Limmud NY 2019: Full Schedule

Online registration is now closed. You are invited to register at the door. Pricing is available here.

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday: Congregation Rodeph Sholom, 7 W. 83rd Street, New York, NY 10024

Friday night: Romemu, 165 W. 105th Street, New York, NY 10025

10:00am EST

Nothing But the Truth? Balancing Personal Integrity with the Pull of Tradition

How do we balance our own personal “truths” with the the inherited claims of Jewish tradition? What is the place of “personal integrity” in religious life? What do we do when our own experience of the world seems so different from those who shaped Jewish law and tradition? Discover a surprising radical text from the Babylonian Talmud (Tractate Yoma 69b) that reveals how the Rabbis themselves struggled with these same questions.

Presenters

Leon Morris

Leon Morris is the President of Pardes and is the first alumnus to head the institution (Year Program alumnus ’94-’95; Summer Program alumnus ’93 and ’94). Leon made aliyah with his wife Dasee Berkowitz and their three children in June 2014, after serving as the rabbi of Temple... Read More →

Sunday February 17, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am EST
Hahn Chapel (2nd Floor)

Textual Perspectives

11:15am EST

Seeing Race in Jewish Communities

The phrase “I don’t see color” is bittersweet. It expresses the desire to affirm equality and also ignores a glaring reality: in American society, we've all been socialized regarding race. If we refuse to see this, then how can we address race issues in our Jewish communities? We will play some fun games to demonstrate the challenges of undoing socialization and brainstorm concrete actions to foster racial equity and inclusion in our Jewish communities.

Presenters

Tamara Fish

Tamara Fish (Harvard U., AB; Union Theo. Sem., MA; Columbia U., MPhil, ABD) is the immediate past president of the Jewish Multiracial Network (JMN), the immediate past president of Congregation Tehillah, Riverdale, NY, and former Assistant Director of the Office of the University... Read More →

Sunday February 17, 2019 11:15am - 12:15pm EST
Hahn Chapel (2nd Floor)

Jewish Identity

12:45pm EST

Yetzirah (Creation): Creating with The In[HEIR]itance Project

Join the In[HEIR]itance Project, an arts organization that collaborates with communities around the US, to experience a unique art making method! This workshop will focus on an upcoming project at the Museum of Jewish Heritage featuring testimonials from Jewish GIs who served in World War II. Participants will collaborate with the artists, sharing ideas and lived experiences in response to the testimonials, and exploring ways to translate those ideas into art.

Presenters

Ariel Warmflash

Ariel Warmflash is a theatre artist, activist and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Ari works with young artists all over New York City to create original theatre that reflects their interests and experiences. She is a Teaching Artist with the Creative Arts Team, Opening Act and Lab/Shul... Read More →

Sunday February 17, 2019 12:45pm - 1:45pm EST
Hahn Chapel (2nd Floor)

Art

2:15pm EST

God-Talk and the Torah

God may be the most vibrant and complicated figure in the Torah. This session considers God’s nature and defining qualities, the limits of what humans can know about God, and asks whether the Torah’s God is relatable to Jews today.

Presenters

Amy Kalmanofsky

Amy Kalmanofsky is the dean of Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, JTS’s undergraduate school, and Blanche and Romie Shapiro Associate Professor of Bible. As associate professor of Bible, she teaches courses on Biblical literature, religion, and feminist interpretation of... Read More →

Sunday February 17, 2019 2:15pm - 3:15pm EST
Hahn Chapel (2nd Floor)

Spirituality and Theology

3:30pm EST

Spoken Word

Please join Spoken Word Artist Vanessa Hidary as she reads new work about group therapy in her childhood living room, her failed attempt to become a Sephardic bride, and her family’s problematic feet. Sound Jewish enough for you? This session will include a Q & A with the artist.

Presenters

Vanessa Hidary

Vanessa Hidary is an internationally acclaimed Spoken Word Artist/Author/Director. She has appeared on “Russell Simmons Presents ‘Def Poetry Jam’" and is featured in the film The Tribe. She has presented at numerous Limmud conferences, including South Africa and the UK. Her... Read More →

Sunday February 17, 2019 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST
Hahn Chapel (2nd Floor)

Jewish Identity

4:45pm EST

Secular Education in Ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas: What's at Stake

Graduates of ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas often struggle with the consequences of not having received a basic secular education. Most hasidic elementary schools provide only 90 minutes of secular instruction after a full day of Judaic studies. In high schools, boys receive no secular education at all, despite spending 12-14 hours a day in Yeshiva. Join Yaffed and Footsteps for a panel discussion about what's at stake and what the potential is for reform.

Presenters

Pesach Eisen

Pesach Eisen was born and raised in a Hasidic community in Brooklyn, NY. At the age of 25, after many years of struggling to find his place on the "outside," Pesach discovered Footsteps, and with their dedicated assistance finally completed his GED. Since then, Pesach has graduated... Read More →

Ari Hershkowitz

Raised in New York in an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community, Ari questioned that life from a young age. Now an atheist, he has built a life outside his insular beginnings and has publicly shared the joys and struggle of that journey via social media and in the acclaimed Netflix documentary... Read More →

Naftuli Moster

Naftuli Moster is the founder and executive director of Yaffed. He is a graduate of a Hasidic Yeshiva, and his own struggle while pursuing higher education inspired him to bring reform to the Yeshiva system. He now has a BA in Psychology and an MSW.

Shlomo Noskow

Shlomo Noskow attended Hasidic yeshivas throughout his childhood. He is also a parent of two teenage boys within the Hasidic school system. Although his career path was long and winding, he eventually found his way into medicine. He now practices as an Emergency Physician. Shlomo... Read More →

Yael Reisman

Yael Reisman serves as Footsteps’ first-ever Director of Field and Movement Building, working to mobilize the public around reform efforts and issues of concern to those leaving ultra-Orthodoxy. With nearly 15 years of experience, Yael has worked with various progressive nonprofits... Read More →

Sheindy Weichman

Sandy grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She is the mother of a boy attending a Hasidic Yeshiva. Sandy is currently attending Kingsborough Community College.

Sunday February 17, 2019 4:45pm - 5:45pm EST
Hahn Chapel (2nd Floor)

Jewish Identity