Limmud Toronto 2021

Goldilocks and the Three Orthodoxies: Traditional Responses to Same-Sex Relationships

Orthodoxy is arguably the most diverse of the contemporary Jewish denominations. While the Orthodox response to homosexuality has at times seemed univocal, in fact the record demonstrates much variety. On the basis of contemporary documents and alongside an Eshel Survey of 210 Orthodox rabbis, Rabbi Steve Greenberg will offer three distinctive portrayals offered by Orthodox rabbis to this challenging new set of human realities.

After last year’s presentation about four amazing women who built the State of Israel, Peta will introduce you to another four remarkable women whose contributions have been at the most fundamental level of state-building – building the population. These rescuers have brought Jews home from the four corners of the earth, taking personal risks for the love of the Jewish people and the vision of Israel as a safe haven and Land of freedom and opportunity.

A special Limmud edition of 'Building The Jewish& Cookbook', a program that seeks to highlight dishes and stories from people in and of Jewish& (interfaith / multicultural / mixed heritage) homes, as a way of celebrating Jewish diversity and building community. Join Lauren of Jewish& at the Miles Nadal JCC and her husband Kevin as they fry up some "Okonomilatkees', a mash-up of okonomiyaki (a savory Japanese pancake) and traditional potato latkes for Chanukah. Okonomiyaki is a popular street food from Osaka, made with flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, and your choice of protein, and topped with a variety of condiments. Feel free to grab a grater and cook along!

THE BURNING BUSH

This performance of original songs is the core of a new musical about the life of Moses, featuring old stories seen through a new lens.

Songs include:

Moses' Two Mamas - The First Open Adoption!
Batya discovers Moses in the Sea of Reeds, watched over by his sister Miriam

A Lump of Coal, A Lump of Gold
Baby Moses faces a life-and-death test, which explains the origin of his life-long stutter

Miriam's Hug
Miriam gives a gift to her little brother Moses, as she and her mother drop him off at the palace of the Princess of Egypt, to start a new phase in his life

The Burning Bush
Moses encounters The Divine Presence, and faces his call to leadership

Foot Forward
Nachshon Ben Aminidav stands at the shore of the Red Sea and solves an impossible problem

My Heart Will Still Be Free
"You can bind my feet and hands, steal my labour and my lands, cast me into slavery, but my heart will still be free."

Sephardic, Mizrahi, Iraqi, Arab, Middle Eastern... What's in a name? These are all words that my family has identified or been identified as, yet these terms can have very different connotations and meanings. This presentation will specifically focus on the impact of history and contemporary politics on identity among the Jewish Iraqi community. I will utilize both my personal family history and academic research on the topic to reflect on the ways that Orientalism, colonialism, Zionism, modern nationalism, and geographic relocations impact identity.

Has there ever been a better home for Jews than Canada? By certain measures, Canada might be the most socially welcoming, economically secure, and religiously tolerant country for Jews in the diaspora, past or present. A new book, No Better Home? Jews, Canada, and the Sense of Belonging, takes this audacious question seriously, while also exploring the many contested meanings of the idea of "home." In this talk Professor David S. Koffman, a contributor to the book and its editor, discusses how the book came to be, and offers some insights on the unique characteristics and qualities of Canadian Jewry foregrounding what the Canadian experience has to teach about Jewish modernity.