A few notes: Like Limmuds throughout the world, seating is not reserved. Please remember to order your Kosher LUNCH before (the caterer’s deadline of) Nov. 25!
Limmuds are volunteer-driven events. Find Volunteer Spots when you click.
Food migration and climate influence the foods we eat. The history of these three foods is enlightening, humorous, and not all Jewish in origin. It begins with a close relationship between Muslim and Jewish women in the Iberian Peninsula. We will discuss these products while tasting variations of bagels, cream cheese and lox.
Joni Schockett's love of food, writing and passion for creating recipes come together on a joyous career path that has allowed her to teach and learn in many settings. She currently writes for Boston's Jewish Advocate and New York's Jewish Star.
Sunday December 2, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am EST
Room 109Temple Reyim
Jewish moments may unexpectedly appear in many mainstream films. From The Jazz Singer to Call Me By Your Name, let us discuss the characters' typical ambivalence about their Jewishness, whether healthy or unhealthy, from a psychological perspective.
Barry H. Schneider, Ph.D. teaches psychology at Boston College, where his course offerings include a seminar on mental illness in film and several courses in cultural psychology. He brings 35 years of experience in clinical psychology to his work. Jewish film is his personal pass... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am EST
Room 104Temple Reyim
This session with Adoption Associates and the Adoption & Jewish Identity Project will foster dialogue about the experience of adoption and its impact on the lives of parents and children. Participants will learn how adoptees may struggle to answer questions about their own Jewish identities and how they fit into their Jewish communities, even as they explore their relationships with their birth cultures and families.
Debra Olshever, M.ED, LCSW, is a post adoption therapist who works with parents, young adults, teens and children, in groups or individually. She also leads workshops that increase the public?s knowledge of adoption issues
Sandy Orenstein, MSW, LICSW, is a post adoption therapist helping clients who have experienced loss, trauma, substance abuse and/or other risky behaviors, especially older teens & young-adult adoptees. She also runs groups for Parents of young adults.
Jennifer Sartori is Co-Director of the Adoption & Jewish Identity Project, which supports Jewish adoptees and their families in creating personal, family, and communal identities and advocates for an inclusive Jewish community. She is co-authoring a book about adoption and identity... Read More →
Toby Zaitchik is a post adoption therapist. She supports all members of the adoptive family to foster understanding, communication and strengthen family connections. She works individually and offers support groups for parents and children.
Jayne Guberman is Co-Director of the Adoption & Jewish Identity Project, an educational and advocacy initiative dedicated to supporting Jewish adoptees and their families and creating an inclusive Jewish community. She is co-authoring a book with Co-Director Jennifer Sartori... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am EST
Room 106Temple Reyim
What do we do with sacred objects when synagogues close or merge? The Maavar program from the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts helps synagogues that are struggling or closing with everything from technical assistance to management support. Let's discuss synagogues within the context of ongoing demographic changes in Massachusetts.
Carol Clingan is a genealogist and historian. She has traced her own family in Ukraine and Belarus back to 1800, and does both genealogical research and teaching for would-be genealogists. She has served for many years in leadership positions at Temple Beth Elohim, Action for Post... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am EST
Room 102Temple Reyim
The Seeds of Peace program, provides Jewish and Arab teens the opportunity to spend a summer together. I was with teens from the West Bank, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, India, and Pakistan. Participating in this Middle East dialogue group was transformative, and offered us the chance to engage deeply, sometimes painfully. We found the humanity in one another.
Elie Berman is a 11th grade student at Newton South High School. She attended the Jewish Community Day School from K-8. She loves theater and music and performs at the Watertown Children's Theater and at school.
Sunday December 2, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am EST
Room 110Temple Reyim
Over the centuries, Hanukkah has gone through several transformations, with different meanings throughout the centuries. We'll read excerpts of classic sources that tell the story in a variety of ways to see how the Festival of Lights came to its present meaning.
Allan Lehmann is a rabbi who serves as Associate Dean and Co-Director of the Bet Midrash at Hebrew College Rabbinical School. He teaches, advises, and mentors students, drawing upon decades of pastoral experience in the pulpit and on campus.
During my struggle with mental illness, mystical practice played a large role in my ascent into madness, recovery, and my process of coming to terms with myself as a healthy bipolar person. Together we will learn how kabbalistic concepts of balance relate to living with mental illness.
We will take a lighthearted text-based look at family recreation and personal physicality as Jewish values. From Max Nordau to Mark Spitz, we will consider the impact of "muscle Judaism" and learn about some of the Jewish stars on the snow today such as snowboard sensations, Arielle and Taylor Gold. Participants will be encouraged to contribute their own perspectives on the role of sports in their Jewish journey.
Together we will use art to explore mikveh as a spiritual practice to heal, transform, and transition from one state to another. Come with an open and creative mind to find your own understanding of this ancient practice using texts, paint, breath, song, and silence.
Ceceley Chambers is a board-certified chaplain, a Jewish spiritual director, a Mikveh Guide and Educator at Mayyim Hayyim, and a certified CREATOR through PeaceLove.
Sunday December 2, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am EST
Mayyim Hayyim 1Mayyim Hayyim
Let's learn a new Ahavah Rabbah in the Freygish musical mode/scale. Hear an interpretation and explanation of the meaning and power of the mode and the uses of the mode in Jewish liturgy. We will also cover several other tunes that use this musical scale, including original Jewish liturgical compositions and niggunim (wordless melodies).
In this experiential program we will learn three meditation exercises with a goal of focusing on deepening a more meaningful prayer experience. Learn tips for a daily davenen and/or meditation practice
Steven Green is Vice President of Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams, and Board and Chair of the Spiritual Life Committee. He is a former Zen student and a 20+ year meditator.
Sunday December 2, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am EST
5 Main StreetTemple Reyim
We will bring two very different voices into conversation with each other: the Hasidic masters of the late eighteenth century and the contemporary American poet and novelist Jamie Quatro. While separated by 200 years and distinct theological perspectives (Jewish and Christian), these two voices share a remarkable assertion in common, that even illicit desire is rooted in Divine love.
Naftali Brawer, a rabbi, is the Neubauer Executive Director at Tufts Hillel and the University's Jewish chaplain. He has been Chief Executive of the Spiritual Capital Foundation and senior rabbi to the Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue in London. He has taught Torah to diverse audiences... Read More →
Discover new way to teach Jewish peoplehood when you experience the magic of the Kesher classroom, where Jewish history is taught with respect for the natural questions any middle school student carries when trying to make sense of their Jewish lives here, in the Boston area. See how we layer the Boston Jewish experience on top of Biblical history, and the evolution of Jewish practices.
This session is brought to LimmudBoston by a grant from Limmud North America and the EJE Network.
Joe Wolke, a recently retired technology consultant, is teaching his passion, the study of Jewish history and culture. He is a lifelong student who regularly participates in Shalom Hartman, synagogue and community based classes. He loves helping students develop their own passions... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Room 112Temple Reyim
We will listen, learn, and make music using our voices. We will consider the use and power of music throughout history to the present day, in times of unity and times of dissolution. A willingness to sing is preferred, but no musical experience necessary!
Carol Marton is the founding Artistic Director of Koleinu, Boston's Jewish Community Chorus. She is also a singer and conductor with Triad: Choral Collective. Carol has directed Sharon's MA Temple Sinai Choir and has been on the faculty of the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew Col... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
6 Main StreetTemple Reyim
Enjoy a live performance of Salamone Rossi's secular and sacred works, by "Il Concerto di Salamone Rossi Hebreo," an ensemble devoted to bringing Rossi's music back to the synagogue. Rossi, a prolific Italian composer from the 16th century, was the first to set the Jewish liturgy to choral music. Hear an overview of Rossi's life and musical achievements, set within the context of the Jewish experience in early 17th century Italy.
Richard Lustig is an active amateur musician who has performed for 18 years with the Zamir Chorale of Boston, where he currently serves as bass section leader. Along with Cantor Louise Treitman, he is co-founder of "Il Concerto di Salamone Rossi Hebreo, an ensemble featured at synagogues... Read More →
Louise Treitman is a cantor, and Senior Advisor at the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College. She served Temple Beth David of Westwood for 20 years, and is Cantor Emerita. Her HHD pulpit is in Rome, Italy. She sings with the Zamir Chorale of Boston and was formerly assistant conductor... Read More →
Betty Bauman currently works as a vocal music specialist and chorus teacher in the Stoughton Public Schools and is the artistic director of Arbah Kanfote, a Jewish women's chorus in Sharon. Betty sings with Zamir Chorale, where she also serves as the Soprano Section Leader.
Anne Levy sang in the New Haven Chorale and the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia. While living in Paris, she performed as a soloist in Michael Haydn’s Vespers. Anne joined the Zamir Chorale of Boston in 2005 and sings at High Holiday services at Temple Beth Tikvah in Madison, C... Read More →
Deborah Melkin has been singing with the Zamir Chorale of Boston since 1998. She is a past vice-president and is now the alto section leader. Deborah has also been one of the High Holiday service leaders at the Vilna Shul since 2006.
Kyler Taustin has been a member of the Zamir Chorale of Boston since 2012. He has regularly served as a guest soloist at his childhood synagogue, Temple Bat Yam, in Berlin, Maryland since 2009. He is a founding member and the Artistic Director of Brown Box Theatre Project.
Phyllis Werlin has been with the Zamir Chorale of Boston since 1989. She is the High Holiday soloist at Congregation Agudas Achim-Ezrath Israel in Malden and recently graduated from the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College with a certificate in Jewish Sacred Music.
Steve Ebstein has been singing in the synagogue since his childhood. He has sung in and soloed with the Zamir Chorale of Boston since 1980 as well as other choruses and early music ensembles in the Boston area. He serves as High Holiday cantorial leader at Temple Emanuel in Newto... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
5 Main StreetTemple Reyim
Jewish poetry can transform us to a higher spiritual plane. Hear and discuss poems by Allen Ginsberg, Yehuda Amichai, Ya'akov Glatshteyn, Gerald Stern, C.K. Williams, and Maya Bejarano that elevate the mundane and articulate the Jewish experience with language that virtually sings.
Mark Elber, rabbi of Temple Beth El, in Fall River, MA, has an MFA in Poetry from Warren Wilson College, and is a prize-winning poet, songwriter, and author.
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Lobby 4Temple Reyim
Michael A. Burstein, winner of the 1997 Astounding Award for Best New Writer, has earned ten Hugo nominations and four Nebula nominations for his short fiction, collected in I Remember the Future. Burstein lives with his wife Nomi and their twin daughters in the town of Brookline... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Room 105Temple Reyim
Although Louis Armstrong was born dirt-poor, his artistry and pulsating swing rhythm forever changed American music. He may never have made it without a family of Lithuanian refugees named Karnofsky. As Louis wrote, “The Jewish family…instilled in me singing from the heart.”
Peter Gerler has been published in American Legacy, DownBeat, JazzTimes, Humanities, The Boston Globe, New Orleans Gambit, WBGO Upbeat, and www.nejazz.com. He lived in New Orleans during the 1990s and is working on a book about the jazz legend Joe "King" Oliver (Armstrong’s men... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Room 101Temple Reyim
Sephardic Jewish cuisine came from ancient Spain into the diaspora. After their expulsion in 1492, Sephardim carried a new repertoire of dishes to their homes in the diaspora. Sephardic cuisine helped with the preservation and adaptation of Sephardic cultural identity. Let's talk about how Jewish food, across cultural and geographic subgroups, tells the story of Jewish identity.
From the second largest progressive community of Spain – Comunidad Judía Reformista de Madrid or the Reform Jewish Community of Madrid – comes a collection of recipes inspired by and organized around the Sephardic tradition of holding a Seder on Rosh Hashanah. All together there... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Room 102Temple Reyim
When it comes to religion and identity, we are often trapped in either/or dilemmas. But the natural world doesn't work this way and neither does Jewish spirituality. Find out how Jewish spirituality works to create sanctuaries for ourselves, both inside and out. Discover paths for spiritual and practical applications. Meet in Lobby to walk together to Natan's session at Mayyim Hayyim.
Natan Margalit has taught at Bard College, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College, and currently serves as rabbi of The Coalition in Western Connecticut. He is Founder of Organic Torah, a non-profit which fosters holistic thinking about... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Mayyim Hayyim 1Mayyim Hayyim
How do we perceive and interpret social signals? How do we sensitively perceive others? How do we create more welcoming congregations and classrooms? Where do we draw the line between asking some of us to change how we present ourselves vs educating the majority on how better to understand those who are different?
Ruth Grossman teaches Communication Sciences and Disorders at Emerson College. Her research is focused on face-to-face communication in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She is specifically interested in how children with ASD integrate and produce verbal and nonverbal... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Room 104Temple Reyim
How do you determine your own carbon footprint? What do you want to do about it? Derech Eretz guides us in ethical and responsible ways of living. We will discuss real options for applying your Jewish values in the modern world through realistic energy efficiency, green or solar electricity, and appropriate car choices.
Ellie Goldberg is an educational consultant at www.healthy-kids.info and an environmental health advocate for healthy children, safe schools and sustainable communities. She is active in Mothers Out Front, Green Newton, Newton Coalition for Climate Action, Clean Water Action and Cong... Read More →
Michael Gevelber is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Boston University, who’s research focuses on optimizing energy use in commercial and residential buildings. He serves on Newton’s Energy Commission, BU’s Climate Task Force, and is a co-leader of Congregation Beth... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Room 113Temple Reyim
Boston Partners for Peace is a new initiative to promote efforts that advance peace between Israelis & Palestinians by working toward a shared future of mutual recognition and prosperity. We will discuss our approaches to peace-building and how the community can get involved. Moderated by Eli Cohn-Postell of JCRC Boston.
Miriam May is the Executive Director of the Friends of the Arava Institute. The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is a leading research & academic institution for Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, and students from around the world working to advance cross-border environmental... Read More →
Sindy Wayne serves as the Executive Director of Kids4Peace Boston, a non-profit organization that trains a diverse group of interfaith middle school and high school youth from the Boston area to become peace leaders.
Maya Norton is the Fundraising Manager for Hand In Hand, the only network of bilingual Jewish-Arab schools in Israel. In 6 schools, 1900 Jewish, Muslim & Christian students learn side-by-side from preschool through high school, putting into daily practice the values of equality and... Read More →
Kim Kronenberg is the Associate Director of Science Training Encouraging Peace - Graduate Training Program (STEP), a person-to-person, cross-border program that funds the graduate education of Israeli and Palestinian scholars, in pairs, in academic health science programs in Isra... Read More →
Etai Freedman joined MEET (Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow) as its Development Director in 2014. Etai works to educate and empower young Israeli and Palestinian leaders, teaching them how to build an infrastructure for peace through binational social, economic and political... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 10:10am - 11:10am EST
Room 109Temple Reyim
In a polarized world, the ability to engage in civil discourse is becoming more and more difficult. You say red, I say blue;; you say up, I say down. What can one Talmudic figure, Rabbi El’azar, teach how about our attitude to the good, the bad and the ugly and how to engage in our pursuit to make the world a better place?
Sara Hurwitz, a rabba, is Co-Founder and President of Yeshivat Maharat, the first institution to ordain Orthodox women as clergy. She also serves on the rabbinic staff at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. In 2009, she was the first Orthodox woman to receive ordination.
In Jewish legend, Serach bat Asher, only briefly mentioned in the genealogical lists of the Torah, lives on for ages, saving the Jewish people from oblivion. We will explore these legends about a Jewish heroine from the Talmud and classic Midrashic sources. Through this lens, we'll discover that Serach has much to teach us about survival, aging, and the rabbinic imagination.
Neal Gold, a rabbi, teaches for Me 'ah, a Hebrew College program, and serves as Jewish Chaplain & Hillel Director at Babson College. He is currently President of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis.
Lunchtime! For those who purchased in advance, your lunch can be found at 1 Main Street. A limited number of additional lunch tickets are available at the the Registration Desk. You may take your lunch to the scheduled panels, sessions and concerts. Please do not bring any other food into this kosher building! Visit our Exhibitors! Bid in the Silent Auction!
Sunday December 2, 2018 11:10am - 1:30pm EST
1 Main StreetTemple Reyim
Jonathan Sarna, a leading commentator on American Jewish history, religion and life, will place contemporary developments into context, providing an historical overview of the relationship between America and the Land of Israel, and American Jews and the Land of Israel.
Jonathan Sarna is professor of American Jewish History and Chair of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University. Dubbed by the Forward newspaper as one of America's fifty most influential American Jews, he was Chief Historian for the 350th commemoration... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 11:20am - 12:20pm EST
Room 109Temple Reyim
about <br>Dr. Jonathan Sarna is University Professor and the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History and Chair of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University. He is also past president of the Association for Jewish Studies and Chief Historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. Dubbed by the Forward newspaper in 2004 as one of America's fifty most influential American Jews, he was Chief Historian for the 350th commemoration of the American Jewish community and is recognized as a leading commentator on American Jewish history, religion and life. In 2009, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.<br>
Jewish history is replete with disasters, from ancient days to modern times: the Flood, the destruction of the Temple and the national entity of the Jewish people, pogroms, the Holocaust. Through texts we will pull out messages from history that are pertinent to our lives today. We'll envision a look-back from the near future and ask: all the evidence about climate disaster was there in 2018, so what did the Jews do? Both pessimists and optimists are welcome!
Co-founder and President, pro tem, Jewish Climate Action Network
Katy Allen is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, and the co-founder and President of Jewish Climate Action Network-MA. She is a board certified chaplain and a former healthcare chaplain and now considers herself an eco-chaplain.
Fred is VP of JCAN, offering webinars to reduce synagogue carbon. A professional in clean energy since 1978, he is former president of Urban Solar Energy Assoc. and received the 2019 NESEA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sunday December 2, 2018 11:20am - 12:20pm EST
Room 102Temple Reyim
Let's explore the connections between the Torah, Jewish ethics, and great Jewish philosophers concerning the treatment of and care for animals and our planet. We'll discuss the first-ever vegans (hint: check Genesis), why humans were granted permission to eat meat, what a plant-based future looks like according to both science and our prophets, and plenty more. There will be time for questions at the end.
Sara Eifler is the Program Director of Jewish Veg, a nonprofit organization that inspires and assists Jews to adopt plant-based diets as an expression of Jewish values.
Sunday December 2, 2018 11:20am - 12:20pm EST
Room 104Temple Reyim
Come promptly to daven mincha in kehilla (community). All welcome. Ten men needed to make the minyan. Books provided. Sign the sign-up sheet outside the door to commit to making minyan, or just show up.
Sunday December 2, 2018 12:15pm - 12:30pm EST
Lobby 4Temple Reyim
Standing alongside Israel has long been a core commitment of the American Jewish community. What does it mean to stand with Israel in 2018? Have recent political and governmental decisions changed the relationship? How do we navigate these questions with integrity with regard to identity, relationships, and politics?
Daniel Berman is the rabbi at Temple Reyim. He received his B.A in Jewish History from Columbia University under the guidance of Professors Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi and Michael Stanislawski. He studied political science at Hebrew University, and received his J.D. from Northeastern University... Read More →
Rabbi Eliana Jacobowitz is the rabbi of Congregation B'nai Brith in Somerville. In supplementary Jewish education, she focuses on Holocaust education, and Jewish mysticism for teens. She is the facilitator of the Gvanim Leadership program of the American Israel Council in Boston... Read More →
Kenneth Bob is national President of Ameinu, Chair of Project Rozana USA, on the J Street Board of Directors and a member of the Jewish Agency for Israel Board of Governors Executive Committee.
Andrew Pessin is Professor of Philosophy at Connecticut College, as well as Campus Bureau Editor of The Algemeiner, among the fastest growing Jewish news outlets in America. His most recent book is Anti-Zionism on Campus: Free Speech, the University, and BDS. His current research... Read More →
Talia is a fourth year rabbinical student at Hebrew College Rabbinical School. She is a proud alumna of T’ruah’s summer Human Rights fellowship and Year-in-Israel fellowship. Before rabbinical school, Talia served as the Director of Jewish Student Life at Hillel at the University... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST
Room 109Temple Reyim
In our Jewish tradition we are commanded to protect our physical health and soul. In Healthy Habits for Busy People, we will focus on ways to honor that mitzvah in a program that offers strategies in the areas of motion, eating habits, and stress, including tips to fuse healthy living into our busy lives.
TimeFinder is offering one-hour of coaching. Our coaching is for anyone who want to increase their productivity or work toward optimal health. Working one-on-one with you, I will: •Develop custom approach to self-management practices; at home or at work •Focus on practical planning... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST
Room 102Temple Reyim
Using the unique process of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement, we'll explore our own experience of light as it comes into our eyes, and relate it to Jewish texts and concepts about light and vision, both literal and metaphorical. Anyone with a body is welcome -- no experience necessary.
Josh Schreiber Shalem is a rabbinical student at Hebrew College, musician, and teacher of the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education. He combines these pursuits to create an experience he calls Embodied Judaism.
Sunday December 2, 2018 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST
Room 112Temple Reyim
Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Mikveh is right next door! Come for a guided tour of our gem of a community mikveh; see the beautiful space and learn how it is being used by more than 4,000 people each year. Your Mikveh Guide will meet you in the Main Lobby of Temple Reyim. The group will walk over together.
Sunday December 2, 2018 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST
LobbyTemple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street, Auburndale, MA 02466
This will be a hands on session for decorating kippot using fabric paints or ribbons or beads or whatever takes your fancy. . Kippot will be supplied, and may require additional work at home. Embellishment supplies will be provided. If you have one, bring a thimble. A perfect session for families.
Iris Lavine has been making & wearing her own decorated kipot for many years. She began making them as an alternative to wearing hats or doilies as head coverings at shul.
Sunday December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
Room 109Temple Reyim
The Jewish Storytelling Coalition invites you to a curated Story Concert with local performers and an emcee telling in a variety of styles. Aimed for adults and teens.
Andrea Kamens is a professional storyteller. She is on the board of The Story Space, New England's longest running weekly story venue, a teacher at Dorshei Tzedek, a writer, community volunteer, and a flaming Jew.
Storyteller, Intergenerational Educator, Coach, Story Arc
Cindy Rivka Marshall is an award-winning professional storyteller, workshop facilitator and story coach. She is the Family and Intergenerational Educator at Temple Shir Tikvah in MA. Her business, Story Arc, aims to “reach, teach and change with stories.” She consults with congregations... Read More →
Bruce Marcus is a storyteller who has been wowing audiences since 1990 with his original stories, poems, crowd-pleasing rhyming tales, and interactive activities, while conveying the cleverness, warmth and humor of Jewish, and other, stories.
Mark Binder is an author, storyteller, and a nice guy. The former editor of the Rhode Island Jewish Herald--back when there was such a thing as a for-profit Jewish newspaper--he writes the award-winning "Life in Chelm" series of books and stories.
Rona Leventhal has been sharing her passion for the power of story for 27 years, touching the minds and imaginations of her listeners. She is an educator, teller of tales, and workshop leader.
Sunday December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
6 Main StreetTemple Reyim
This is your chance to hear music from some emerging musicians across the globe who find inspiration in their Jewishness. These works are originally made for rock clubs, cabarets or concert halls, not synagogues.
Joey Baron is the Artistic Director of the Jewish Arts Collaborative and was formerly the CoFounder and Executive Director of the Boston Jewish Music Festival. His feature, Joey's Gems, can be heard the Chagigah radio show every Sunday on WERS.
Sunday December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
Lobby 1Temple Reyim
We hope our children develop a robust moral and ethical framework through the lens of Judaism. However, rare is the religious school curriculum that explicitly articulates the specific qualities we want students to attain. How do we assess that growth? How do we create such a program?
Benjamin Gorelick is a passionate educator. He is the former president of a 4-year college and now works at Mifneh L'Kedusha. He lives with his wife, Pookey and a dog, Stromsmoe.
Sunday December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
Lobby 4Temple Reyim
1968 was The Year That Changed America. What was its lasting effect for the US and for Jews? Did Jewish tradition endorse the societal changes, or oppose them? Right On, brothers & sisters!
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 December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
Room 112Temple Reyim
Almost everyone in our community has experienced depression and anxiety or is close to someone that has. In 2016, in the wake of a terrible spate of suicides at MIT, I set out to make a gallery of images and stories of people who had suffered and yet found resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable troubles. In this session, I'll share some of the highlights of what I learned from these remarkable people, and will connect their experiences and insights to classic strategies of resilience as expressed in Jewish texts, notably the writings of Rabbi Nachman of Bretslav.
Photographs and stories of people who have coped with and overcome depression, anxiety, trauma, and other challenges. "In MIT professor Daniel Jackson's recent book, Portraits of Resilience, being resilient means being vulnerable. It a gives a glimpse into how students at the Massachusetts... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
Room 102Temple Reyim
Studies show that 71% of progressive Jews marry someone of a different faith. Learn from InterfaithFamily.org how to make sure that interfaith family members feel welcome in our organizations.
Stacie is the Chief Program Officer at InterfaithFamily and is in an interfaith marriage. She has been working on interfaith issues for 6 years and diversity and inclusion for 20. She has a passion for bringing people together around issues they care about.
Sunday December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
5 Main StreetTemple Reyim
We will engage with the words of African American writer, James Baldwin, to see how they reflect relations between Blacks and Jews, then and now. Are these works relevant to our lives as Jews today? Does Baldwin give us tools to engage in further conversations about race & Jewishness?
The most common Hebrew word for "comfort" is "Nechama". This word, however, has some very different meanings as well in the Bible. By looking at some biblical verses (all texts provided in Hebrew and English) we'll find out what else this word means, how that relates to "comfort" and what other surprising word, known to all of us, it goes along with.
Aliza Arzt is a home care speech therapist and long-time member of Havurat Shalom of Somerville MA. She loves researching questions about Biblical Hebrew and often discovers new insights. In her free time in this new world she enjoys making pottery, keeping geckos, and reading cool... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
Room 101Temple Reyim
Shabbat is central to sustaining the world. What is our role in this process? We will use music, reflections and open discussion to immerse ourselves in the words of the Netivot Shalom, the Slonimer rebbe, as well as our ancient texts to see how they might guide us into a more meaningful Shabbat practice.
Sunday December 2, 2018 1:40pm - 2:40pm EST
Room 113Temple Reyim
Let us compare the creation of woman in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, and discuss their impact on culture today. We will also look at these descriptions in the Koran for similarities and differences. If we have enough Hebrew speakers this session will be mostly in Hebrew.
Iris Yaniv lives in Israel where she is a secular humanistic rabbi and Bible scholar. She has been studying and teaching Bible and other Jewish texts for about 30 years, and leads at Yahel, liberal humanistic congregation in Haifa.
Through the lens of modern midrash, we will explore the seduction scenes in the Bible that lead up to the Messianic lineage--the Daughters of Lot, Tamar and Judah, and Ruth and Boaz in the granary. Drawing from Dirshuni, as well as her own poetry, Rachel Adelman will take you on a journey through the worlds of Biblical interpretation and imaginative feminist re-readings.
Rachel Adelman (Ph.D. Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is currently an associate professor of Hebrew Bible in the rabbinical program at Hebrew College in Boston. She published two books and when not writing articles, or divrei torah, it is poetry that flows from her pen.
An Introduction to Israel's Nobel Laureate in Literature, S.Y. Agnon. We will review Agnon's background. We will then read his very short "The Fable of the Goat" in English translation, examining it as as both a children's story and a story for adults.
In recent decades, studies on charitable giving by communities with a shared faith and ethnicity have flourished. We will discuss the scientific study of the philanthropic activities of ethno-religious communities by drawing from a research American Jewish philanthropy and the shifts in its structure and grant making activities.
Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim is a Visiting Scholar at CMJS, Brandeis University. Her research interests include the contemporary structure of American Jewish philanthropy, religion and philanthropic organizations, public policy and philanthropy, intergenerational transfer of philanthropic... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 2:50pm - 3:05pm EST
Room 102Temple Reyim
Stories are a powerful tool for congregations to build connections, teach values, and continue Jewish tradition, for adults as well as children. Join us to experience and learn tips about how to craft a personal oral story linked to a Jewish theme. Find ways to create a story slam event for your community.
Storyteller, Intergenerational Educator, Coach, Story Arc
Cindy Rivka Marshall is an award-winning professional storyteller, workshop facilitator and story coach. She is the Family and Intergenerational Educator at Temple Shir Tikvah in MA. Her business, Story Arc, aims to “reach, teach and change with stories.” She consults with congregations... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
Room 113Temple Reyim
Using the power of video and social media, we will explore show the world what it's like to really live in Israel, through the eyes of a lover of culture, food, and adventure! See what Israel is really like compared to the Israel you see in mainstream media. Yalla! Let's go!
Mona was raised on Nantucket, MA as a Protestant and moved to NYC at age 19. She met her future (now ex) Jewish husband and converted to Judaism. A graduate of Brooklyn Law School and the proud mother of two IDF soldiers. She moved to Israel in 2008 and has never looked back and or... Read More →
Come hear selections from the 1912 the Society of Jewish Folk Music works, "Lider-zamelbukh far der Yidisher shul un familie," featuring liturgical settings, arrangements of art music, and folk songs from the Pale of Settlement. Come hear an overview and performance of this anthology.
Zoë Lang is a musicologist whose research examines Germany and Austria during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She is also a violinist and plays in the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra.
Using tools and lessons learned from teaching at the Harvard Program on Negotiation and Conflict Management Group, this session will look at the difference between Impact and Intent and how using better methods of communication and listening we can achieve understanding.
At Gesher: Building Bridges we help Synagogues, Jewish organizations, associations, and Federations engage in areas of conflict resolution, leadership transition, and resource development. Perhaps the head of school or the head of the personnel committee or a teacher would like to... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
5 Main StreetTemple Reyim
In 1915 when the Lusitania sunk by disaster, it took the lives of 1201, many of them children, and helped bring America into World War I. Two prominent men lashed together “Moses baskets” to help children survive. Hear the stories of these heroes, and compare them to the Biblical Moses.
December may seem too early to talk about Passover. However, it is the perfect time to start working on your own haggadah that will have meaning for those attending your seder. This session is an opportunity to share ideas on developing a creative haggadah to use at your seder.
Barry Bergman's goal in writing haggadot is to create a sedar where everyone participates, learns, and has fun. Come join the session to create the best haggadah for your family and friends.
Sunday December 2, 2018 2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
Room 101Temple Reyim
Do you know the message hidden in the Kedushah, the "holiest" part of the prayer service? Join in this text-study to explore the contexts of the biblical passages that were assembled to constitute this prayer. As we do so, we will open up a deeper layer of meaning behind this text.
David Lerner has served as the rabbi of Temple Emunah in Lexington since 2004, teaching tefillah, halakhah, Jewish thought and spirituality. He has served as the vice-president of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis, the chair of the Rabbinical Assembly's Commission on Keruv, Conversion... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
Room 112Temple Reyim
Twenty years ago Mel had an idea: Ten guys, every second Wednesday, study one verse of Torah for an hour. See how far we get. The group connected us in ever-growing ways, transforming our relationship to Torah and each other. Learn the no-prep recipe for running such a group with two founding members.
Joel Segel plays and sings his own compositions at Beth El Sudbury, Temple Sinai Brookline, the ALEPH Kallah, and Shabbat by the Creek. He co-authored two books with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi: Jewish with Feeling, listed among Publishers Weekly's Best Spiritual Books of the year... Read More →
What makes Torah one of the most widely studied books in human history? While there is copious literary commentary on the text, artists and composers have also been inspired to respond to the challenge in their own unique expressive way, and often the vision, the lyrics, the harmonies created, inspire us with unique insights. This workshop will explore Creation and the Garden of Eden through the visual, musical, film and dance midrash applied by various artists.
Suri Levow Krieger is a rabbi and spiritual leader of B'nai Or: Jewish Renewal of Greater Boston. She was ordained by AJR Academy for Jewish Religion. She studied with Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Suri is also an Adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University, serving as Rabbi on a... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
Room 105Temple Reyim
Islam and Judaism have many similarities,including some of our sacred stories. An Islamic scholar and a rabbi will compare some of our most famous shared stories, including Hagar and Ishmael, and Moses. Study Torah and Koran as we learn from each other.
Marcia Plumb is the rabbi of Congregation Mishkan Tefila in Brookline, MA. She is passionate about Mussar and is soon starting a new online clergy mussar group. Text me if interested!
Dr Carl Sharif El-Tobgui is Assistant Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, and Director of the Arabic Language Program, at Brandeis University. His specialty is Islamic thought. He taught at Harvard and Middlebury College. He is involved in interfaith work.
Sunday December 2, 2018 2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
Room 109Temple Reyim
The modern-day agunah crisis is one of Orthodoxy's great tragedies. What happened? Laws were developed to grant women greater freedoms in divorce. This session will trace divorce law through halakhic history, and how, despite solving many issues of the past, it created many more for our present.
Mark Glass is the rabbi of the Adams Street Shul in Newton, MA. From Manchester, UK, he received his BA in Philosophy, MA in Jewish Philosophy, and Semikhah at Yeshiva University. He was previously an Assistant Director of Advocacy at ORA, the Organization for the Resolution of A... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
Room 110Temple Reyim
Kesher Newton is transforming their Hebrew program and seeing the results. Gain an understanding of the proficiency approach to language acquisition and how it can be applied in a Hebrew school setting.
This session is sponsored by Limmud North America & the EJE Network for Jewish educators.
Lori Kipnes is the director of Hebrew learning at Kesher in Newton. She has more than 30 years of teaching experience in pluralistic settings, for students with different learning styles. In her spare time (ha!) Lori enjoys reading, cooking, theater, and Cape Cod.
Ilana Snapstailer became the Executive Director of Kesher Newton in 20145. She has over 13 years of informal and formal classroom teaching experience. Ilana is passionate about bridging the knowledge and skills gap between Jewish supplementary school and Jewish day school student... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
5 Main StreetTemple Reyim
Throughout history, the magical holiday of light has been celebrated all around the world. What does it sound like in the Middle East? In Europe? In Israel? Let's listen to a selection of easy and fun-to-sing-songs from different Jewish traditions around the world and explore their surprising origins. We will learn about different customs, communities, and languages. Musical fun guaranteed! No musical background is required. Come sing, play, and learn with us!
Shirel has degrees from both the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv, as well as a Masters in Arts Performance from Brooklyn College CUNY. She is currently Director of Music at The Rashi School.
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Lobby 1Temple Reyim
What does Jewish tradition teach us about our obligations to our aging parents? How is this connected to our own aging? This workshop will explore Jewish texts and stories and compare it to our own lived experience, offering both a practical and spiritual understanding of the challenges facing our parents as they age. How does this inform our own growing older in the community?
Malka is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Care Manager. For the past 32 years, Malka has worked with older adults and their families in the community and health care settings.
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Room 104Temple Reyim
Then Adonoi said to Moses, ”Hold our your arm toward the sky that there may be darkness upon the land of Egypt.” Depression can be a darkness so deep that connecting to others feels impossible. We will read from “Celia and the Little Boy,” a beautiful and powerful book that offers a view of darkness, light and hope in childhood depression. We will explore ways to make our synagogues more aware and sensitive to the struggles of individuals who have lived with this.
Sandy Slavet holds a Master of Education and has served as the Director of Jewish Life Services for People with Disabilities and the Director of the Disabilities Resource Network at Jewish Family & Children's Services. Sandy is currently chairperson of the Temple Sinai of Sharon Inclusion... Read More →
Irene Buchine has worked in early childhood settings for more than a decade. Her interest in art and communication led her to start a successful design and marketing studio. From her personal experience raising a child with depression and her own challenges as someone who struggled... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Lobby 4Temple Reyim
Why didn't we learn about sexual consent - the vital importance of a clear "yes" - in Hebrew School? Looking at Talmudic law around sex and the body, and specifically laws around sexual consent, this session explores the Jewish history of sex education in a gender, sex and LGBTQ-inclusive way. This session is based on Merissa's 2018 ELI Talk, "Law of the Land: Boundaries, Atonement and Consent."
Merissa Nathan Gerson is Adjunct Professor of Jewish Civilization at Tulane University. Her MA in Jewish Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, focused on inherited trauma,sex, and Judaism. She speaks on these topics nationwide and was the consultant... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Room 110Temple Reyim
In this interactive session, we will discuss the challenges and opportunities of grandparenting. Exploring Jewish and secular sources of wisdom, to find a deeper understanding of the virtues of those who aspire to be the best grandparents they can be in today's frenzied world.
Bernice Lerner, Dean of Adult Learning at Hebrew College, formerly directed Boston University's Center for Character and Social Responsibility. She is the author of The Triumph of Wounded Souls: Seven Holocaust Survivors' Lives, and several book chapters and essays pertaining to ethics... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Room 105Temple Reyim
Noise and hurriedness are part of our daily lives. We will explore the mindfulness of Mikveh, and how the use of the Mikvah can grant ustime and the space for solitude, gratitude and true mindfulness? We'll explore how a weekly, monthly or occasional visit to the Mikvah can provide us with time to reflect and contemplate in an atmosphere that supports peace and tranquility.
Leann Shamash is a Jewish educator. Through her career she has worked in both formal and informal Jewish educational settings. More recently Leann has been pursuing photography, writing and the art of movement. She was recently certified from the Leven Institute in "Shake Your Soul... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Mayyim Hayyim 1Mayyim Hayyim
Beekeeping involves so many loves - love of Torah, love of earth, love of gardening, love of beings and the tending of all those things. As a rabbi, I consider myself an embodied theologian and beekeeping is just another manifestation of that. We will talk about knowing before whom you stand, the interconnected world, love, and how to love bees and other stinging pollinators!
Suzanne Offit is a rabbi and board certified chaplain working at Hebrew SeniorLife as in post acute services in Roslindale. She was ordained at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. Suzanne lives in Newton with her husband, Andy. They have three grown boys and 12 hives of hone... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Room 109Temple Reyim
The Psalms contain the emotional highs and lows of human life. Let's examine some of the more well-known psalms to see what themes apply to our lives, and listen to contemporary artistic renditions us to the court of King David.
Reb Misha, is currently in his final year of studies to receive his Masters in Jewish Education as well as Rabbinic Ordination from Hebrew College in Boston. He has served with many organizations including the AmeriCorps and American Jewish World Service in India.
Jake Harris came to the pursuit of the cantorate after obtaining a degree in voice from the Longy School of Music. Jake's music has been performed around Boston and on WBUR. He is the great-great-great-great nephew of the liturgical composer Louis Lewandowski and hopes to follow in... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
6 Main StreetTemple Reyim
In this session we will explore the Jewish principal of hachnasat orchim - hospitality, and discuss how it guides our response to current political issues around immigration and the refugee crisis. This session will include both a text study and discussion. No prior knowledge necessary.
Rabbi Eliana Jacobowitz is the rabbi of Congregation B'nai Brith in Somerville. In supplementary Jewish education, she focuses on Holocaust education, and Jewish mysticism for teens. She is the facilitator of the Gvanim Leadership program of the American Israel Council in Boston... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Room 113Temple Reyim
Contributors to the new, exciting anthology, "Earth Etudes for Elul," will share their writings about turning and returning to G!d, and to our best selves, and connecting to this planet Earth. Come hear rabbis, environmentalists, gardeners, and spiritual leaders who will share and discuss way to apply these themes to Kislev and throughout the year.
Thea Iberall is a shimmering bridge between heart and mind. An inductee into the International Educators Hall of Fame, she is featured in the documentary Poets, Passion and Poetry. Thea's stories springboard from the personal into moral issues, scientific questions, and emotional... Read More →
Co-founder and President, pro tem, Jewish Climate Action Network
Katy Allen is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, and the co-founder and President of Jewish Climate Action Network-MA. She is a board certified chaplain and a former healthcare chaplain and now considers herself an eco-chaplain.
Jeff Foust is a rabbi, a Jewish Chaplain and a Mindfulness Meditation Coordinator for the Spiritual Life Center at Bentley University. He is a long time student and teacher of Kabbalah, emphasizing embodied spirituality, where one learns to breathe, live, and dance Kabbalah into our... Read More →
Judith Kummer is a rabbi who serves as Executive Director of the Jewish Chaplaincy Council of Massachusetts. She is an avid organic gardener, a potter, hiker, and a social activist.
Susie Davidson contributes to HuffPost, the Jewish Daily Forward, JewishBoston.com, Shalom Magazine, WickedLocal.com and other national and international media, and authored a 2005 book and documentary film, "I Refused to Die," about local Holocaust survivors and liberating WWII... Read More →
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Room 112Temple Reyim
The Torah tells us that a Kohen with a disability is disqualified from serving in the Temple. The mishna tells us that a deaf person cannot give testimony. However, today we strive to include all individuals in our services and communities. How has this evolution happened? This session will appeal to those interested in the development of Halacha and Judaism's changing perspectives on disability.
Rabba Claudia Marbach recently received semicha from Yeshivat Maharat, and has launched One Night Shtender, a pop-up beit midrash for women. She co-runs a partnership minyan called Yedid Nefesh, and participates in interfaith dialogue through the Daughters of Abraham network.
Sunday December 2, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Room 106Temple Reyim
Once sundown comes, Chanukah begins! Moishe House friends will lead us in candle-lighting before a raucous sing-along and musical send-off. At the five Boston area Moishe Houses, young adults come together to create vibrant Jewish moments.
This event is taking place in the lobby of Temple Reyim. (Please ignore the words Mayyim Hayyim!)
Sunday December 2, 2018 5:00pm - 5:30pm EST
LobbyTemple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street, Auburndale, MA 02466
We count on you, to help us look through each room to check for leftover LimmudBoston signs, papers, cups, handouts, so that we leave Temple Reyim in beautiful condition.
Sunday December 2, 2018 5:30pm - 5:45pm EST
LobbyTemple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street, Auburndale, MA 02466
Join us for a light dinner on Monday December 3 at 6PM at Temple Reyim. Let's discuss this year's LimmudBoston. And kick off plans for next year. Ideas? We want them! Suggestions? Bring 'em on! LimmudBoston is created from teamwork and volunteers. Volunteer + Participate = VOLUNTICIPATE RSVP at Registration Desk, or online at www.LimmudBoston.org
