In the ongoing debate over whether a two-state solution is still possible, there remain many unanswered questions. This session will discuss the challenge of renewing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, addressing mutual Israeli and Palestinian fears, how some of the settlers might be convinced to relocate based on their identity needs within a two-state framework, and the implications of various so-called "unilateral" moves on the part of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
You have to go back decades to find another presidential campaign like the one being waged across America in 2016 — with wild card candidates who attract millions of voters by running against the political establishment.
And never before has a Jewish candidate won so many states and delegates in the primaries. In this session, I’ll explore the unlikely campaigns of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, and why the Jewish vote seems to be coalescing around Hillary Clinton. But where will be the big Jewish money land? And what’s in store for the general election?
From the rabbinical ordination of women in both Orthodox and Reform movements, to women's tefillah groups, there is a conscious effort in many Jewish communities around the world to empower Jewish women to engage more actively with Judaism. Some of the ways in which these yeshivot, synagogues and communities are elevating the role of women are relatively new or still foreign to the Australian Jewish landscape. This panel will discuss these contemporary ideas, offering insights from international and local experiences, and pondering where to from here for women's role in Jewish life in Australia and further afield.
While various religions posit a stark split between the "Spirit" and "Law," in Judaism, Kabbalah and Halakhah are frequently intertwined. Many of the great Jewish legal authorities, including R. Joseph Karo, Nachmanides, and the Vilna Gaon, were deeply steeped in kabbalistic teachings. Some refrained from professing these esoteric doctrines publicly, believing that this is much too risky an enterprise. Others, however, promoted kabbalistic practices and allowed Kabbalah to influence their halakhic rulings. In this session, we will study some dramatic examples of kabbalistic and halakhic symbiosis over the past centuries in important Jewish centers, such as Safed, Prague, Jerusalem and Brooklyn.
Taking the conflict from the Israeli perspective, this talk will examine the current Israeli-Palestinian impasse and its profound, even shattering effect on Israeli politics. Are Israeli political parties proposing solutions to the conflict? If so, what are they? What do ordinary Israelis think?
A question you've probably asked yourself is "How does the Rabbi know this?", or "How did the Rabbi find that answer in a sea of Jewish texts?". In this session, Rabbi Elton will expose how Rabbis navigate the vast amount of material in the Jewish cannon, to find answers to the questions their congregants ask. The audience will have an opportunity to ask Rabbi Elton how he would work to answer questions on both modern and longstanding issues.
Jerusalem – the most diverse and complicated city in Israel – has become in recent years an amazing platform for Jewish innovation and creative bridges between different communities living in the city. Come and hear about it from one of the leading forces of Jerusalem renewal in the past decade.
Halakha is wedded to tradition, modernity is committed to innovation. On the surface, therefore, these two value systems seem incompatible. Historically, however, that is not the case; Halakha and modernity has over the years worked in tandem, complimenting and enhancing one another. We will explore several of the more prominent examples of where halakha and modernity combined to create a perfect synthesis of "modern-halakha".
It has been said that throughout our history Jews have laughed to keep from crying. In a country which has experienced its share of ups and downs, Israel has developed its own unique brand of humour. Benji tracks the changes in Israeli society through classic movie, TV, and comedy clips.
Concerns about the future of the Sydney Jewish community are ever present, especially as a number of factors threaten its sustained continuity. Young Jews are facing those questions and challenges right now. How can we reconcile our heavily Zionist ideals, including encouragement through schools, youth movements and shuls for us to make Aliyah, with the desire for a long term existence of a community here in Sydney? How are we engaging with social challenges such as intermarriage? Is there effective infrastructure within our community to maintain engagement with young Jews, both religiously and culturally? Meet four young Jewish community-based professionals who have faced these challenges personally and professionally in all corners of our community.
