Welcome to the program for Limmud Oz Melbourne 2025!
Join us for an immersive weekend festival of Jewish ideas and culture, with >100 presenters and sessions to choose from. From Ben-Gurion to bagels, Yentl to yoga, we always have something for everyone. Limmud is an opportunity for you to cultivate a personal Jewish experience and learn from presenters you might never come across otherwise.
Latent anti-semitism has always existed in Australia. Nevertheless the progrom of October 7 2023 has especially traumatised the Australian Jewish Community. Why is this so? And why have Jewish University students been especially targetted.
John Zeleznikow is a Professor of Law and Technology who is a pioneer in using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence and Law. He has conducted research and written about the4 Israeli-Palestinian dispute and the Holocaust. His parents ran Cafe Scheherazade
Do you love reading? Is Jewish important to you? What does it mean for a book to be Jewish? Reading challenges have become a way of spicing up your regular reading, and a Jewish book challenge is a very exciting possibility. If you like to read and talk about books this session is for you. Please bring along a book that you are prepared to swap so everyone will come away with a new book
A professional public speaker having given over 350 speeches and run numerous speech training programs over a prodigious decade with Toastmasters International. Daniellee has been involved with the Jewish community and been a passionate reader of Jewish books her whole life.A psychologist... Read More →
Varying views are held of antisemitism in contemporary Australia. This presentation will provide a critical analysis of quantitative approaches to the measurement of antisemitism: the reports of Julie Nathan and Dr Andre Oboler; surveys of the experiences of Jewish university students; general community attitudes as indicated by the Scanlon Foundation social cohesion surveys; and the lessons, if any, from the 2025 federal election
Andrew Markus AO FASSA is Emeritus Professor in Monash University’s Faculty of Arts and is past-Director of the University’s Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation. He was a leading researcher on the Gen08 and Gen17 Jewish community surveys and between 2007 and 2021 on the... Read More →
In this session, through a combination of discussion, case studies and reflection, we will explore the implicit and explicit ways in which the Australian Jewish community supports the ongoing Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Discussions around the occupation and Israel-Palestine can often be difficult, with little room for nuance or questioning. We want to provide a space to share stories and experiences and learn more about the issue.
Russell was born and raised in Boorloo/Perth and now calls Naarm/Melbourne home. Russell is an experimental physicist and is currently an active member of Emet.
Hannah Sharp is a government lawyer, born and raised in Melbourne, Australia and active in the Jewish Community. Hannah was a leader in Habonim Dror Australia from 2011- 2016 and has been an active member of Emet since 2021.
This session will explore why we need to embrace the Israeli Initiative, a peace plan developed by NIF partners, Mitvim and the Berl Katznelson Foundation, in order to end this endless cycle of violence, return the hostages and build a lasting and enduring peace. It will explore how the It's Time peace coalition is building a groundswell of support for the peace movement, even at a time of polarisation and war.
Michael is the executive director of NIF Australia. Prior to this, he was was director of digital strategy in NIF’s New York office and before that, led J Street’s campus engagement. Michael has worked as media adviser to the Hon. Linda Burney MP, and as a climate organiser for... Read More →
This session explores the key points of friction among Jerusalem’s diverse and often divided communities—Arabs, Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews), and secular Israelis. By examining flashpoints such as the Sheikh Jarrah evictions, the Karta Parking Lot riots, and the controversy surrounding the “eruv mehudar” (enhanced Shabbat boundary), we will analyze how these events reflect deeper ideological and cultural conflicts. The session will also delve into the competing visions and narratives of what Jerusalem represents to different groups.
