Limmud Toronto 2021

In a small Jewish cemetery in London, Ontario, the 1934 tombstone of Eva Hoffman reads that she died "due to the Morro Castle." Significantly, Eva was the only Canadian passenger to perish in this September 8 1934 maritime disaster in New Jersey, one of the worst in American history. This presentation will show how this accomplished young woman, born and raised in London's closely-knit Jewish community, came to be on this ill-fated ship and will reveal how Jewish perceptions and rituals played an important role in how the tragedy and Eva were memorialized.

“Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are older, they will not depart from it.” The trouble is many families in Canada cannot afford childcare or have to wait years on wait-lists. Similarly, many Jewish families cannot access formal Jewish educational institutions for a variety of reasons. Governments and community funders have made important investments in the past few years but a lot of work remains to be done. If you are currently in need of childcare, think you will be in the near future, or are just curious about how to create more Jewish educational opportunities, this workshop is for you! Childcare co-ops are some of the oldest co-ops in Ontario and offer parents the opportunity to come together in community to meet their personal and collective needs, shape an education that resonates with their values, and create more childcare spaces for others.
In this workshop, we will review the basic legal, organizational, and financial steps to start a distinctly Jewish childcare co-op. We will review how to determine whether it is right for you, and some of the unique advantages and challenges involved in providing childcare in this way.

Some of the most exciting Jewish stories are told in the haftarah (Bible portions read at synagogue each week). Laya Crust has just written and illustrated a book that brings those stories and Jewish history to life. Laya studied Jewish cultural art history and researched Renaissance and medieval manuscripts, ancient mosaics, murals, and early documents. She enlivens the Bible stories by weaving the stories of the images and artists into the narrative.

Come to this exciting presentation and learn about Isaiah and the Jewish cartographer who changed navigational maps forever; the Holocaust survivor who unknowingly illustrated a haggadah for a seder in 1945 Berlin, and how king Solomon's portrait ended up in a deck of cards.

Whether or not you are familiar with art or with Bible stories, you will see the original images and hear anecdotes, all of which are in Laya Crust's upcoming book, "Illuminations- An Exploration of Haftarah Through Art and History."

Screening of a new 23-minute documentary by Miriam Lewin. Rabbi Kevin Hale joyfully practices the sacred craft of Torah restoration as he repairs scrolls that are hundreds of years old, rewriting sections of them when necessary. The film focuses on his work with torah scrolls saved in Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust. These 1,564 scrolls now belong to the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London, which lends them to communities around the world. As Rabbi Hale’s scribal work takes him to two of these communities, he reflects on his own path to faith and practice. Film will be followed with a discussion with R Hale and Filmmaker Lewin

The Hebrew language is the core of Jewish life in many ways. In this session we will explore a historical perspective of the evolution of Hebrew in Israel while examining the cultural and spiritual challenges we face and how those are reflected in the language we speak. Learn about how Hebrew serves as a performative utterance in the Torah, the Diaspora, and in relation to Zionism, as we work through the tension between the secularization and the sanctity of the Hebrew language. Explore the significance and context of new Hebrew words while thinking about Hebrew as our connector to Zionism and the Jewish people.

Since its establishment in 2017, the Tikkun Project has helped to shape transformative learning by bringing Critical Thinking, Jewish Values, and Hands-on Action together in classroom learning. The project’s intentional focus on creating opportunities for students to make positive change, informed by progressive Jewish ideas, has allowed transformative Social Justice learning to continue to develop and flourish inside and beyond the walls of the classroom.

Join Daniel to get a glimpse inside classrooms where teachers invite students to think critically about authentic challenges and anchor learning and action within the rich inheritance of Jewish thinking. In this session, you will learn about the three foundational lenses of the Tikkun Project and how they can be used by teachers in different schools and communities to increase student engagement and to facilitate the development of meaningful social action projects with the support of local experts and organizations. This session can support teachers and administrators in day schools, supplementary schools, summer camps and other formal and informal educational settings to enhance their existing programs and to foster student action within a context of living Jewish experiences.