Limmud Oz 2021

Three gay women. Born in the '90s. Brought up in Bondi's Jewish community. Raised and educated in the Orthodox bubble. With such similar upbringings, but now spread out in Jerusalem, London and... Darlington, we will discuss the similarities and nuances of being young, gay and frum in three communities across the world.

In this session Plus61J Media shares the recently released findings from Crossroads21 – the biggest survey of Australian attitudes to Jewish people, antisemitism and Israel in 35 years. This landmark survey, involving nearly 3500 Australians, shows low levels of antisemitism, a neutral stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, limited knowledge of the Holocaust but a surprising level of support for banning of Nazi symbols. These findings and their implications will also be the subject of a panel discussion.

We are not strangers to right-wing antisemitism here in Australia. Nazi sympathisers were active on these shores before WWII, war criminals came here after the Holocaust, and an Australian National Socialist Network exists today. Today, right-wing antisemites peddle conspiracy theories about Jewish influence over just about everything. But what is the connection between a yellow star and the COVID-19 vaccination? What do Jews have to do with Flat Earth theory? Welcome to a deep dive into the racial politics and antisemitism of the far-right in 2021. The internet has turbocharged these conspiracy theories and COVID-19 has resuscitated long-held white supremacist postulations about Jews as state enemies. Join historian Lynne Swarts, political staffer Liam O'Callaghan and communal leader Jeremy Jones for an examination of the long and disturbing history of antisemitic tropes, and their usage today.

Ten years ago Marrickville Council enacted, then four months later overturned, a Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) policy to boycott all things Israeli. It was an epic story, with front page headlines around the country and a cast of characters from far and wide – but especially from Sydney’s Inner West. So who weighed in for and against Marrickville BDS and what were their motivations? With an overwhelming original vote of 10 in favour and 2 against, how was the Council persuaded to reverse its decision? The history is fascinating and emotionally charged, with numerous competing narratives. Implications have been far-reaching but complex. There are lessons to be learned for the Jewish community, leaders and political parties, social change advocates and grassroots organisers, to name a few. This conversational session will feature key participants from the time, and a chance for reflection and discussion as well as Q&A.

Programs like Masa Israel Journey, Taglit Birthright Israel and Y2i offer the ‘Israel experience’ to young adults. These trips are key in helping to shape and consolidate Jewish identity and an attachment to Israel. In this session, hear from three Australians for whom their time in Israel was a transformative experience and how that experience has shaped what they've done since returning.

Join us to explore the role of Jconnect, and the greatest challenges involved in playing matchmaker. We will meet a modern day matchmaker and learn what it means to take on that role in the Australian Jewish Community. We will also hear from Gemma, Claudia and Mel about how they found  love. Their stories explore the role of modern day matchmaking.

The proper path, it is written, involves all that is beautiful or honourable to ourselves, and from the people around us. But so much “ugliness” or dishonour, can be projected on to us, internally from self-criticism regarding various “failures” or “faults” and externally in our dealings with others.  Service fatigue or burnout in our efforts to help others can be overwhelming or frustrating. “Ugly people” - in the sense of their apparent characters or at least the way they treat us- offer little in affirming our “inner beauty”.

We will draw on our lived experience as people of various cultural and religious backgrounds and how we sometimes find comfort or guidance in our faith traditions. E.g. The Prophet went into a cave. We can forgive ourselves because God is abundant in forgiveness. We cannot be ugly if God made us. In-fighting consumed Korach. There is nothing new under the sun.

This session takes a challenging conversation between Sydney Palestinians and Jews and opens it to Limmud participants. Members of Partners for Peace (P4P) will respond honestly and respectfully to questions put to them – however awkward or ‘politically incorrect’ the questions might be in other settings. P4P is a group of Australian Jews and Palestinians who work together to understand each other's history, narratives, and realities to demonstrate an alternative to bitterness and conflict. P4P supports any mutually agreed solution that will allow both peoples collective self-determination and equality, peace, freedom, dignity, security and democracy between the Jordan and the Mediterranean.

Students leaving uninspired, a critical shortage of Jewish studies teachers, and a distinct drop in enrolments. The JCA review into Jewish Education in Australia has painted a dour vision for the future of our Jewish Day Schools. We have brought together a group of educators and leaders across the educational institutions to comment on what they believe our schools are doing right, where they can improve, and what reforms are needed in order to ensure the future of Jewish education for our children.

“I’m sick of mentoring young Jewish women with the lie that their talent, skills, drive and ambition will allow them to attain the roles… [held by] men half as talented as they are”, said an anonymous participant in a 2020 AJN special investigation into women and leadership in the Jewish community. With the culture around gender equality in the workplace turning, many are left asking: ‘when will Jewish organisations catch up?’ This panel will explore how we can reform our organisations set up Jewish women to succeed at the same rate as their male peers, and how to empower them to take charge of their own careers.

In 2021 a petition by university student Chanel Contos put the spotlight on an epidemic of sexual violence against Australian school students by their peers. Meanwhile, Brittany Higgins bravely spoke up about sexual abuse happening within Federal Parliment itself. Unfortunately, women in Australia's Jewish community – like other women across Australia and like Jewish women in Israel and around the world – experience violence in a variety of contexts. In this panel, we bring together experts and educators for a frank look at the issue of consent. Is there a Jewish textual perspective on consent? What is a healthy Jewish sex ethic? Are we doing a good job teaching students about sex and consent in Jewish schools? How can we challenge gendered power imbalances in our community, and what needs to be done to combat a culture of violence and silence?