The Program

The later strata of the Zohar contain several remarkable texts that have impacted greatly on the course of Jewish mysticism. In this talk, David Solomon, who is working on a first English translation of Tiqunei HaZohar, will contextualise and review some of the major themes of this influential book, and discuss the challenges of its deciphering. This is a talk for those interested in understanding and negotiating deep-level kabbalistic perspectives - on exile, redemption and history - through a primary source.

As we journey through the twenty-first century is it time to review, rethink, re-envision and reconsider what we wish the dynamic of our Jewish communities to be? Join facilitators Gabbi Sar-Shalom and Tal Spinrad in a round table dialogue concerning the future shape of Jewish communities locally and globally. Has the time come to set aside political and financial territorial power struggles for the better good of the Jewish people? And does the traditional congregational formula have a place within a healthy, dynamic, mobile society where individuals expect choice? A must for anyone who has ever asked themselves the question, 'Is there a better way?'

We will look at sources like the Dead Sea Scrolls, the New Testament, Philo, Josephus and apocrypha to reconstruct the various sects that abounded in Israel during the second temple period. Almost all Jews today are Rabbinic Jews - followers of the Rabbis that authored the Mishnah in about 200CE. We will learn about what Judaism looked like before the Rabbis.

In this talk, David Solomon will discuss some of the shattering moments of late medieval Jewish philosophy and their impact on world thought to this day. The talk will review and contextualise the essential contributions of a range of influential thinkers, from Crescas to Sacks, who have dared to challenge establishment theology in Judaism from within its own intellectual parameters.

This is a panel discussion about diversity, pluralism, inclusion and exclusion in the Australian Jewish community. A diverse range of panelists will discuss a range of topics including gender and sexuality, religous belief and practice, ethnicity and politics. The panel is hosted by GalusAustralis.com - the premier website for opinion and discussion on Jewish life in Australia.

Now that you have opened your mind, it's time to free your spirit. Gather round the piano with 'The Rockin Rabbi' for a full hour of non-stop Jewish music. Enjoy Israeli favourites, a bissel Yiddish and be introduced to some great contemporary Jewish tunes. Don't be shy, all ages and musical abilities welcomed.

In 1948, the best seller list in America was dominated by four novels about the recent war by Jewish authors: Norman Mailer's 'The Naked and the Dead', Irwin Shaw's 'The Young Lions', Merle Miller's 'That Winter', and Stefan Heym's 'The Crusaders'. My session will describe how these books shed light on the transformation undergone by Jewish American men through war service. Coming from a culture with a long history of distrusting soldiers, these novels delineated the struggles of Jewish men as they sought to change themselves into warriors. The Jewish American soldier as he is presented in all of these works embodies a new form of masculinity that combines intellectualism and self exploration with strength and toughness. These novels also document the stresses faced by many young Jewish men who for the first time had access to the 'broader America' beyond their ethnic neighbourhoods and found themselves living and working with non-Jews. A constant refrain in all these novels is that while many Jewish soldiers saw service as a way to become fully American, in the troops, Jewish men had to deal with daily antisemitic assaults from their fellow soldiers. I will show how these novels of 1948 chart the extraordinary pressures felt by Jewish American soldiers as they confronted enemies within the troops (antisemitic American soldiers) and without (the Nazi enemy). The Jewish soldiers that are the protagonists of these works act tough but are terrified of death, and their ability to voice their fears made them immensely popular and influential with a broad range of readers, heralding in the sensitive yet tough rebels that dominated male American culture in the 1950s.

Most Jews who pray regularly know Psalm 145 (Tehillim 145) fairly well, for it is recited thrice daily. Not everybody knows, however, that the opening verses' thrice-repeated word "Ashrei" doesn't belong with the main body of the poem. It was attached by our Rabbis, for a special reason, or rather for reasons, plural. Noach provides some background and two important questions to take home with you. What might the Rabbis have intended, and why? To discover the second question, you’ll have to come along to the session.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Dead Sea Scrolls but were afraid to ask. Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? What treasures do they contain? Why should you care?