From Roman Vishniac to Diane Arbus, Jews have long been a major force in the world of photography, particularly in the genres of documentary and photojournalism. In this session, we will look at the work of several 20th-century and contemporary photographers through the lens of Tikkun Olam to explore how they used image making in pursuing this central Jewish value. Please bring your smartphone or a camera.
How might the Biblical laws of shemittah (sabbatical year) bring meaning to our lives today? Join young Jewish farmers to delve into ancient texts that prescribe a year of rest for the land and for those who care for it. Learn about the Jewish Environmental movement's project to combat climate change while supporting sustainable communities. Presented through the Green Hevra: A New Coalition of Jewish Eco-Projects.
We will explore how Jewish tradition, from the Rabbinic period onward, has grappled with the issue of dementia and how we respond to it, for better or worse.
The 99% versus the 1% in the USA. Mass social protests in Israel. Greece and Spain in deep crisis. All developed nations are facing the challenge of inclusive growth, in an era of growing social gaps between the haves and the have-nots. The remedy for this crisis depends on having resilient, vibrant and prosperous communities. This is where the Jewish legacy of community and institution-building has a unique value proposition to Israel and the world.
The coming of age of Jewish baby boomers initiated an era of Jewish identity politics that intersected with, and occasionally diverged from, those convulsing American society. We will discuss how feminism, Israel and Zionism, the Soviet Jewry movement, the Holocaust, intermarriage, multiculturalism, and debates on sexuality and gender, shattered a consensus that had taken hold in the postwar decades. We will look at a number of key texts from these decades.
This session will explore the halakhic (Jewish legal) and hashkafic (ideological) considerations regarding the handling and reporting of incidents of child molestation in camps, schools and other community settings, and the steps that need to be put into place in order to prevent and address this issue in the future.
Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East coast last fall and millions of lives were upended and thousands of Jewish children faced changed realities in the aftermath of the storm. This workshop will use Gertie, the feisty 9-year-old Jewish heroine of the novel When the Hurricane Came, to uncover both Jewish and psychological truths about developing resilience, including the importance of family, faith, friends, and the magic of tikkun olam, striving to make the world a better place.
Ta'anit Esther, the fast on the 13th day of Adar to commemorate Queen Esther's fast in the Bible, has recently been reclaimed as Yom Ha'agunah, The Day of the Agunah (Chained Woman). An “agunah” is a woman who wants to divorce her husband but is trapped in her marriage because he denies her permission; she is unable to remarry. This session will explore the ramifications of Jewish divorce in both civil & Jewish law, and how we can help Jewish women who are trapped. Sources will be available in both English and Hebrew.
Join in a lively facilitated conversation where participants will hear the experiences of one another and explore new rituals and practices connected to niddah (separation laws). After the workshop, participants will have added one more ritual into their niddah practice, and will have explored other contemporary models.
There are nearly 1 million suicide attempts in America each year, yet the issue is still taboo in some communities. What can we do to increase awareness and prevention in our places of worship and learning? In this session we will view scenes from the forthcoming documentary Following Boruch, about a Chasid who battles bipolar disorder, depression and suicidal thoughts. We will also have a discussion with members of the Jewish community who have been personally affected by suicide.
Recent headlines of violence and incitement against African asylum seekers have highlighted the plight of this community and the complexity of the issues at hand. Since 2005, more than 60,000 African asylum seekers have crossed into Israel. With a broken asylum process and exploitation of the issue by ultra-nationalist politicians, the asylum seekers are caught in political cross-hairs. Join the New Israel Fund and the Right Now Coalition for an issue briefing and to advocate for the rights of this population.
"A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff" is a chamber-rock opera written and performed by Alicia Jo Rabins with a live band. The piece explores Madoff's infamous scam through personal stories, interviews with people who played a part in the story, and the lens of Jewish and Buddhist thought. In this session, Alicia will perform live songs from the piece, screen excerpts from its sold-out premiere at Joe's Pub in November 2012, and lead a discussion about where finance, ethics, and mysticism intersect.
This session was made possible by funds from The Covenant Foundation.
In honor of Presidents' Weekend, we will join together in anthems and folks songs from the eras of George, Abe, Teddy, Franklin, Jack, and Barack (and others). Happy days are here again, as are melodies from the labor, suffrage, peace, and civil rights movements, traditional spirituals, campaign ditties, and political show tunes. Bring instruments, iPhones (to search for songs and lyrics), ideas for songs you want to sing, and your sonorous voices.
As we approach the upcoming shemittah year (observed starting Rosh Hashanah 2014/5775), we ask: How might the ancient laws of shemittah (sabbatical year) guide us toward sustainability? In this practical workshop, participants will learn about the Jewish environmental movement's project to combat climate change while supporting sustainable communities. This session is presented through Hazon, 7Seeds and the Green Hevra: A New Coalition of Jewish Eco-Projects.
In Torah portion Hayei Sarah, Abraham acquires what is considered to be the modern city of Hebron in the West Bank. As progressive Jews concerned about the human rights situation in Hebron today, we engage with this text as an opportunity for education and reflection. Project Hayei Sarah is a group of over 50 young Jewish leaders who have spent time in Hebron, supporting each other to share our stories and questions in our communities. We are grateful for the opportunity for respectful and open-hearted discussion.
