Limmud NY 2016: Full Schedule

1:00pm EST

Three Waves of Jewish Feminism

The Jewish feminist movement began with Ezrat Nashim in 1971. Ezrat Nashim examined the role of women in participating in the public ritual of Jewish life. The second wave saw women rabbis in the Conservative movement, women in leadership positions in synagogue life, women's minyanim , etc. The third wave is the partnership minyanim (prayer groups), women rabbis in the Orthodox movement, etc. A panel of leaders in each of these waves will share their personal experiences and challenges.

Presenters

Eva Fogelman

Eva Fogelman is a social psychologist, psychotherapist, filmmaker and author. She is co-director of Child Development Research; co-founder of Psychotherapy with Generations of the Holocaust and Related Traumas; co-founder of the Jewish Foundation for Christian Rescuers (now the Jewish... Read More →

Sharon Weiss-Greenberg

JOFA

Sharon Weiss-Greenberg is the Executive Director of JOFA. She has held a variety of professional roles including Director of Recruitment at Yeshivat Maharat, Rosh Moshava (Head of Camp) at Camp Stone, and co-director and Orthodox adviser of the Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative... Read More →

Friday February 12, 2016 1:00pm - 2:15pm EST
Waterside

Feminism & Women

Learning Modality Panel Discussion

8:45pm EST

Orthodox Feminism: The Past, The Present, and… Is There a Future?

The Orthodox Feminism movement is over 40 years old. From the perspective of someone who was on the front lines, creating women's prayer groups 40 years ago, helping to create JOFA, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, and more recently Partnership minyanim, how much as has really changed. This session will cover the evolution of the movement, its challenges and successes, looking back as well as looking forward.

Presenters

Bat Sheva Marcus

Clinical Director, Maze Women's Sexual Health

The New York Times called her "The Orthodox Sex Guru". Bat Sheva Marcus, is one of the founders and the Clinical Director of Maze Women's Sexual Health. One of the largest centers of its kind in the world, the center is dedicated to helping women with a wide variety of sexual issues... Read More →

Friday February 12, 2016 8:45pm - 10:00pm EST
Aspen

Feminism & Women Orthodoxy

Learning Modality Lecture

12:15pm EST

Who's Afraid of Jewish Feminists?

How do thoughtful feminists stay in the tradition when the tradition isn't exactly welcoming for women? Yaffa and Jacqueline, a rebbe and an artist, who both engage with the text, regularly challenge each other over their relationship with Torah, and why they choose to stay inside the difficult conversation. This time they will exchange difficult talmudic texts for the other to interpret.

Presenters

Yaffa Epstein

Yaffa serves as the director of education, North America for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Yaffa received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Maharat and holds a law degree from Bar-Ilan University. Rabbah Epstein has been a teacher of Talmud, Jewish law, and liturgy at Pardes... Read More →

Jacqueline Nicholls

Jacqueline Nicholls is an artist and Jewish educator, using art to engage with traditional Jewish ideas in untraditional ways. She co-ordinates the Art Studio and other Arts & Culture events at JW3, and teaches at the London School of Jewish Studies. Her art has been exhibited in... Read More →

Saturday February 13, 2016 12:15pm - 1:30pm EST
High Ridge

Feminism & Women Textual Perspectives

Learning Modality Panel Discussion

1:45pm EST

Jewish Sorceresses in the Talmud: Esteemed Professionals, not Back-Alley Conjurers

Maggie Anton will discuss the research behind her newest novels, Apprentice and Enchantress, which take place in 4th century Babylonia. There the Talmud is being created by the rabbis to innovate and rejuvenate Judaism after the destruction of Jerusalem's Holy Temple. At the same time, archaeological evidence, supported by the Talmud itself, shows us that some women in rabbinic families were practicing sorcery, an esteemed profession in the very land where the word "magic" originated.

Presenters

Maggie Anton

Maggie Anton is the award-winning author of the historical fiction trilogy 'Rashi's Daughters' and new series 'Rav Hisda's Daughter.' The first volume, 'Apprentice,' was a National Jewish Book Award finalist. A Los Angeles native, Maggie worked for 33 years as a clinical chemist for... Read More →

Saturday February 13, 2016 1:45pm - 3:00pm EST
Willow

Feminism & Women Textual Perspectives

Learning Modality Lecture

8:30am EST

Ten Things Every Woman Should Know About Sex

For Women Only.There are at least 10 things every woman should know about sex from the fact that intercourse does not “equal sex,” to the fact that everyone, regardless of their size, age or physical condition is entitled to a full and satisfying sex life. These tips can help everyone, whether they have specific sexual concerns or not. Marcus will educate listeners about what every woman should know about sex.

Presenters

Bat Sheva Marcus

Clinical Director, Maze Women's Sexual Health

Sunday February 14, 2016 8:30am - 9:45am EST
Grove

Feminism & Women Love Relationships & Sexuality

Learning Modality Lecture

3:30pm EST

Metaphors of Motherhood from the Bible to the Bavli

Metaphors of pregnancy, labor, and birth were popular in ancient Jewish literature, from the prophets of the Bible to the purity laws in the Bavli. In what ways were metaphors of motherhood used in these sources, and what does the turn to women's bodies and experiences of motherhood tell us about antiquity and the present?

Presenters

Sarit Kattan Gribetz

Sarit Kattan Gribetz is an Assistant Professor of Classical Judaism at Fordham University. She works on rabbinic literature, ancient calendars, Jews in the Greco-Roman world, gender and motherhood, and Jewish-Christian relations and polemics.

Sunday February 14, 2016 3:30pm - 4:45pm EST
Belltown

Family & Life Cycles Feminism & Women Textual Perspectives

Learning Modality Lecture

7:00pm EST

Ancient Jewish Magic: What is it and How it is still with us Today

Maggie Anton will discuss the research behind her newest novels, Apprentice and Enchantress, which take place in 4th century Babylonia. She will focus on the latest findings about ancient Jewish magic, including archaeological evidence like incantation bowls, amulets, and magic manuals, plus spells from the Talmud itself. Some of these spells have formed the basis for prayers and blessings found in today's prayerbooks.

Presenters

Maggie Anton

Sunday February 14, 2016 7:00pm - 8:15pm EST
Elm

Feminism & Women History

Learning Modality Lecture

8:30am EST

Rabbi, Rabba, Maharat, Morateinu: Orthodox Women Breaking New Ground in Jewish Religious Leadership

Hear from Rabbi Lila Kagedan, the first Orthodox woman in North American to assume the title rabbi, and share her journey as a woman to the orthodox rabbinate.

Presenters

Lila Kagedan

Lila Kagedan has smicha (rabbinic ordination) from Yeshivat Maharat and is a Shalom Hartman Institute RLI fellow. Lila is also a clinical ethicist and chaplain and sits on ethics committees of major hospitals, hospices and academic institutions. A seasoned teacher, Lila has taught... Read More →

Monday February 15, 2016 8:30am - 9:45am EST
Long Ridge

Feminism & Women Orthodoxy Textual Perspectives

Learning Modality Lecture