12:00pm EDT
Opening Celebration!
Moderators
Actress, Scientist, Mother
Mayim Hoya Bialik is best known for portraying Bette Midler as a child in “Beaches” as well as her subsequent lead role as Blossom Russo in the early-1990s NBC television sitcom “Blossom.” Bialik most recently appeared regularly on the #1 comedy in America, CBS' “The Big...
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Presenters
Obama Speechwriter
From 2009 to 2017, Sarah Hurwitz served as a White House speechwriter, first as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. Prior to serving in the Obama Administration, Sarah was chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton...
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Artists
Comedian
Since making aliyah in 2006, comedian Benji Lovitt has performed for audiences around the world including Birthright Israel, Jewish Federations, synagogues, Hillels, and more. His perspectives have been featured on Israeli television and radio and in outlets such as USA Today, Time...
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A musician, educator, and ba’alat tefila, Deborah Sacks Mintz serves as a resource to communities across North America and beyond who seek to deepen their practice of empowered song and connective prayer. She has served innovative institutions across the country as a teacher of...
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Rabbi Josh Warshawsky
Rabbi Josh Warshawsky is a nationally touring Jewish musician, songleader, and composer. Josh seeks to build intentional praying communities, and travels to synagogues, camp and schools across the country sharing his music and teachings on prayer. He is originally from Chicago, and...
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12:00pm EDT
1:00pm EDT
If You Could See Cabaret Through My Eyes….
Presenters
David Benkof teaches "Jewish Culture 101" twice a week online. His classes (tinyurl.com/BenkofClasses) help students find meaning in cultural products like literature, musicals, art, music, and TV/film. His Jewish culture videos are available at youtube.com/user/DavidBenkof. He lives...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
Songwriting and Torah Workshop
Presenters
Partner, RLG LLP
Shep is an entertainment lawyer representing talent, a songwriter and musician, and an educator about Jewish texts, music, prayer, community building, and negotiations.
Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
The New Face(s) of American Jewish Life
Presenters
Senior Fellow, Hazon
Rabbi Sid Schwarz is a social entrepreneur, author and teacher. He is currently a Senior Fellow at Hazon. Rabbi Sid founded and led PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values for 21 years; its work centered on integrating Jewish learning, Jewish values and social responsibility...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
The Secret Jews of Majorca
Presenters
Founder, Jewish Majorca
Dani Rotstein is a TV commercial producer, life-long Young Judaean, ROI member, NGF Alumnus, Rikud-aholic, and Limud Mallorca co-founder who recently created Jewish Majorca - a tourism company connecting the island's past with its present in hopes of building a brighter future. He...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
From Sefirat HaOmer to Revelation: How the Rabbis Read Biblical Texts
Presenters
Pardes
Rahel Berkovits is a senior faculty member at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, where she has been teaching Mishnah, Talmud and halakha for over twenty years. Rahel lectures widely in both Israel and abroad on topics Jewish law. She is the Halakhic Editor and a...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
Jewish Homesteading
Presenters
Amy Price loves all things outdoors and excited to share that with everyone. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband, 3 year old son, dog Zorro and 19 chickens. Professionally she supports people of all abilities to find employment opportunities and dream big for their lives. She...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
Shavuot 5780: The Need for Torah in a Time of Crisis
Presenters
Director, Wexner Heritage Program, The Wexner Foundation
Rabba Yaffa Epstein serves as the Director of the Wexner Heritage Program. She formerly served as the Director of Education, North America for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. She received Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshivat Maharat and holds a Law Degree from Bar-Ilan University...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
God Was in This Place and I Did not Know: Can Virtual Space be Sacred Space?
Presenters
Fellow in Residence, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America
David Zvi Kalman is a Fellow in Residence at Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where he was also in the inaugural cohort of North American David Hartman Center Fellows. David Zvi leads the Kogod Research Center’s Theology research team.He received his PhD from the University...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
Hoarding Toilet Paper: Coveting vs. Contentment
Presenters
Executive Director, WRN Executive Director
Rabbi Mary L. Zamore is in her 8th year serving as Executive Director of WRN. She is the editor of The Sacred Exchange: Creating a Jewish Money Ethic (CCAR Press, 2019) and The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic (CCAR Press, 2011), designated a finalist by the National Jewish...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
Shavuot: The Origins of the Bible’s Most Cryptic Holiday
Presenters
Rosh Yeshiva, Conservative Yeshiva
Joshua Kulp is the Rosh Yeshiva of the Conservative Yeshiva. He is the author of three books, The Schechter Haggadah, and Reconstructing the Talmud, volumes 1and 2. His Mishnah Commentary is found on Sefaria and he is currently working on Daf Shevui, a Talmud commentary sent out weekly...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Zoom
1:00pm EDT
2:00pm EDT
2:00pm EDT
TVGoneJewy: TV's Jewish Renaissance
Presenters
Esther D. Kustanowitz is a writer, editor and consultant. She is a regular contributor at the Los Angeles Jewish Journal and at J.: The Jewish Weekly of Northern California. She co-hosts The Bagel Report, a podcast about Jews and entertainment, and is a casual scholar of #TVGoneJewy...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
A Spiritual and Emotional Dive into Our Current Immigration System
Moderators
CEO, National Council of Jewish Women
Presenters
Since he was a teenager, Eddie Chavez Calderon has been deeply involved in social justice work. From the trenches to the coasts and everywhere in between, Eddie fights for a progressive movement that works towards a more inclusive, diverse America. Despite having many obstacles in...
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State Representative, Arizona House of Representatives
Alma Hernandez was born and raised in South Tucson and is the youngest woman elected to the Arizona state legislature and the first Jewish Latina lawmaker ever elected. She is a fierce advocate for social issues such as health care, education, and criminal justice reform. She holds...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
Let's Sing (About Jewish Things!)
Artists
She/her/hers
Eliana Light envisions a joyful, vibrant, heart-centered Judaism that speaks to the soul and moves the spirit, reminding us that we all are One. She crafts ritual, writes music, trains educators, and consults with communities to bring this vision to life. Eliana has taught at the...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
A Jewish Journey in the White House and Beyond
Presenters
Obama Speechwriter
From 2009 to 2017, Sarah Hurwitz served as a White House speechwriter, first as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. Prior to serving in the Obama Administration, Sarah was chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
I Am Not Just a Statistic
Presenters
Senior Faculty, Pardes Institute
Meir Schweiger grew up in “the Bronx” (NY) and has lived in Israel since 1972, when he came on aliya. He has a BA in mathematics and physics from CCNY and an M.Ed in teaching Bible from the Herzog College in Alon Shvut. He did his advanced Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
Awareness in Action: Becoming a Mensch Through Tikkun Middot Practice
Presenters
Rabbi Marc Margolius is a Senior Programs Director at IJS, where he directs programming for lay leaders and for alumni of its clergy leadership training program, as well as the Tikkun Middot Project, which integrates Jewish mindfulness with middot practice. He previously served as...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
Braving the Wilderness (Midbar)
Presenters
Chief Innovation Officer, American Jewish University
Sherre Hirsch launched her rabbinic career as the first woman rabbi at Sinai Temple, Los Angeles’s largest conservative synagogue. After publishing two books with Random House - We Plan, God Laughs and Thresholds, she became a sought-after speaker and national media contributor...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
Collective Tragedy and Personal Grief: The Politics of Mourning
Presenters
Sara was a founding faculty member of Yeshivat Hadar, where she developed a Bible and Exegesis curriculum. She has taught in a variety of Jewish settings, most recently as a history instructor at the Frisch School. Her research interests include the intersection of ritual and relevance...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
Not FROM Heaven: What if Just People Wrote the Torah?
Presenters
Dean - North America, International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
Rabbi Adam Chalom (pronounced “shalom” à la français) is Dean for North America of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism and Rabbi of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in suburban Chicago. He has led conferences on young adult children of intermarriage...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
2:00pm EDT
The God of Judaism Is a God of Love: Undoing Pernicious Stereotypes
Presenters
President and Dean, Hadar
Rabbi Shai Held–theologian, scholar, and educator–is President and Dean at Hadar. He has taught both theology and Halakhah at the Jewish Theological Seminary and also served as Director of Education at Harvard Hillel. A 2011 recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for excellence...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
The Jewish World Of Leonard Cohen Through his Life and Songs
Presenters
Peter Sevitt lives in Toronto and is a lover of year round informal Jewish education,and brings his passion and enthusiasm to all that he does. Brought Limmud to Canada, the first NA Limmud, in 2004 and on the Limmud NA Board
Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
Who doesn’t love a crunchy kosher pickle?
Presenters
Founding Executive Director, Tzedek America
Avram Mandell is the founding director of Tzedek America. Tzedek America transforms lives, strengthens Jewish identity and changes the world through immersive social justice experiential education. Prior to his pioneering work with Tzedek America, he served as Director of Education...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
Jewish Leaders in Women’s Fight for the Vote: History You Should Know
Presenters
Co-Chair, Democratic Majority for Israel
Ann F. Lewis served as White House Director of Communications for President Bill Clinton, and is now Co-Chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel. She was one of the founding members of the National Women’s Political Caucus. Examples of suffrage materials from her own collection...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
Blame the Jews: Conspiracy Theories and Dual Loyalties in Jewish History
Presenters
Senior Jewish Educator and Rabbi, North Carolina Hillel
Rabbi Melissa B. Simon is the Senior Jewish Educator and Rabbi at UNC-Chapel Hill, providing students with rabbinic support, facilitating students’ meaningful Jewish experiences and playing a central role in crafting the Jewish educational vision for UNC Hillel. Under Rabbi Melissa's...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
It Started With a Box
Presenters
Genealogist, Ancestry.com
Janette Silverman manages a team of researchers at AncestryProGenealogists®, specializing in Eastern European & Jewish research. She has masters & doctorate degrees in Jewish studies from Spertus Institute. A longtime JewishGen volunteer, until recently was UkraineSIG coordinator...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
The New Anti-Semitism and the Jewish Future
Presenters
Founding Rabbi / Spiritual Leader, Congregation Beth Tefillah
Rabbi Pinchas Allouche is the founding Rabbi of one of the most vibrant and fastest-growing synagogues in the United States, Congregation Beth Tefillah of Scottsdale, Arizona, where he resides with his wife, Esther, and nine children.He is a recognized rabbinic figure, a respected...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
Shamai and Hillel: The real story why we chose Hillel
Presenters
Rabbi, Adas Yeshurun Herzlia
Currently Rabbi of Adas Yeshurun Synagogue in Winnipeg, was Rabbi of Beth Hamidrash Sefardic synagogue in Vancouver, Rabbi of Sefardic Educational Center in JerusalemDegree in Education University of Manitoba, Studied at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva Israel, Yeshiva Universtity Gruss Kolel...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
Cultivating Calm and Resilience in Challenging Times
Presenters
owner, Mindful Methods For Life, LLC
Mindfulness expert and author Julie Potiker is a former attorney, trained Mindful Self-Compassion teacher, and Positive Neuroplasticity Training teacher. She shares these and other mindfulness techniques with the world through her Mindful Methods for Life courses and workshops and...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
Meet a Secret Billionaire
Presenters
The Secret Billionaire
With a background in community activism, Brian has never been slow to express an opinion or share an idea. He is an advocate for internet and software freedom believing that only by working together as communities can we repair the world. Brian has been an internet pioneer for over...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
3:00pm EDT
3:00pm EDT
Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel's Classroom
Presenters
Founder, The Witness Institute
Ariel Burger is the founding director and senior scholar of The Witness Institute, a new project to empower emerging leaders, inspired by the life and legacy of Elie Wiesel. He is an author, artist, and teacher whose work integrates spirituality, the arts, and strategies for social...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
Producing Our Stories, On Screen and Off
Presenters
Producer
Howard Rosenman has created over 43 films, which have been recognized with an Academy Award, multiple Peabody Awards and honored at Sundance, Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals. He is best known for films such as CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (Oscar for best adapted screenplay and has won over...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
The Jewish Girl Who Took on a President
Presenters
Author, Contributor, Speaker, Holt and MSNBC
Jill Wine-Banks is an MSNBC legal analyst, appearing regularly on the network’s prime-time and daytime shows. She began her career as the first female organized crime prosecutor at the US Department of Justice, which led to her selection as one of three assistant special prosecutors...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
Ensuring the Future of Jewish Communal Institutions
Moderators
President, Shalom Hartman Insitute of North America
Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Yehuda is a leading thinker and author on the meaning of Israel to American Jews, on Jewish history and Jewish memory, and on questions of leadership and change in American Jewish life.Yehuda led...
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Presenters
Executive Director, The Natan Fund
Felicia Herman is Director of the Aligned Grant Program for the Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund. She has been Executive Director of Natan, a giving circle that supports Jewish and Israeli social innovation, since 2005. Felicia is Founder and Chair of the Advisory Board of...
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Jewish Federations of North America
Shira joined the Jewish Federations of North America as its Chief of Staff in January 2020, where she oversees the strategy and implementation of the organization's core operations aimed at broadening the impact of the Federation system on the Jewish community in North America and...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
Richmond’s Rabbi: Dispatches From the Capital of the Confederacy
Presenters
Named one of “America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis” by The Forward, Rabbi Michael Rose Knopf is the author of Thirty Days of Liberation: Pathways for Personal and Social Transformation Inspired by the Book of Exodus and the spiritual leader of Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Virginia...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
4:00pm EDT
Weaving Torah into the Narrative of our Lives: A Hands-On Workshop
Presenters
Dr. Jane Shapiro is a founder of Orot: Center for New Jewish Learning (www.orotcenter.org) where she teaches a variety of classes and workshops blending text study with other intentional practices. Jane is a graduate of Princeton University and has a doctorate from the Jewish Theological...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
Jewish Grandparenting Today: Findings from the U.S. National Study of Jewish Grandparents
Presenters
Executive Director, Jewish Grandparents Network
David Raphael is the co-founder and CEO of the Jewish Grandparents Network, (JGN). David has spent virtually all his professional career in Jewish communal service. A graduate of Albany University and the Columbia University School of Social Work, he spent 30 years in Hillel including...
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CEO, Impact:NPO
Karen Radkowsky is the founder and CEO of Impact:NPO. Her firm specializes in research, measurement and brand positioning designed to help nonprofit organizations achieve greater impact among the constituencies they serve. She recently conducted the first-ever National Study of Jewish...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
Torah Yoga: How We Move With Change, Step by Step
Presenters
Institute for Jewish Spirituality
Rabbi Myriam Klotz is a yoga teacher and spiritual director. She is on faculty with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality teaching yoga and embodied practices, and currently offers Torah Yoga sessions with IJS’s new Online Jewish Yoga Studio. Myriam has taught Torah Yoga at congregations...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
4:00pm EDT
Why They Burned Maimonides' Masterpiece & Why You Should Read It
Presenters
Vice President for Jewish Engagement, American Jewish University
Rabbi Adam Greenwald is Vice President for Jewish Engagement at American Jewish University, where he oversees the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys and the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program. Rabbi Greenwald is also a Lecturer in Rabbinics at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Zoom
4:00pm EDT
Spice It Up with Deb: A Live Cooking Class Experience
Presenters
Owner, Spice It Up with Deb | SPICE + LEAF
Debbie is an educator at heart. Holding a master’s degree in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, she spent the first 20 years of her career working for Jewish organizations, including the San Diego Jewish Academy and Jewish Federation of San Diego County. In 2014...
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Sunday May 24, 2020 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Zoom