Highlights From Our 2019 Program:
“Because the Middle East is Funny”: Explore Israeli History Through Comedy
Benji Lovitt It has been said that throughout our history, Jews have laughed to keep from crying. In a country which has experienced its share of ups and downs, Israel has developed its own unique brand of humor. Benji tracks the changes in Israeli society through classic movie, TV, and comedy clips. 
A Religion without Art?
Ranana Dine Open a major art history textbook, and it is not surprising to see Judaism described as anti-visual art or iconoclastic. But why do people think that Jews did not make visual art, or if they did, it was necessarily abstract? Sure, biblical sources like the Second Commandment appear to condemn the making of images. But other biblical and rabbinic texts embrace the plastic arts, suggesting that observant Jews are not meant to abjure all images. The narrative, or myth, of Judaism as “artless” is actually in large part a development of nineteenth-century philosophical and academic debates. This myth, developed in the “secular” world of German philosophy and art history, would go on to have a significant impact on modern religious Jewish thought, particularly the philosophy of Rav Joseph Soloveitchik and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. During this session we will explore traditional Jewish sources about visual art and discuss what types of art Jews made historically. We will then look at the development of the idea that Jews did not make art in philosophical and art historical discourse before concluding by looking at how the idea of "Jewish artlessness" has impacted modern Jewish thought. |
Two Jews, Three Rings: Circus Arts and Biblical Studies
Ora Horn Prouser & Ayal Prouser In this workshop we will become sacred artists, modeling active, artistic, and just plain fun methods of studying Bible through circus arts. We will study a Biblical text from Genesis and will use the circus arts to process that text. We will engage in building human pyramids and in partner acrobatics to embody the relationships between characters from the text. We will open up the world of embodying text, seeing how we may think differently with our bodies than we do with our minds. We will see how our physical sense of balance impacts on our reading of text. This workshop will be co-taught by a biblical scholar and a circus professional and is accessible to all skill and ability levels (we promise!). 
I didn't say it, the Rabbis did:
David & Jonathan as the Paradigmatic Relationship Rabbi Daniel Atwood We will be studying texts from the story of David and Jonathan in the Book of Samuel and its history of interpretation in discussing how the Rabbis 2000 years ago saw a queer relationship as the paradigm for all relationships. 
Finding B. Berman: A Case Study in Getting Past a Genealogical Brick Wall
Martin Fischer In this genealogical case study, Martin Fischer explains how the family history of a Maywood, Illinois, Jewish family was researched, including by accessing online documents and visiting the Waldheim cemetery offices in Forest Park. He will discuss how not knowing the family patriarch's first name constituted a temporary obstacle for the research project and how he overcame this road block. Marty will share tips on best practices for conducting Jewish family history research. |
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Two Jews, Three Rings: Circus Arts and Biblical Studies
Ora Horn Prouser & Ayal Prouser In this workshop we will become sacred artists, modeling active, artistic, and just plain fun methods of studying Bible through circus arts. We will study a Biblical text from Genesis and will use the circus arts to process that text. We will engage in building human pyramids and in partner acrobatics to embody the relationships between characters from the text. We will open up the world of embodying text, seeing how we may think differently with our bodies than we do with our minds. We will see how our physical sense of balance impacts on our reading of text. This workshop will be co-taught by a biblical scholar and a circus professional and is accessible to all skill and ability levels (we promise!). |
AND MORE TO COME!
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Copyright 2018 Limmud Chicago
email: limmudchi@gmail.com Website by David Kaplinsky Banner Photo by Dave Middleton |
