Limmud Winnipeg 2018 has ended

Create Your Own Event

Limmud Winnipeg 2018

9:00am CDT

Tour of the Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre

A one-hour guided tour of our local Holocaust museum founded by survivors, with artefacts donated by Winnipeg survivors and their children. Thousands of local students have toured this excellent space right here on the Asper Campus, but many in the community have never visited it and are unaware of the stories behind photos and objects.

Presenter

Belle Jarniewski

Belle Jarniewski has been Chair of the Freeman Family Holocaust Education Centre since 2009. She also represents Canada on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, serving on the Academic Working Group and on the Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial. She has detailed... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
MPR

10:15am CDT

Choosing Judaism

Moderated by Rabbi Aníbal Mass, this panel will explore different journeys to choosing Judaism. Conversion to Judaism is chosen by those who discover their affinity to Jewish beliefs and thought intellectually, experiencing Judaism through a significant other, or finding spirituality in new ways. Hear the stories of different paths to becoming Jewish.

Presenter

Jami & Alvin Cadonic

Jami (Rosenberg) Cadonic was born and raised in Winnipeg. She married Alvin Cadonic in 2013. She has been involved in the Jewish community her entire life by taking swimming lessons and then teaching swimming at the Rady JCC. Currently Jami is working with the City of Winnipeg doing... Read More →

Chase Curtis

Chase was born and raised in Winnipeg to secular parents whose lineage descends primarily from Britain/Czechoslovakia and Germany.His earliest memory is that of Eretz Israel with Zionism being the medium to achieve it. That appeared to him in a state of reflection between the ages... Read More →

Anibal Mass

Rabbi Aníbal Mass was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since he was a boy he was interested in music, especially singing. As a child he participated in the well-known children’s choir of the Colegio Bet-Am Medinat Israel, which was directed by Nestor Stofblat. Rabbi Mass’ interest... Read More →

susn palmer

susn palmer is a member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek. She works as a Families First Home Visitor with Southern Health/Sante Sud RHA. susn’s ability to work with small groups blends well with a desire toexplore Jewish spiritual heritage. As she reads and listens to authors such... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Room 230 - Second Floor

10:15am CDT

Sacred Language for Diversity and Inclusivity

We all know that our communities thrive best when they reflect real diversity, when everyone is not only "welcome" but integral to the community. What is much harder is weaving notions of diversity into the day-to-day conversations and structures of our community. This workshop will examine ways that our communities talk about and among ourselves, and help us develop authentic communal, ritual, and sacred language that reflects this diversity.

Presenter

Micah Buck-Yael

Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael serves as coordinator of community chaplaincy with the Jewish Family & Children’s Service in St. Louis, MO. He serves the Jewish needs of a wide and diverse population, and works as an advocate and educator on issues of LGBT justice. Originally from Washington... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Room 225 - Second Floor - Beit Midrash

10:15am CDT

The Human Rights and Holocaust Study Program at College Sturgeon Heights Collegiate

This session will provide participants with information regarding the Human Rights and Holocaust Study Program at CSHC. Participants will have a chance to meet with both students and teachers from CSHC ask questions and interact further. For the past 10 years’ students in grades 9 – 12 have been involved in various educational activities at the school and the community culminating in trips to Washington DC and Europe. This session will also highlight other Social Justice and Just Cause activities at the school were students act both locally and globally to make this world a better place. In addition, we will provide general information about Human Rights and Holocaust education in Winnipeg high schools.

Presenter

Eran Plotnik

Eran Plotnik was born and raised in Israel in kibbutz Mishmar Hasharon near Netanya. He moved to Winnipeg in 1987. Eran is married and has two adult children. His mother was a Holocaust survivor and his father, who left Europe in the summer of 1939 was a paratrooper with British Army... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Room 224 - Second Floor

11:30am CDT

Bridging the Gap between Jews and Christians: The Reconciliation Work of Bridges for Peace

For centuries a gap has existed between Jews and Christians. This gap widened as a result of Christian anti-Semitism which left a trail of destruction and grief within the Jewish world. In the last five centuries, particularly since the 1860’s, the tables have begun to turn as Christians around the world began to reject age-old hatreds and replacement theology. Christians passionately came to believe that God is faithful to His covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and thereby would restore the Jewish people in their ancient Land, the culmination of this promise bearing literal fruit on May 14th 1948. Despite this modern-day miracle, fragments of division and mistrust still permeate in Jewish and Christian communities…with Christian anti-Semitism far from being dead. Since 1976, Bridges for Peace has sought to repair this gap by reaching out to Christians and the Jewish community in Israel and around the world.

Presenter

Peter Fast

Peter fast is the Deputy National Director with Bridges for Peace Canada, having returned with his family from volunteering with BFP in Israel for over three years. Peter holds degrees from Prairie College, BA in Biblical Studies and a BA in Intercultural Studies. He has completed... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Room 224 - Second Floor

11:30am CDT

Cremation through a Jewish Lens

This session will explore the mechanics, myths and facts about cremation. What are the factors that influence one's decision to be cremated?
How does cremation of a loved one impact our own mourning process, and what are the implications for the larger Jewish community?

Presenter

Rena Boroditsky

Rena Boroditsky is the Executive Director of Chesed Shel Emes, the non-profit Jewish funeral chapel and Chevrah Kadisha in Winnipeg, Canada. For 20-plus years she has been a both student and teacher of end-of-life Jewish rituals. Rena is an experienced Tahara trainer and has travelled... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Room 228

11:30am CDT

Digitizing the Holocaust: Genocide & New Technology

In this session we will discuss some of the ways that emerging technologies are changing the way genocides like the Holocaust are explained, remembered, and understood. From geographical information systems to “holograms” of Holocaust survivors to virtual and augmented realities, new technologies are dramatically altering the ways scholars, heritage workers, Survivors, and the general public engage with the traumatic past. We will discuss recent attempts to re-map the Holocaust digitally, the virtualization of Survivor testimony, the use of drones at atrocity sites, and attempts to virtually immerse “users” in concentration camps such as Auschwitz. We will also discuss Synagogues in Germany: A Virtual Reconstruction, a German exhibition focusing on Kristallnacht that had its Canadian premier in Winnipeg early in 2017.

Presenter

Adam Muller

Adam Muller is Director of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba, where he studies the representation of genocide, human rights, and atrocity. He is the editor/co-editor of three essay collections, including Fighting Words and Images: Representing War Across the... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Room 223 - Second Floor

11:30am CDT

Exploring Bias: “Fake News” and the Media

This interactive session explores the concept of fake news and pervasive trends in media bias, particularly in mainstream coverage of Israel. Participants are divided into groups for an activity that demonstrates how simple facts can be manipulated into competing narratives. The session sheds light on the inner workings of the “fake news” phenomenon, teaches how to recognize whether an article is authentic or fake, and provides techniques on how to counter fake news. The impact of the “social media bubble” and the importance of reading news from a variety of sources are also explored.

Presenter

Adir Krafman

Adir Krafman is currently the Manager of Communications and Media Relations for CIJA. Adir is originally from Hadera, Israel, and is passionate about communications, the Jewish community, and all things Google. He is a proud alum of the University of Toronto, where he founded the... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Room 222 - Second Floor

11:30am CDT

LGBTQ Activism & Israel

This session will be an interactive discussion about how to advocate for Israel within LGBT communities, build unity for LGBT Jews in Winnipeg, and advocate for LGBT rights in Israel. This session will includes lessons on how to do advocacy and create connections in Winnipeg, and a history of LGBT life in Israel.

Presenter

Sophie Hershfield

Sophie Hershfield is a student at the University of Winnipeg studying English and Philosophy, and graduated from Gray Academy in 2016. She has been a counsellor at camp Massad for two summers now, and loves Jewish programming for young people. She's been a fellow for the Canadian... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Room 220 - Second Floor

11:30am CDT

Return of the Jew & The Meshugene Effect

Over the past few decades, Poland has become a hotbed of contemporary Jewish identity debate—in Europe, but perhaps even more so in North America and in Israel, where we fnd so many descendants of Polish Jews. "The Meshugene Effect" is a research-creation project situated in a socio- cultural milieu, which has been receiving much attention in academic and popular circles.
Since the fall of communism, thousands of people in Poland have discovered Jewish roots. Among them is a peculiar category of those, whose discovery was preceded by a ‘hunch’ – an irrational conviction that they were Jewish before they actually knew they were Jewish. Katka Reszke tries to make sense of the personal narratives of several Polish women (including her own), who embarked on a pursuit of Jewish identity following a feeling, an intuition, an uncanny precognition about their Jewish descent. These self-narratives reveal different ways of making sense of extraordinary experiences of memory and transition set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.

Presenter

Katka Reszke

Katka Reszke is a Polish-born, U.S.-based writer, documentary filmmaker, photographer,performer, and researcher in Jewish identities. Author of Return of the Jew: Identity Narratives of the Third Post-Holocaust Generation of Jews in Poland (Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2013),Katka... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Room 230 - Second Floor

1:30pm CDT

LGBTQ Inclusion in the Jewish Community: A Teenagers’ Perspective

Presenter

Sarah Jacobsohn

is a grade 11 student at the Gray Academy of Jewish Education. She is the president of the school’s Keshet (GSA) and is the Co-Chair of the school’s Athletic Council. Out of school Sarah is the president of her BBYO chapter and is the High School Representative of Box of Dreams... Read More →

Toby Szkop

Is a Grade 11 student at the Gray Academy of Jewish Education. He attended Camp Massad for several years as a camper and is looking forward to being a staff member. He is an active member of the community, Toby is regional vice president of communication in BBYO. He is also vice president... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 1:30pm - 2:15pm CDT
Room 223 - Second Floor

1:30pm CDT

Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another

To hear all the fascinating Jewish stories would take more than 1001 nights – and days. In this program, Peninnah Schram interweaves folktales of various genres from the Sephardic (Middle Eastern) and Ashkenazic (Eastern European) oral traditions. Some are filled with intrigue and clever wit, but all focus on wisdom and values that have been treasured by the Jewish people throughout the generations.
This session was made possible with generous support from the Covenant Foundation.

Presenter

Peninnah Schram

Peninnah Schram is an internationally known storyteller, teacher, author, and recording artist, is Professor Emerita of Speech and Drama at Stern College of Yeshiva University. She travels across the US and other countries presenting storytelling programs and workshops for all ages... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 1:30pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room 225 - Second Floor - Beit Midrash

2:45pm CDT

Cultivating Connection to Self, Community, and the Divine Within: The benefits of Meditation for Youth

Mindfulness is a practice that has proliferated across many institutions – schools, Psychologists’ and Physicians’ office, and corporate staff rooms. Research has demonstrated its’ value in decreasing anxiety and depression, enhancing creativity, and fostering compassion. At the core of Mindfulness-based intervention is training in ‘quieting’ the chatter that is constantly running through our heads (through meditation), so that we can hear that ‘still soft voice’ within. This is the voice that is at our core as Jews, as Citizens of the World, and as a reflection of the Divine. Unfortunately, in our rush to ‘get ahead’, we often drown out that inner voice. Meditation is a means to reclaim that inner connection. A description of how that was undertaken in a Winnipeg High School is offered.

Presenter

Chaya Green

Chaya Green is a Certified Teacher of the Transcendental Meditation™ technique, and has been teaching TM to adults in Winnipeg since 2008. Working with Cathy Moser, she has taught TM to over 60 aboriginal children in core area schools.

Alan Green

Alan Green grew up at Congregation Adat Ariel in Valley Village, California where he was taken under the wing of Cantor Allan Michelson, one of the great Hazzanim of that day. Rabbi Green received his BA and MA in the History of Religions from UCLA, and rabbinic ordination from... Read More →

Cathy Moser

Dr. Cathy Moser is a Clinical Psychologist that has been practicing in Winnipeg since 1986. She works with children and adults – using a variety of treatment approaches, including meditation practices.

Sunday March 11, 2018 2:45pm - 3:45pm CDT
Room 230 - Second Floor

2:45pm CDT

Defeating BDS on Campus (BDS: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions)

This session will discuss the manner in which BDS and anti-Semitism have manifested themselves on campuses within Canada. It will be elaborating on how we were able to get BDS voted down at the U of Winnipeg as well as how to move forward as a nation.

Presenter

Sophie Hershfield

Sophie Hershfield is a student at the University of Winnipeg studying English and Philosophy, and graduated from Gray Academy in 2016. She has been a counsellor at camp Massad for two summers now, and loves Jewish programming for young people. She's been a fellow for the Canadian... Read More →

Maxine Jacobson

Maxine Jacobson is in her first year at University of Winnipeg doing an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, after graduating from Gray Academy in 2017. She has worked as a camp counselor at the Rady JCC summer day camp for four years and thoroughly enjoys spending time with children... Read More →

Emily Kroft

Emily Kroft is in her fourth year studying Environmental Science at the University of Winnipeg and has been active in fighting anti-Israel perceptions on campus both in and out of the classroom. This year she was part of a group of students who organized to defeat a BDS motion on... Read More →

Sam Kroft

Sam Kroft is at first year of University studying Criminal Justice and Conflict Resolution at the University of Winnipeg. He is a proud alumnus of the 2017 graduating class at Gray Academy. He has a passion for the Jewish Community in Winnipeg and finding ways to make it better. Sam... Read More →

Raffey Levitt Pinsky

Raffey Levitt Pinsky is a student at the University of Winnipeg in his final year in the Faculty of Education. He received his high school diploma from Gray Academy in 2011, and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba in 2015. Raffey attended B’nai Brith... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 2:45pm - 3:45pm CDT
Room 223 - Second Floor

2:45pm CDT

Growing Up Jewish in Winnipeg's North End

Gordon Pullan will present an entertaining and thoughtful series of personal reflections on his 92 year life in Winnipeg, in both the general and Jewish communities. Known as a great story teller, he will touch on his rich experiences including life in the Jewish Orphanage, the St. John’s High School of old, the Manitoba Law School before it became part of the University of Manitoba, and much more. Gordon will share his wealth of knowledge of the history of Winnipeg’s Jewish Community, including the Mount Carmel Clinic, Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre, Asper Jewish Community Campus, and many more of the institutions that support the fabric of communal life today.

Presenter

Gordon Pullan

Gordon Pullan is the father of 4 children and zaida of 9 grandchildren. Called to the Bar of Manitoba in 1952, he is the most senior practising lawyer in the province. He can be generally found behind his desk at the firm of Pullan Kammerloch Frohlinger. Born in Winnipeg and having... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 2:45pm - 3:45pm CDT
Room 220 - Second Floor

4:00pm CDT

Enhancing Your Mindfulness, Wellness, and Spirituality through a Jewish Lens

This session will provide opportunity for using resources such as Jewish text as a springboard for self-reflection, self-evaluation, and self-improvement. A new way to approach the study of Jewish text will be used to facilitate an open discussion for gleaning insights and self-awareness. Key questions will be explored such as: How can I improve myself? How can I improve my relations with others? How can I live a more balanced life?

Presenter

Al Benarroch

Al Benarroch received his MA in Clinical Psychology in 1992 from Lakehead University, where his research focused on health psychology. Prior to coming to JCFS, Al was in private practice for 10 years. He accepted the position of Clinical Director at JCFS in 1999. In July 2014, Al... Read More →

Scott McWilliam

Scott McWilliam is a local Winnipeg business man who has made a tremendous impact on the local addiction recovery landscape. He is a dedicated advocate for those in recovery and helped form the JACS (Jewish Alcoholics and Chemically Dependent Persons and Significant Others) group... Read More →

Carli Rossall

A journalist and substance use counsellor, writing about and working with British Columbia’s drug-dependent population, Carli is passionate about the nationwide epidemic that is addiction. A recovering addict and alcoholic herself, born and raised in Winnipeg’s Jewish community... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Room 230 - Second Floor

4:00pm CDT

Jewish Diplomacy – The World Jewish Congress’ Jewish Diplomatic Corps

Learn about the work of the World Jewish Congress and its unique and exclusive Jewish Diplomatic Corps program. The Corps looks for talented and committed individuals to advocate on behalf of the Jewish People, and meet with diplomats at the United Nations, various embassies, and other forums to further the World Jewish Congress’ objectives on behalf of 103 Jewish communities and affiliate organizations around the world.

Presenter

Ran Ukashi

Ran Ukashi is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Faculty of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba, and is the Manitoba Regional Director for B’nai Brith Canada. He is a member of the World Jewish Congress’ Jewish Diplomatic Corps, and is the Subgroup Leader for Policy... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Room 222 - Second Floor

4:00pm CDT

Moving to Jewish Winnipeg

Each year dozens of families move to Winnipeg, choosing a safe and economically prosperous location that has a thriving Jewish community. Hear the stories of three journeys from various countries to our Jewish community of Winnipeg. What was Jewish life like before and how does the Winnipeg Jewish community compare? How did they come to choose Winnipeg? What does it take to integrate into Canadian society and the Jewish community?

Presenter

Julio Barki

Julio Barki is from Brazil and moved to Winnipeg in 2016 with his wife and their 3 years old son.Julio has a BA degree and a graduate degree in Marketing. He has been working in the procurement area for the last 13 years. Currently Julio is working at Princess Auto. He loves meeting... Read More →

Rena Secter Elbaze

Rena Elbaze has been the Director of Engagement and Education at Congregation Shaarey Zedek since September 2016.Born and raised in Winnipeg, Rena earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from the University of Manitoba and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem... Read More →

Eli Naon

Eli Naon was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. He is married and has two kids, 7 years old. He is a sales & account manager in Oreck Canada .Previously Eli had worked as a Sales Manager of raw materials for 20 years in Istanbul. He graduated from Istanbul University and has BA... Read More →

Dafne Orbach

Dafne Orbach, with her husband and their toddler son, left Argentina to start a new life in Winnipeg in 2003. 15 years later, she now has a strong family with three kids (ages 8, 12 and 16) and a dog. The family loves living in Charleswood and they are proud members of the local Jewish... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Room 220 - Second Floor

4:00pm CDT

Regina Jonas: Teacher, Chaplain, Martyr And First Woman Ordained As A Rabbi

This session will explore the remarkable life and achievement of Regina Jonas, the first woman ever to be ordained as a rabbi. Born in 1902 in Berlin, Jonas received her rabbinic diploma in 1935.
She subsequently served as a pastoral counselor, lecturer and community rabbi throughout Germany.
She died in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944. Through selected historical texts and readings Limmud participants will come to understand and appreciate the brief yet fulfilling life of Regina Jonas.

Presenter

Bill Tepper

Rabbi Bill S. Tepper serves Temple Shalom of Winnipeg on a monthly basis. Rabbi Tepper holds B.A., M.A. and Bachelor of Education degrees. For fifteen years he taughthigh school Drama and English. Rabbi Tepper received his Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters at Hebrew Union College-Jewish... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Room 224 - Second Floor

4:00pm CDT

What’s in a Name? A Storytelling Workshop on Names

Our names carry many meanings and blessings in various traditions. Names can shape our lives and our personalities. In this participatory workshop, we will explore sources, meanings, and connections to our names – and how they have influenced us. Participants will examine and share interpretations of their names. Peninnah Schram will also tell her own name stories. There will be participatory exercises that will help retrieve the stories of our names.
This session was made possible with generous support from the Covenant Foundation.

Presenter

Peninnah Schram

Peninnah Schram is an internationally known storyteller, teacher, author, and recording artist, is Professor Emerita of Speech and Drama at Stern College of Yeshiva University. She travels across the US and other countries presenting storytelling programs and workshops for all ages... Read More →

Sunday March 11, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
Room 225 - Second Floor - Beit Midrash