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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.

Tickets are available here
Type: Everything Israel clear filter
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Monday, June 9
 

10:45am AEST

A region in flux: explaining the changes and challengers in the Middle East
Monday June 9, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am AEST
RG.04 - Room 11
Israel remains at war. Syria was overthrown. Iran is on the backfoot, but is rushing toward the bomb. Turkey has replaced Iran as Syria’s patron. Qatar continues its influence-buying campaign. Are Islamists on the ascendant or is their influence receding? Where does Israel fit in all of this? Will the Abraham Accords expand? This session will make sense of the recent history of the Middle East, and assist in predicting its future.
Speakers
avatar for Bren Carlill

Bren Carlill

Dr Bren Carlill is the director of special projects at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council. He has previously worked at the ZFA, the Departments of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs and Trade, and for a federal politician. His PhD examined the intractability of the Israeli-Palestinian... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am AEST
RG.04 - Room 11
  Everything Israel

10:45am AEST

Engaging with Israel in the era of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir: a guide for the perplexed, the despairing, and the petrified
Monday June 9, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am AEST
RG1.17 (ensemble room) - Room 9
"Loving the real Israel" means grappling with Israel's wonders and warts, its appeals and abominations. Politicians like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir belong, for many Diaspora Jews, to the second half of those dichotomies: their fundamentalist, messianic worldviews, if they come to fruition, will make it hard to like, let alone love, the Israel of the future. What could be the role of Diaspora Jews in this struggle for the soul of the Jewish people?
Speakers
avatar for Alex Sinclair

Alex Sinclair

Alex Sinclair is an educational consultant and adjunct lecturer at Hebrew University. His first book, Loving the Real Israel, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and his debut novel, Perfect Enemy, was published in 2023. Undergraduate and graduate degrees from Balliol... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am AEST
RG1.17 (ensemble room) - Room 9
  Everything Israel

12:00pm AEST

Linda Gradstein: in conversation
Monday June 9, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm AEST
SG.08 - Room 8
Linda Gradstein has been a journalist for three decades but covering the Gaza war has been different from any previous conflict, not least because Linda had three sons serving in the army in the early months of the war. Join Linda in conversation as she discusses the emotional whiplash of being an independent observer of events and a desperately worried mother at the same time.
Speakers
avatar for Linda Gradstein

Linda Gradstein

Linda Gradstein is the correspondent for Voice of America which is an international broadcasting network funded by the US government which reaches more than 320 million people around the world in dozens of languages. She is also the Israel correspondent for CBS Radio in the US. In... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm AEST
SG.08 - Room 8
  Everything Israel

12:00pm AEST

Ransoming hostages: an halachic perspective
Monday June 9, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm AEST
M1.03 - Room 2
Since the very first exchange, in recent history, of over 1000 terrorists for the release of Gilad Shalit, the Jewish world has grappled with the issue of ransoming of hostages. Since November 2023, the issue of how traditional Jewish texts speak to the issue, has resurfaced. Are there traditional Jewish texts on ransoming of captives? Are they instructive on the current negotiations with Hamas?
Speakers
avatar for Ronnie Figdor

Ronnie Figdor

Rabbi Figdor has worked in medical research, computing, education, emergency management and Not-For-Profits. He runs an IT and management consultancy while volunteering on several Alfred Hospital committees, on Deakin University Human Research Ethics committee and as a judge on Tournament... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm AEST
M1.03 - Room 2
  Everything Israel

1:15pm AEST

Why what happens in the West Bank never stays in the West Bank
Monday June 9, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm AEST
MG.04 - Room 7 (MPR)
Israel is conducting another post-October 7 warfront in the West Bank with military operations in refugee camps, cutting electricity and water lines, and launching air strikes, part of its “Iron Wall” campaign which has displaced some 40,000 people. Largely unchecked, settler violence has become routine against Palestinians. And for the first time, far-right settler figures hold powerful positions in the Cabinet, driving decision making that is impacting all Israelis, their security, and the country’s reputation around the world.
Speakers
avatar for Dina Kraft

Dina Kraft

Dina Kraft is a journalist and co-author of the best-seller, "My Friend Anne Frank". She is Israel Correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, former opinion editor at Haaretz English, and co-hosts the podcast, Groundwork, about Israeli and Palestinian activists. She writes about... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm AEST
MG.04 - Room 7 (MPR)
  Everything Israel

1:30pm AEST

Education for pluralism in Israel today
Monday June 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm AEST
M1.03 - Room 2
In this session Peri will share some thoughts and best practices in education which encourage learners to engage with questions of diverse Jewish identities. This is based on the work we do at TALI with schools and educators to bridge the gaps which undermine the foundations of Israel as a Jewish and democratic society.
Speakers
avatar for Peri Sinclair

Peri Sinclair

Dr. Peri Sinclair directs the TALI Center, promoting pluralistic Jewish education and diverse expressions of Jewish and Israeli identity. With a doctorate in Midrash and an MA in Jewish Education, she brings over 25 years of experience in the field, spanning both Israel and the United... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm AEST
M1.03 - Room 2
  Everything Israel

2:45pm AEST

Israel uncovered
Monday June 9, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST
SG.12 - Room 6
In these challenging times, our hearts turn to the land of Israel. Learn the cultivate compassion, strength, and a profound understanding of the enduring connection between the Jewish people and their beloved homeland. This session is ideal for those who have travelled to Israel and yearn to know more, for those who are planning a trip to Israel, or for those who just want to learn more from an inspiring eighth generation Yerushalmi.
Speakers
avatar for Erez Feinberg

Erez Feinberg

Passionate Educator. Expert Storyteller. Proud 8th-Generation Yerushalmi.Born and raised in the heart of Jerusalem, I bring eight generations of deep-rooted connection to the city’s history, culture, and spirit. With an MA in School Leadership, a BA in International Relations, and... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST
SG.12 - Room 6
  Everything Israel

2:45pm AEST

The 'next step' on the long road to peace in Israel-Palestine
Monday June 9, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST
SG.10 - Room 4
“The situation is hopeless. We must TAKE THE NEXT STEP.” Pablo Casals. The Israel-Palestine conflict looks hopeless. There are ongoing calls for diplomacy to produce a two state solution. But diplomacy cannot deliver when human hearts are so hardened. The next step, that any individual can take, is to embrace a well thought out virtue ethic. Then their own heart can be a positive example. I present such an ethic, based on Abrahamic wisdom.
Speakers
avatar for David Cohan

David Cohan

David is a humanistic/progressive Jew. Member of TBI Progressive Synagogue since 2006. Treasures the Tanach as great literature and a source of wisdom, but of wholly human origin. Retired engineer. Slowly working on a book on Ethics, based mainly on wisdom from the Abrahamic text... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST
SG.10 - Room 4
  Everything Israel

2:45pm AEST

The effect of the Gaza war on the Middle East
Monday June 9, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST
RG.04 - Room 11
The Middle East has been changed fundamentally by the war in Gaza and the ascension of President Trump. What are the scenarios for the future of the Iranian nuclear program, US-Israel relations, Israel and the Palestinians, Israel and Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Abraham accords? Is there a chance for a new, different Middle East.
Speakers
avatar for Linda Gradstein

Linda Gradstein

Linda Gradstein is the correspondent for Voice of America which is an international broadcasting network funded by the US government which reaches more than 320 million people around the world in dozens of languages. She is also the Israel correspondent for CBS Radio in the US. In... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST
RG.04 - Room 11
  Everything Israel

4:00pm AEST

Changing tactics in Gaza: Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir's new approach
Monday June 9, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm AEST
M1.02 - Room 1
On March 5, Lt. Gen, Eyal Zamir replaced Herzi Halevi as the IDF Chief of Staff, bringing with him different ideas about how the Gaza war should be fought. This session looks at some of the changes that Lt. Gen. Zamir has introduced and brings us up to date with the latest developments on the ground.
Speakers
avatar for Ahron Shapiro

Ahron Shapiro

Ahron Shapiro is a senior policy analyst with the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council. His opinions and analysis have appeared in Australia’s major newspapers, television and on radio. He is a former editor at the Jerusalem Post and the Australian Jewish News and served in... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm AEST
M1.02 - Room 1
  Everything Israel

4:00pm AEST

Postcard from Israel’s protest frontlines: the agony and fight of the hostage families and a nation
Monday June 9, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm AEST
MG.04 - Room 7 (MPR)
Israel has been a nation in an almost constant state of mass protest for over two years. It began with the unprecedented wave of street demonstrations in wake of Netanyahu’s government plan to overhaul the country’s courts and after the October 7 attack, transitioned into emotional vigils and rage-filled marches demanding the return of the hostages in Gaza. After the second cease-fire collapsed, anti-war protests gained steam. What do these protests look and feel like from the ground? What have they accomplished and where are they going?
Speakers
avatar for Dina Kraft

Dina Kraft

Dina Kraft is a journalist and co-author of the best-seller, "My Friend Anne Frank". She is Israel Correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, former opinion editor at Haaretz English, and co-hosts the podcast, Groundwork, about Israeli and Palestinian activists. She writes about... Read More →
Monday June 9, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm AEST
MG.04 - Room 7 (MPR)
  Everything Israel
 
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