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.

Niv (which means expression in Hebrew) is an independent, not-for-profit online magazine, focusing on Jewish culture and creative work in Canada and abroad. Niv fosters a platform for the Jewish perspective, in all its diverse, pluralistic, and ever-changing forms of expression. It’s been a year since we launched and we want to share our experience with you! Niv was founded because there is a lack of inclusive Jewish publications in Canada geared towards a younger audience (but our magazine is enjoyed and has contributors of all ages). We want to hold an open forum and lead a discussion on what the future of Jewish media can be while giving insight into our process: from conducting interviews, to putting together an issue, to even our digital experience. New Jewish media in Canada does exist and it can be actualized; let us show you how!

After years as a political speechwriter – serving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, and chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 presidential campaign – Sarah Hurwitz decided to apply her communication skills to writing a book…about Judaism. And no one is more surprised than she is. Sarah was the quintessential lapsed Jew—until, at age 36, on a whim, she attended an introduction to Judaism class and was blown away by what she found: beautiful holidays and rituals, high ethical standards, conceptions of God beyond the judgy bearded man in the sky – none of which she had learned in Hebrew school or during the two synagogue services she grudgingly attended each year. That class led to a years-long dive into Jewish study, which continues to this day. In a wide-ranging interview, Sarah Hurwitz will discuss her book, Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There), and she will also share stories from her time at the White House.

What happens when two rabbis, an imam and a bishop come together? Join us as communal religious leaders from several different faiths share the lessons they have learned from the pandemic--both the personal and communal lessons. Within these presentations we will hear our differences, but also the myriad of spiritual beliefs we have in common. The session will then open to questions from the audience that will be answered by the members of the panel.

The presentation will briefly discuss the recent history of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis (1900 to the present). It will then explore the different narratives and asymmetry of power between the two peoples that contribute to the current political impasse. It will explain why the alternatives to the two state solution would mean the end of Israel as a Jewish and Democratic state and will conclude with an analysis of what would be needed to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.

Following broad based violence against Jews in 1391, the failure of rabbinic and intellectual leadership, and mass conversions to Catholicism, Spanish Jewry was in crisis. Rabbi Yitzhak Arama provided sermons and commentaries that sought to redefine and strengthen the faith of his embattled community. We’ll examine some of his writing and explore whether there are similarities to post-Holocaust Jewish thought.