LimmudFest NY 2020

The State of Israel defines itself as a Jewish and Democratic state. What does that mean? What is the role of halachah in the state? What are the fundamental conflicts in Israel regarding conversion, marriage, burial, and religious freedom? Is there, or should there be, separation between state and religion?

I am in the process of producing an edited volume of translations of the thought of Rabbi Shimon Gavriel Rosenthal, known by his initials Shagar. He has been simultaneously called an anarchist, Haredi, post-Zionist, and post-modern. Rabbi Shagar (d. 2007) questioned the fixed answers of his inherited Religious Zionism with its fixed answers and historical certainties. Instead, he turns to Hasidic story, Existential absurdity, Franz Rosenzweig, Rav Nachman, and science fiction to create a Torah of the seeker. In the last decade of his life, he discovers post-modernism, Lacan, and Lyotard to create a Torah that does not need foundations or proof. Finally, toss in a rejection of Rav Kook's Zionist vision in favor of an almost post-Zionist view of the land as beyond force and violence. Does this heady cocktail work as a religious worldview? Come listen then decide.

By law, marriage and divorce in Israel are overseen by religious institutions. There is no civil marriage and divorce. This has led to major problems for citizens not considered Jewish by the Rabbinate. In the last decade, tremendous pressure has been building to develop and implement state run models to ensure the civil rights of all citizens.

KAN is both the name of the Israeli Public National broadcasting company and the Hebrew word for "here." In the past few years, Israel has made an impact in the television market with shows like Shtisel, Fauda, Srugim, Hatufim and many more. What are the success stories, and how were the adaptations made - for better and for worse. Allergy warning: may contain spoilers.

When the politics surrounding Israel enter the college space, how do students, Hillel professionals, and school administrators respond? From UCLA to NYU, the BDS movement has gained momentum in the legislative arm of Student Government, prompting a campus discussion about Zionism, and in many instances making Jewish students feel unsafe on campus. This discussion will highlight four different perspectives on the college campus over the past four decades with the aim to better understand how identity politics, intersectionality, and campus climate impact the lives of Jewish college students.

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 pikuach nefesh (saving an endangered life). However, an analysis of the teachings of RaMBaM and RaMBaN regarding kedushat ha’aretz (the sanctity of the land) demonstrates that there exist two distinct conceptual views-one mystical and essentialist and the other rational and instrumental-that define contrasting attitudes towards the land, each of which lends support to a different political option. The views of Maimonides and Nachmanides will be related to mainstream Zionist theory as well as to the opinions of Isaiah Leibowitz and David Hartman.

Judaism gives us the freedom to accept Judaism, to choose the Torah, to understand the Torah, and to choose life: ובחרת בחיים. Fundamentally, it gives us the freedom to respect others. Once freed from slavery, the Jewish people were able to stand at Mount Sinai. Throughout the generations, it is with freedom that we accept the covenant – and take on the moral law. At its heart, the moral law calls for respect: respect of God, respect of the law, and respect of other people. How does this understanding of freedom impact our lives? What does it mean for liberal democratic states? How can it affect the State of Israel? Are Israel’s Women of the Wall due freedom or respect?

Using Foundation Stone’s unique De’Ara Tanach Map, the Power of the Place presents a powerful tool for giving context to the text of Tanach.

This presentation examines the concept of spatial anchoring in Jewish thought: How we remember stories through places, and use places as vehicles for values.
This will be modeled for several stories in Tanach and Jewish History, bringing them to life through showing them on a large, beautiful map, anchoring them in the physical setting in which they occured.

Are you mystified by Israeli politics? Explore the state of the political game in Israel—How does the system actually work? What are the deep questions that continue to draw Israeli political lines? Why have right wing coalition governments persisted for the last decade? Let’s organize our thinking about where Israeli political divides lie and, consequently, why things are the way they are. A clear picture of the political map can help us understand Israeli politics, think through questions that Israelis face at the ballot box, and move forward.