Limmud Seattle 2019: Full Schedule

7:30pm PST

Ferocious Vulnerability: Learning to Live in the Complexity

We live in a time of binaries: Liberal or conservative. Black or white. Pro- or anti-. Our certainty about our own beliefs and worldviews offers what feels like clarity, even safety… but relationships and communities grow fractured when we hold to our own beliefs too tightly. There is power and potential in leaning toward people and things we don’t understand; and promise in learning to live in the complexity when different ideas and identities converge. How can we hold multiple truths while still acting with integrity? How can we stay in relationships when it is more comfortable to move away? What answers does the Jewish tradition offer us?

Speakers

Will Berkovitz

Rabbi Will Berkovitz is CEO of Jewish Family Service, where he is responsible for the organization’s vision and strategic direction, including program oversight and mobilization of philanthropic, volunteer and advocacy support to help vulnerable individuals and families in Puget... Read More →

Talya Gillman

Talya Gillman (she/her) yearns for a world where all people experience dignity, freedom, and interconnectedness. She served as a 2009–10 AJWS World Partners Fellow with Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust in Mumbai, received a 2014 Covenant Foundation Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish... Read More →

Saturday January 19, 2019 7:30pm - 8:45pm PST
B204

Community & Identity Social Justice & Ethics Discussion

9:00pm PST

Recent Threats of Oldest Hatreds

This session explores what is going on in the world today regarding anti-Semitism by addressing the following:
• What is different about anti-semitism today, both in our country and around the world?
• Why is anti-semitism happening? Why is it growing?
• What can we do about it? Can we learn anything from Pittsburgh?

Moderators

Diane Douglas

Principal, Diane Douglas Consulting

A member of Seattle's Congregation Beth Shalom, Diane Douglas is a Limmud volunteer and Vice Chair of Seattle's Jewish Community Relations Council. She has worked professionally in Seattle’s civic and arts communities as a non-profit executive director, board member, fundraiser... Read More →

Speakers

Miri Cypers

Miri Cypers is regional director for the ADL’s Pacific Northwest office. She has a long-standing commitment to social justice and has worked for almost a decade in government and advocacy organizations. She served as director of federal affairs and partnerships at Giffords, the... Read More →

Jay Rosenbaum

Jay Rosenbaum is in his sixteenth year as senior rabbi at Herzl-Ner Tamid. He has a passion for baseball, movies, and intergroup relations. The Muslim-Jewish dialogue group he established at HNT is now in its sixth year. This fall, he led a six-session civil discourse series on immigration... Read More →

Daniel Weiner

Senior Rabbi Daniel Weiner believes passionately in building Judaism for the 21st century and healing the world through social justice. Temple De Hirsch Sinai has grown to over 5000 members and 1600 families in two campuses in Seattle and Bellevue since he took charge in 2001. His... Read More →

Saturday January 19, 2019 9:00pm - 10:15pm PST
B204

Community & Identity Social Justice & Ethics Panel Discussion

8:45am PST

Melodies for Martin

To honor the memory & legacy of Dr. King, we will lift every voice and sing together the tunes that he loved & those that constitute the soundtrack of his life of activism & commitment— Songs of the Civil Rights movement, of protest & dissent, of labor unions [He was shot in Memphis while supporting striking sanitation workers], anti-war anthems, and traditional Spirituals. Song sheets provided. Bring your joyful lungs & musical instruments to help create this melodic tribute.

Speakers

Jon Wolf

Community organizer & adult Jewish educator, YASHAR: the institute for Jewish Activism

Jonathan Wolf was a founder of CAJE and is executive director of YASHAR, the Institute for Jewish Activism. He served as chair of Orthodox Jews for Obama, as Social Policy Director of the Synagogue Council of America, and as Jewish community liaison to Cesar Chavez and the United... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 8:45am - 10:00am PST
R106C

Arts & Culture Social Justice & Ethics History & Philosophy Performance Lecture Text Study

8:45am PST

The Ethic of Truthtelling and Lying: A Text Study

To what extent is "honesty always the best policy?" Under what circumstances might it be justifiable, or even preferred, to manipulate the truth? Do the ends (sometimes) justify the means? This text-based class will closely analyze Yaakov/Jacob's life and choices to explore the Biblical and Rabbinic perspectives on whether Jacob was a man of truth or deception. The text of the Torah itself gives ambiguous answers to these questions and the Midrashim are polarized. How are we meant to respond to the breakdown of this prototypical covenantal family caused by deception and parents playing favorites? What are we to learn about the ever important issue on the ethic of truth-telling and lying.

Speakers

Malka Popper

Malka Popper is the Assistant Head of School at the Northwest Yeshiva High School. She received her Masters in Biblical and Talmud Interpretation from Yeshiva University and was a Senior Fellow in the Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud Study. Malka is a veteran educator who has taught... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 8:45am - 10:00am PST
R102

Torah & Text Study Social Justice & Ethics Discussion Lecture Text Study

8:45am PST

Being Happy with One’s Portion: The Jewish Roots of Voluntary Simplicity

“Who is rich? One who is happy with their portion.” Pirkei Avot, 4:1. Voluntary simplicity is a global movement that encourages a lifestyle focused on the concept of enoughness as opposed to consumerism. This session will explore Jewish texts on wealth and illustrate the Jewish roots and values behind this modern movement. Participants will have the opportunity to explore voluntary simplicity as a spiritual practice and will come away from the session with concrete strategies for becoming happier with their portion.

Speakers

Tony Abrams (formerly Ramsey)

Director of Endowment & Planned Giving, Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle

Tony recently began a new position as the Endowment and Planned Giving Director at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Tony also serves as an affiliate instructor with the Graduate Program in Taxation at the UW School of Law. Previously, Tony worked at as an attorney at... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 8:45am - 10:00am PST
R106B

Wellness Social Justice & Ethics Chavrutah (Partnered Study) Hands-on Activity Text Study

10:15am PST

Understanding Jewishness & Whiteness

“Are Jews White?” What do people mean when they ask that question, what does it assume, and what is it missing? This workshop will develop our understanding of Whiteness & White Supremacy by addressing the complexities of Jewish identities and experiences in the US - empowering us to be more effective learners and collaborators in multi-racial, multi-cultural spaces. We’ll build a common language, learn historical context and new ways of thinking, and practice having courageous conversations about ourselves and our communities. We invite Jews of all racial identities to bring their experiences to this multi-generational community discussion.

Speakers

Cecily Kaplan

Cecily Kaplan is a member of Temple Beth Am and works for the Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA). Cecily has been on a personal journey of understanding racism and what it means to be White. Her journey has prompted her to prioritize anti-racist learning, participate in an intergenerational... Read More →

Rachel Zerrell

Sunday January 20, 2019 10:15am - 11:30am PST
R203

Community & Identity Social Justice & Ethics Chavrutah (Partnered Study) Discussion Lecture

10:15am PST

Then the Land will Reclaim its Sabbaths: What does Jewish Agricultural Law offer the Urban Jew?

Many of our traditions stem from the agrarian reality of our ancestors. From Jewish laws regarding planting, harvests, tithing and fallow years, to holidays celebrating sowing and harvesting seasons, agriculture was once central to Jewish life. In the diaspora, however, Jews have become increasingly alienated from their agricultural roots, and many perceive these laws as largely theoretical. Yet, as we face a critical point in addressing global warming and issues of sustainability, the ideas highlighted by this body of law are more relevant than ever. This text study will explore how ancient Jewish concepts of land stewardship, avoidance of waste, social responsibility, equity, and acknowledgment of natural cycles can help us develop a mindful approach to today's challenges.

Speakers

Shoshanah Haberman

Shoshanah Haberman is a landscape designer with a masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Maryland, where she was the recipient of the Masters of Landscape Architecture Award of Excellence. Finding herself asking some halachic questions when working with Jewish clients... Read More →

Naama Sadan

Naama Sadan-Josephs is a teacher of geography, sustainability, Judaic studies, and a permaculture designer. Growing up in Israel and being always fascinated by nature, Jewish life and social systems she keeps trying to Touch the joint points of these three. naama.sadan@leyada.net... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 10:15am - 11:30am PST
R101

Torah & Text Study Environment & Sustainability Social Justice & Ethics Chavrutah (Partnered Study) Discussion Text Study

11:30am PST

Youth: What's Jewish About Saving the World? A Guide for Jewish Youth on Connecting Jewish Practices With Care for the Earth (Ages 7-12 + Parents too!)

A session for young environmental leaders. In the coming decades, human culture will need to transform if we are to live more harmoniously with the Earth and Creation. Jewish practices are designed to shape our lives as individuals and as a community. In this session, we will learn how they can also enable us to live more sustainably on the planet. Expect to come away with a new appreciation for Jewish practices you may have been taking for granted, as well as leadership tools you can use to build community around saving the Earth, Jewishly, within your family, friendship circles, youth groups, or summer camp.

Speakers

Deirdre Gabbay

Director, Shmita Project Northwest

Deirdre Gabbay is the founder and director of the Shmita Project Northwest. She is a member of Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle, and a member of Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light's board of directors. She founded Ahavat v’Avodat HaAdamah, “Love and Service... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 11:30am - 12:15pm PST
R201

Youth Social Justice & Ethics Environment & Sustainability Chavrutah (Partnered Study) Discussion Text Study

11:45am PST

Jonah ben Amitai, Inc.: A Theatrical Midrash

The Book of Jonah is read on Yom Kippur because the rabbis viewed it as a tale of repentance and God’s forgiveness. But it is so much more—and less! It’s an existentialist tale with an abrupt beginning and no satisfying ending. A God and a prophet locked in a parade of self-doubt, wondrous conversions, smugness and outrage, concern and conceit, a toxic employer-employee relationship involving terrible work travel and a three-night stay at the Sheraton Leviathan. A one-man theatrical haftarah.

Speakers

Avi Dolgin

Midrashist. Nudnik., Student. Teacher.

Though working for years in mental health and education, Avi kept a background hand in Jewish ritual and midrash. Marriage ceremonies, Bibliodrama, interfaith davening—the usual stuff! One year, hearing another boring haftarah of Jonah, he said, “There has to be a better way to... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 11:45am - 1:00pm PST
R209

Arts & Culture Social Justice & Ethics Torah & Text Study Discussion Performance

11:45am PST

Jewish Spiritual Practice: The Art of Blessing

Each of us longs to become our best selves. We might yearn to cultivate gratitude, self-reliance, or wonder or perhaps to seek adventure or pursue justice. Jewish tradition encourages us to develop these values in ourselves through blessings that can be part of daily life. Each blessing, connected with an action, can help us grow as individuals and community members. In this session we will explore seven Jewish blessings that lead to spiritual growth and how we might infuse our lives with the practice of these values.

Speakers

Emily Meyer

Rabbi Emily Meyer believes that both the process and the product of creativity enriches learning and deepens connection. She is the creator of Doodly Jew, a project designed to spark creativity in Hebrew learning. Rabbi Meyer was ordained by HUC-JIR in 2010 and holds an undergraduate... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 11:45am - 1:00pm PST
R205

Holidays & Prayer Social Justice & Ethics Wellness Discussion Lecture Text Study

11:45am PST

Putting Jewish Values Into Practice in Healthcare Policymaking

This presentation explores the ways in which Jewish values affect medical policy decisions in Israel’s universal, public healthcare system. This session uses an anthropological study of one of Israel’s main medical policy-making mechanisms - the Committee for the Enhancement of Medical Services which determines state subsidies for new medical treatments – to explore what it means to use Jewish values as a criterion in healthcare policymaking. Through group text study, we focus on the Jewish notion of "Kdushat Ha'hayim" (sanctity of life). We will review and discuss the main interpretations given to this commandment in Jewish tradition and how these traditions informed the Committee’s most difficult controversies and bioethical challenges.

Speakers

Yael Assor

Yael Assor is currently a PhD student at the Department of Anthropology, UCLA. Her research focuses on how culturally situated moral sensibilities contribute to negotiation processes in the Israeli Healthcare Committee (ועדת סל התרופות). Prior to her academic career... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 11:45am - 1:00pm PST
R208

Social Justice & Ethics Israel Discussion Lecture Text Study

11:45am PST

Law & Order: A Jewish Perspective

Judaism is a religion of many laws. One of the main purposes of Jewish law is the pursuit of Justice. How do our sacred texts instruct Jews wishing to pursue justice in 21st century America? Please join Kayla and David, an attorney and police officer, in discussing this question and others, including: Is making people account for their own wrongdoing part of the pursuit of Justice? Why were the sages ambivalent about defending those who break the law? And what is the overarching role of law enforcement in maintaining a civilized society?
This session will begin with a brief introduction on contemporary issues faced by Jews in criminal justice careers. The introduction will be part historical and part personal as it will be drawn from their professional experiences. After the introduction there will be a brief text study, followed by a close-out discussion.

Speakers

Kayla Higgins

Kayla hails from New York City, went to undergrad and law school in Chicago, and recently moved to Seattle to work in immigration law. Between college and law school she spent a year studying Torah at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. She sharpened her Talmud skills... Read More →

David Warnock

David Warnock was born in Seattle, WA in 1987 and grew up on the West Coast. David served in the US Army for five years and then attained a B.A. in Sociology with a Minor in Southern Slavic Languages and Cultures from The Ohio State University before attending law school at the Chicago-Kent... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 11:45am - 1:00pm PST
R101

Torah & Text Study History & Philosophy Social Justice & Ethics Discussion Text Study

11:45am PST

Do We Really Love Anyone Unconditionally? Even Our Kids?

We can't truly love another if we don't first love ourselves. Our job, then, is to learn how to love ourselves, because actually, most of us don't! The problem is that we have subconscious negative beliefs about ourselves that we've carried around with us since we were seven or eight years old and these beliefs act as barriers to love. The solution? A deep and personal understanding that we are all created In God's Image.

Speakers

Anne Andrew

Anne Andrew PhD worked over 20 years as the Principal of Temple Sholom Religious School and is currently on the education committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. Anne now focuses on prevention of bullying, addiction, depression, and suicide by teaching parents how... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 11:45am - 1:00pm PST
R308

Wellness Social Justice & Ethics Hands-on Activity Lecture Text Study

1:15pm PST

Textual and Social Activism in the Works of R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev

An early Hassidic rabbi seems an unlikely place to look for inspiration for today's social change maker. Through traditionally radical textual interpretation -- textual activism -- R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev read an activist Torah, one that authorized him and his contemporaries to take bold action to build the religious movement of Hasidut. His textual activism and social agenda provide opportunities for us to understand traditional Jewish interpretation as an important tool for social transformation.

Speakers

Josh Weisman

Rabbi Josh Weisman was recently ordained by the pluralistic Rabbinic School of Hebrew College, in Newton, Massachusetts. While there, he studied extensively with Rabbi Dr. Arthur Green, a leading scholar of Jewish mysticism and the early Hasidic masters. For twelve years, prior to... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 1:15pm - 2:30pm PST
R203

Social Justice & Ethics Environment & Sustainability Torah & Text Study Chavrutah (Partnered Study) Discussion Text Study

1:15pm PST

Gender and the Non-binary in Torah and Kabbalah

Engaging with Torah, Jewish mystical texts, our own experience, and queer theory, this workshop will examine gender nonconforming and non-binary imagery in Jewish sacred thought. Some of the most obvious interpretations of Kabbalah involve problematic gender archetypes. Not only gender, but binaries of all sorts are reified in much of the popular imagery—the transcendent divine is associated with the male aspect of divinity, situated above the female/immanent aspect.
However, our tradition actually contains many diverse images for the divine interplay. We will explore how aspects of the divine flow, and stories of our biblical ancestors, express shifting genders, gender roles, and orientations in a rich interplay to create life, nourish the world, and bring redemption.

Speakers

Fern Feldman

Rabbi Fern Feldman is a teacher, spiritual director, and prayer/ritual leader interested in sacred dark in Jewish tradition, and non-dual approaches to gender in Kabbalah. She was ordained by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, has degrees in nursing and French literature, and is... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 1:15pm - 2:30pm PST
R102

Torah & Text Study Community & Identity Social Justice & Ethics Discussion Lecture Text Study

2:45pm PST

Modern Day Immigration Insights from Sarah, Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael

In Genesis 21, Sarah demands that the Egyptian Hagar and Ishmael be expelled. Sarah turns to Abraham to make it happen. God gets involved communicating with Abraham, hearing Ishmael's cries and calling out to Hagar. This session will be a deep reading of Genesis 21:9-21 (and a few rabbinic interpretations on these verses) to see what insights we can learn about the Torah's message about treating immigrants, the impulse to expel that which threatens us and the process of dehumanizing. The Torah text has some powerful lessons about immigration and deportation, full of relevance for today's debates.

Speakers

Jill Borodin

Rabbi, Congregation Beth Shalom

Jill Borodin is the senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in the north end of Seattle. She has been in Seattle since 2005 and is a native of Toronto, Canada and loves text study, art, creativity and being outdoors. Jill Borodin is passionate about the issue of immigration and the... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 2:45pm - 4:00pm PST
R203

Community & Identity Social Justice & Ethics Torah & Text Study Chavrutah (Partnered Study) Discussion Text Study

2:45pm PST

What's Jewish about Saving the World? Why and How to Weave Faith-Based Practices Into Your Environmentalism and Vice Versa

We are living in a time of tremendous urgency and opportunity - a time calling for rapid social transformation with respect to our relationship with the Earth. How can Judaism help achieve that? Our faith teaches that limits and boundaries protect the sacred. It offers opportunities for community-wide reflection and celebration. And it brings us together into groups whose express purpose is to be counter-cultural, asserting our own values in place of those received from the broader society. Its reach extends across national boundaries, and from generation to generation. It is meant to preserve us as "a people," and possibly "as people." In this session, we will look at the practices our tradition offers that can shape our lives toward harmony with Creation. You will come away with concrete goals for forming a group within your community or friendship circle to adopt these practices and make them real by living them. We need this perspective urgently if we are to confront the deep challenge of passing down the world we have been blessed to inherit to even one more generation.

Speakers

Deirdre Gabbay

Director, Shmita Project Northwest

Sunday January 20, 2019 2:45pm - 4:00pm PST
R208

Environment & Sustainability Social Justice & Ethics Torah & Text Study Chavrutah (Partnered Study) Lecture

2:45pm PST

Non-Jewish Migrants in a Jewish State: Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrant Workers and their Children

Over the last 20 years, the issue of migration – and particularly the situation of African asylum seekers in Israel – has become much higher on the public agenda in Israel. This session will provide an overview of non-Jewish migration, including refugees and asylum seekers, labor migrants, and children of migrant workers. We will discuss the legal, social and policy context which shapes these migrants’ lives and the dilemmas they raise for a Jewish state.

Speakers

Yikealo Beyene

Originally from Eritrea, Yikealo Beyene was a refugee in Israel for eight years. He spent about two years in a refugee camp in Ethiopia. While in the camp, Yikealo translated the diary of Anne Frank, but he lost the manuscript along the journey to Israel. He is working to complete... Read More →

Lisa Richlen

Lisa Richlen has worked for 15 years in social change and human rights in Israel, including on migration. She volunteered with HIAS Refugee Trust Kenya, coordinated the Faces of Exile project through HIAS’s Tel Aviv office, and participated in Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre International... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 2:45pm - 4:00pm PST
R210

Israel Ethnicities & Languages Social Justice & Ethics Discussion Lecture

2:45pm PST

How Happiness Thinks

How Happiness Thinks' is much more than a tool to boost your happiness. It is an exciting journey into your own mind and psyche. Drawing on classical Jewish and mystical teachings, this session will present you with a deeper understanding of yourself, and help you flourish by suggesting practical advice which, when implemented, will radically enhance the happiness quotient of your life. We will explore the barriers to joy and discover how spirituality and meaning can help you take your happiness to greater heights. You'll also learn how the science of positive psychology is now corroborating what Judaism has always known about what makes us happy.

Speakers

Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky

Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky is executive director of the Friendship Circle of Washington, a local nonprofit that supports children with special needs and their families. He teaches for the Jewish Learning Institute and hosts the only Jewish radio program in the area, Schmooze Radio, on... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 2:45pm - 4:00pm PST
R106B

Wellness History & Philosophy Social Justice & Ethics Discussion Film/Video Lecture

4:15pm PST

Dr. King and the Jews

Why do we celebrate the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a national holiday? We will revisit tales of his life & cause, along with accounts of the rabbis, attorneys & Jewish communities who supported, advised & marched in the streets with him [Rabbi Heschel foremost]. Dr. King was far more radical & impatient than the placid image of him we see today. We will also study the Biblical models for his civil disobedience, Shifra & Puah.

Speakers

Jon Wolf

Community organizer & adult Jewish educator, YASHAR: the institute for Jewish Activism

Sunday January 20, 2019 4:15pm - 5:30pm PST
R106C

Social Justice & Ethics History & Philosophy Ethnicities & Languages Discussion Lecture Text Study

4:15pm PST

What Makes a Decent Person? Exploring the Rabbis' Imagination of Basic Morality

The rabbis imagine that the basic minimum of human decency is to adhere to the seven Noahide laws, given by God after the flood. But they disagree on what those seven laws actually are, and only a few of them are made explicit in the Noah story in the Torah! Together, we will dive into rabbinic texts exploring these laws and question their perspective. What motivates the rabbis to include or exclude traits from this list? What would we include on our own list of components of morality? Learners of all backgrounds are welcome to join and enrich our own understanding of human ethics together!

Speakers

Paula Rose

Paula Rose serves as the assistant rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle's North End. She was ordained in 2017 by the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she also received a master's degree in Talmud. She loves much of her rabbinic work, especially teaching Talmud to learners... Read More →

Sunday January 20, 2019 4:15pm - 5:30pm PST
R102

Torah & Text Study Social Justice & Ethics Discussion Lecture Text Study