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January 25, 2009

Yom Limmud Brochure

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Featured programs coming to the 2009 Yom Limmud:
San Diego's Community Day of Learning:

Freedom Song an original musical, that highlights the historic universality of the struggle to free oneself from external oppression and internal bondage. This musical was written at Beit T'Shuvah, the only Jewish faith-based addiction recovery center in the U.S.
Freedom Song on youtube
Freedom Song on myspace

Jonathan Dobrer, "The Sword of Allah" - a 4-part lecture series. The kickoff lecture will be presented by Jonathan Dobrer, who teaches at American Jewish University, Los Angeles. All lectures to be given at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS.

 

Jon Entine, Jewish Genes and Jewish History: A discussion of Jon Entine's "Abraham's Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People"
Jon Entine, author, consultant and public policy expert on sustainability and science in society, has been driven by the scourge of a Jewish disease - a type of breast and ovarian cancer that targets those of Jewish ancestry - to trace the ancestral and genetic roots of Judaism to ancient Israel. In doing so, he unravels an epic tale of "The Chosen People." He interweaves genealogy and genetics to vividly bring to life the Israelite seeds in all of us, addressing a range of fascinating issues, including the story of the Lost Tribes, the remarkable stories of the descendants of converts around the world who discover their Jewish ancestry, the effort to find cures for "Jewish diseases," the DNA of Jewish IQ and the age old question, "Who is a Jew?"

Cindy Paley, Songs for Tot Shabbat. Cindy Paley is well known for bringing the joys of Jewish music to teachers, students and families throughout North America. Open your mouth, take a deep breath, and sing! Join Cindy Paley to learn some new songs to enliven your Tot Shabbat services. Return to your classroom with songs, prayers, chants and techniques that will have young children davening with delight.

 

 

Nina Simone Grotch, A Taste of the Miller Initiative.The ADL Miller Early Childhood Initiative provides anti-bias workshops and materials designed to train early childhood educators, caregivers and family members to help children understand, respect and appreciate differences. Topics covered include: Who Defines "Difference"? How Can We Stop Hate Before it Starts? How Can We Plant Seeds for the Future? How Can We Teach the Value of "Difference"?

 

Israel Panel, An Israel Experience and our Jewish Identity Today.
Sixty years after the establishment of the State of Israel, we continue to ask ourselves the question: "What role does Israel play in forming and establishing our Jewish identity?" This question will e answered in the context of the importance of educational experiences in Israel. In this session, a panel of San Diegan young and older adults, having participated in a variety if Israel programs, such as Taglit-Birthright Israel, Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute (JITLI) and a United Jewish Federation (UJF) Mission, will address this critical issue. The panel will be moderated by the Office of the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.

Jacobo Sefami, De Los Yiddishe Gauchos A Los Tacos Kosher: La Escritura Judia Latinoamericana. (From Yiddish Gauchos to Kosher Tacos: Jewish Writing in Latin America) Los guachos judios (1910), de Alberto Gerchunoff, funda la escritura judia latinoamericana, que ha tenido a partir de la decada de 1990 una gran irrupcion con mas de 140 autores, al grado de poder considerarlo como un nuevo "boom" de la literatura de America Latina, con algunos autores destacados como Juan Gelman que recibio el Premio Cervantes en el 2008. esta conferencia hara un bbreve recorrido por las obras de varios de essos escritores y su relevancia en la literatura latinoamericana.
Lecture will be in Spanish

Rosalind Wiseman, J-Girls & J-Moms: Communication or Conflict?
Rosalind Wiseman, author of the acclaimed best seller, Queen Bees and Wannabes became the basis of the major motion picture "Mean Girls" starring Lindsay Lohan, will address the issue of mother/daughter relationships within the context of the Jewish community and enable inter-generational conversation to occur in a non-stressful and non-judgmental environment. A break-out discussion following the presentation will enable mothers and daughters to interact with one another and meet new peers.

Ken Blady, Synagogues Among Minarets: Jews of the Ottoman Empire.
Jews had lived in parts of present-day Turkey more than a thousand years before a Turkish tribe led by Uthman (Ottoman) invaded Asia Minor in the early years of the 14th century and began to wrest control from a feeble Byzantine Empire. Persecuted Jews in increasing numbers found haven among these enlightened Muslims. When the Sephardim were expelled from Spain in 1492, the Ottoman Sultan opened the doors of his Empire and allowed them to settle in the chief population centers. Ken Blady, Jewish educator, translator and writer from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, will share his passion and wealth of knowledge on this fascinating subject.

Suzanne Vromen, Hidden Children of the Holocaust: Belgian Nuns and their daring rescue of young jews from the nazis.
In the terrifying summer of 1942 in Belgium, when the Nazis began the brutal roundup of Jewish families, parents searched desperately for safe haven for their children. These children found sanctuary with their families and schools - but especially in roman Catholic convents and orphanages. Suzanne Vromen has interviewed not only those who were hidden as children, but also the Christian women who rescued them and the nuns who gave the children shelter. She will present numerous first-hand memoirs of life in a wartime convent-the secrecy, the humor, the admiration, the anger, the deprivation, the cruelty, and the kindness- all with the backdrop of the terror of the Nazi occupation. Vromen shows that some adapted so well that they converted to Catholicism, at times to fit in amid the daily prayers and rituals, but often because the Church appealed to them. She also examines their lives after the war, how they faced the devastating loss of parents to the Holocaust, struggled to regain their identities and sought to memorialize those who saved them.

Jonathan Bender, In the Belly of the whale: a seriocomedy on what it means to be jewish today. A provocative and entertaining one-man show on Jewish identity, created entirely from true stories. With 9 characters, 18 opinions, and 1 actor. In the show a secular Jew mysteriously find himself in the belly of a whale, where he encounters 8 other people with very different relationships to being Jewish. Ages 14 to 81, they include a rabbi, an atheist social activist, and a Holocaust survivor and his grandson. Created and performed by Jonathan Bender/ A discussion with the audience follows.

Tina Malka, a taste of manhigim. Join Tina Malka, associate director of the local Anti-Defamation League, for an interactive sampling of the ADL's teen leadership program for 10th and 11th grade Jewish students. This exciting new program gives students the knowledge and skills to combat anti-semitism, understand their civil rights, develop advocacy skills and promote bridges of communication, understanding and respect among diverse groups.

 

 

Noah Hadas, A taste of melton. "'It is not in Heaven': A melton Text Study SAmple Class" deut. 30:12 states "It is not in Heaven". What is the "it"? How has this verse been understood throughout the ages and what does it say to the modern Jew? In this session, we will follow the interpretation of this verse through the Talmud, Medieval commentaries, and even modern sources. The technique used will mimic a class in the acclaimed Florence Melton Adult Mini-School which enables adults to learn seriously about their heritage and culture in an inspiring 28-week course of study. Melton classes are offered by the Agency for Jewish Education and begin again in the fall.

 

Alana Shuster, a taste of ulpan san diego. See how much fun leaning Hebrew can be! Learn to speak Hebrew or improve your Hebrew conversational ability at ULLPAN San Diego. ULPAN San Diego provides basic conversational Hebrew skills to adults in a stress-free and enjoyable environment. the goal of Level 1 is to equip students with a vocabulary of at least 300 Hebrew words and the ability to use them. Levels 2-4 continue this process towards increased Hebrew verbal skills.

Yom limmud children's activities (ages 5-12)
Drama, sports/games, dance, art, music,
Children's concert with Cindy Paley