm PDT
Room 7

Everything Israel, Presentation

2:45pm PDT

Owning your curls

WORKSHOP | Curly girls, guys, and allies all welcome for a light-hearted but passionate look at embracing our Jewish curly hair in all its glory. Come share your tips, tricks, and products to tame your frizz—but no straightening irons allowed.

Speakers

Sharon Berger

Sharon is the program manager at the New Israel Fund Australia. A long-time Limmud junkie she writes a monthly opinion column for Plus61J. A former journalist, she holds a BA (Hons) from the University of California Berkeley and an MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from St Antony’s... Read More →

Sunday June 16, 2019 2:45pm - 3:45pm PDT
Room 7

Mind body and soul, Workshop

Company Teens steam

4:00pm PDT

Asia's unknown Jews

Did you know that there has been a constant Jewish presence in Central Asia for 2,700 years? A descendant of the last Emir of Boukhara’s Court Poet, Yvonne Green explores the history and culture of the Jews of Boukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan) and their Judaeo–Tajik language (written in Rashi script). This Jewish community was integral to the founding of the Silk Routes and constituted the First Aliyah to Israel in the 1890s to 1910s. Where is the Boukharan Jewish community today?

Speakers

Yvonne Green

Poet & translator

Born to a multilingual Central Asian family in London, Yvonne practised law in another life. She burst onto the poetry scene with Boukhara, which won the 2007 Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet Competition. Yvonne has since published four more collections: The Assay (Hanisoo-yi (Hebrew... Read More →

Sunday June 16, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 7

Our history our memory, Presentation

5:15pm PDT

Leonard Cohen: the voice, the light, and the flame

Leonard Cohen's unmistakable voice, rich poetry, and chocolate melodies have inspired millions, but it is his Jewish voice that I will be exploring in this presentation. He is arguably the greatest Jewish poet of our times. We will explore his poetry and his music with a Jewish ear.

Speakers

Jeff Cohen

Moriah College

Jeff is a very Jewish Mathematics teacher, with the great merit of having married Tracy and being the father of David. He has been a Leonard Cohen tragic since 1970.

Sunday June 16, 2019 5:15pm - 6:15pm PDT
Room 7

Arts and culture, Presentation

6:45pm PDT

Naming and shaming: narratives around names in the Torah

Judaism makes a pretty big deal about names. Many people refer to God as ‘the Name’ (‘Hashem’). The Bible includes many lists of names and many stories suggesting the origin or aptness of a particular name: the babble of Babylon, Adam from the earth, and the laughter heralding Isaac. What are these stories all about? This question will carry us on a journey among text, taboo, cultural conflict, word play, and the ultimate quest for meaning.

Speakers

Joel Nothman

Joel’s fascination with language has cut across interests in linguistics, computing, Judaism, education, and song. He consults as a data scientist within the University of Sydney, where he did his PhD in natural language processing and subsequently lectured. He enjoys sharing his... Read More →

Sunday June 16, 2019 6:45pm - 7:45pm PDT
Room 7

Text and tradition, Presentation

11:00am PDT

You, me, and Martin Buber—is this the new Jewish threesome?

WORKSHOP | Relationship breakdown affects the Jewish community to no lesser degree than the general population, and those struggling attend therapy all too late and all too reluctantly. Inspired by Martin Buber’s notion of authentic ‘I–Thou’ relationships and the sacred space between two people, this workshop is an upstream preventative strategy. Come and hone the skills and techniques that will transform your relationship. Learn how to talk without criticism, listen without judgment, and truly connect with others.

Speakers

Janine Zimbler

Janine is a relationship therapist working with individuals, couples, and families. Highlights of her 40-year career include leading the therapy team at Boys’ Town, co-creating the primary-school counselling program for the Catholic Education Office, working with parents of children... Read More →

Monday June 17, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 7

Mind body and soul, Workshop

12:15pm PDT

Jews and meditation: the Jewish roots of the secular mindfulness movement

WORKSHOP | Salzberg, Goleman, Goldstein, Kornefield & Zinn: a Manhattan law firm? No—a roll-call of prominent meditation and mindfulness teachers and researchers. Jews have been crucial in bringing meditation from Buddhism to Western culture and establishing mindfulness as an evidence-based intervention. But why? This session will explore the history of Jewish meditation and Jews in meditation, introducing participants to some of the underlying theories and practices of mindfulness—without the need to adopt the lotus position.

Speakers

Stiofan Mac Suibhne

Stiofan is a registered osteopath and long-time meditator, trained in the Buddhist meditation tradition and secular mindfulness. In clinical practice he uses mindfulness as a technique to help patients with long-term health conditions and chronic pain or as a resource for resilience... Read More →

Monday June 17, 2019 12:15pm - 1:15pm PDT
Room 7

Mind body and soul, Workshop

1:45pm PDT

Israeli politics and feminism—a tango

Over the past few months Israel witnessed a passionate election campaign and a historic women’s domestic violence protest. But the elected 21st Knesset has fewer women than the 20th, and gender equality issues are hardly its top priority. This session will examine the main challenges for Israel’s feminist movement. How does Israel compare to other countries in terms of female political representation? What is being done to promote gender equality in Israeli politics?

Speakers

Miriam Zalkind

Lawyer & advocate, Israel Women's Network

Miriam is an Israeli lawyer serving as the Director of Policy and Legislation Promotion at the Israel Women's Network. She has been a feminist activist for more than a decade and is very active in the social struggle to end gender violence and to eliminate gender segregation in Israel... Read More →

Monday June 17, 2019 1:45pm - 2:45pm PDT
Room 7

Everything Israel, Presentation

3:00pm PDT

CANCELLED - Napoleon and the Jews

Regrettably, this session has been cancelled.

Napoleon is remembered as an ambiguous hero for Jews, affirming Jews' citizenship even as he put conditions on it. We'll discuss his acts and legacy. We recommend (but do not require) that you attend the 'French Revolution and the Jews' session before coming to this one.

Speakers

CANCELLED - Lisa Leff

Professor of History, American University

Lisa is a historian of European and Jewish history, specialising in the history of Jews in France. She is the author of Sacred Bonds of Solidarity: The Rise of Jewish Internationalism in Nineteenth Century France (2006), Colonialism and the Jews (2017) and The Archive Thief: the... Read More →

Monday June 17, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 7

Our history our memory, Presentation

4:15pm PDT

David and Goliath: Israel at the UN

Israel is confronted by endemic bias at the United Nations, with over 500 resolutions against it in the General Assembly—more than against all other countries put together. And that's before we talk about the Human Rights Council!

Speakers

Vic Alhadeff

CEO, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

Vic is CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. He was formerly Chair of Multicultural NSW, Editor of the Australian Jewish News (reporting from Moscow on the campaign to free Soviet Jewry and from Israel on the Gulf War and the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin), and chief sub-editor... Read More →

Monday June 17, 2019 4:15pm - 5:15pm PDT
Room 7

Everything Israel, Presentation

5:30pm PDT

CANCELLED - ‘Alone in the crowd’: a short history of the Talmudic herem

Regrettably, this session has been cancelled.

One of the most ubiquitous (but least understood) of the Talmud's weapons is the herem, or ban. From the sage known only as Acher (‘somebody else’) to the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, many who transgressed Rabbinic consensus have felt the lash of social exclusion. In this session, we will consider the Talmudic passages that speak of this phenomenon, determine precisely what the herem looked like, and what one need do to incur the wrath of the Rabbinate.

Speakers

Simon Holloway

Simon is an Education Officer at the Sydney Jewish Museum, where he researches and runs seminars on the Holocaust. He has a PhD from the University of Sydney, for which he wrote a thesis on the use of metaphor in the Hebrew Bible. He also has two beautiful children, aged 1 and 3... Read More →

Monday June 17, 2019 5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
Room 7

Text and tradition, Presentation

7:00pm PDT

30 years at the back of the shul: a physio’s observations

Do biblical commentators say anything about the harms of sitting? Do I need to bend my knees to safely lift a Torah for Hagbah? Why does my shoulder hurt when I put on my Tallit? Come to this session to explore the problems of deteriorating spinal posture and back pain, and their relationship to Judaism. We will discuss prolonged sitting, prolonged screen-time, and lifting techniques—and how Orthodox Judaism hints at a solution.

Speakers

Larry Cohen

Larry is the founder and principal physiotherapist at UprightCare. He has an MSc in Exercise Physiology, is a graduate of Harvard’s PPCR clinical research course, and has worked as a gymnastics coach and physiotherapist at the Olympics and Special Olympics. He is in the latter... Read More →

Monday June 17, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 7

Mind body and soul, Presentation