Limmud Oz Melbourne 2025: Full Schedule

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

9:30am AEST

A Jewish roadtrip through Nineteenth-Century Yemen

Sunday June 8, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

In 1869, a European-Jewish professor arrived in Yemen to study its ancient ruins and hired a local Yemenite Jew as his guide. The two travelled together for a year, crossing mountains and deserts, and meeting Jews and Muslims of all kinds, before having a falling out. This talk explores the unusual Jewish communities that they encountered, and how they responded to the challenge of meeting Jews with very different cultural values from their own.

Speakers

Alan Verskin

Alan Verskin is the Samuel J. Zacks Chair of Jewish History at the University of Toronto. He has held academic positions at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Rhode Island. He researches the history of the Jews of the Islamic world, Ashkenazi-Sephardi... Read More →

Sunday June 8, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

History and memory

10:45am AEST

Not in God's Name: Confronting religious violence - why are religion and violence so intertwined and (how) can they be disentangled?

Sunday June 8, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

Not in God’s Name is Rabbi Sacks’ argument against the concept of what is termed ‘Religious Violence’. Indeed, the second title of the book ‘Confronting Religious Violence’ argues against the notion itself. This session explores and critiques Rabbis Sacks’ three main foci of argumentation: firstly, religious literature and normative practice; secondly, philosophical thought; and lastly, cultural, social and political movements — each of which either generate or perpetuate this violence.

Speakers

Lindsay Simmonds

Dr Lindsay Simmonds is a Research Fellow at the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) where she has lectured for over 20 years. In 2024, she completed a three year project at the London School of Economics (LSE), UK, where she led research on Israeli and Palestinian women peaceb... Read More →

Sunday June 8, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

Text and Philosophy

12:00pm AEST

Australian Jewish stories

Sunday June 8, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

Australia has a rich history of Jewish contribution - come and hear about the vivacious Sydney Jewish Feminist Ruby Rich (1888-1988) and the highly celebrated framer of the Constitution, High Court judge and Governor General Sir Isaac Isaacs (1855-1948). Their life stories provide illuminating parallels to current issues in Australian Jewish life.

Speakers

Kim Rubenstein

Professor Kim Rubenstein is a lawyer, academic, author, distinguished human rights advocate and champion of equal opportunity and active citizenship. She is a Professor in the Faculty of Business Government and Law at the University of Canberra and an Honorary Professor at the ANU... Read More →

Cohava Rubenstein Sturgess

Cohava Rubenstein Sturgess graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2023 with a BA (Hons) in History. Her thesis ‘Ruby Rich: A Transnational Jewish Australian Feminist’ explored the themes of feminism, Jewishness and mobility in Rich’s life. She is currently undertaking... Read More →

Sunday June 8, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

History and memory

2:45pm AEST

Can a dog be Jewish?

Sunday June 8, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

When Julie Szego and her non Jewish partner welcomed a new puppy into the family she wanted to name it after her father's childhood dog. Her partner refused. The dispute got her digging into little-told histories of dogs during the Holocaust. In the aftermath of October 7, which brought new stories of canine suffering and resistance in Israel, she’s again grappling with the question of “Jewish dogs.”

Speakers

Julie Szego

Julie Szego is a freelance writer and an independent journalist who publishes on Substack.

Sunday June 8, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

History and memory

4:00pm AEST

Beyond the scoreboard: safeguarding Jewish participants in sports

Sunday June 8, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

This session delves into the often-unseen realities faced by Jewish athletes/players and their parents at all levels of competition. Do ethical/integrity-related rules in sport work effectively for Jewish participants? How can we ensure a truly welcoming and safe sporting environment for all Jewish participants – both in Jewish contexts and general contexts? And why does it matter? We'll critically examine the existing ethical and legal frameworks that apply to sports and explore the real life challenges faced by Jewish athletes, including issues of child safeguarding, bullying, violence and antisemitism.

Speakers

Jacquie Seemann Charak

Jacquie is a lawyer at Thomson Geer in Sydney. She enjoys bringing her experience in employment/discrimination/sports/education law to Jewish contexts. Jacquie is currently Chair of Integrity at Maccabi Australia; a committee member of the NSW Jewish Educators of Tomorrow project... Read More →

Ashley Browne

Ashley Browne is a respected Australian sports journalist. Currently, he serves as the editor of the AFL Record and frequently appears on SEN 1116. He previously held the position of national editor of the Australian Jewish News and co-edited ‘People of the Boot: The Triumph and... Read More →

Sunday June 8, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

Society and politics

9:30am AEST

Facing forgiveness: an experiential encounter for the soul

Monday June 9, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

We have all said, done and even thought things that are hurtful to others. In a time when personal and political conflicts rage, saying sorry is often one of the hardest steps of repair to enact. Combining psychodrama with Jewish wisdom, this session will bring you and your soul to the edges of what it means to request and be granted forgiveness. NOTE: participants will work in pairs throughout this carefully curated and facilitated session.

Speakers

Brandon Srot

Brandon is a Sydney-based psychotherapist who specialises in working with trauma, grief and loss, personal discovery and relationship therapy. He also facilitates leadership development journeys for individuals and teams across Australia and abroad.

Monday June 9, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

Mind body and soul

10:45am AEST

Jews, Greeks and the Letter to Aristeas

Monday June 9, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

The letter to Aristeas written around 250BCE is an example of Jewish literature written in Greek from the intertestamental period. We discuss the background, context and parallels with other literature.

Speakers

Geoff Jenkins

Geoff Jenkins is an expert on Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin texts.He was formerly Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Melbourne.

Leon Sterling

Leon Sterling is a Computer Science academic with a long standing interest in Jewish issues. He has had many fruitful discussions with Geoff on Jewish v Christian perspectives of Helenistic Judaism and early Christinaity. They previously co-presented at LimmudOz on the topic 'Emergence... Read More →

Monday June 9, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

History and memory

12:00pm AEST

Different responses to crises- post Oct 7

Monday June 9, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

Through examining a curated selection of artworks by Israeli artists post Oct 7 and a close reading of a selection of Classic Jewish Texts at key transition moments in Jewish history, we will explore a range of 'Jewish responses' to crises throughout the ages. Prepare to be both troubled and soothed.

Speakers

Amanda Castelan-Starr

Assistant Principal- Director of Jewish life at Bialik College. Amanda has taught Jewish Studies for 25 years and completed the Senior Educators Program at Hebrew University, focusing on integrating Art in the teaching of Tanach. She continues to be passionate about integrating the... Read More →

Monday June 9, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

Arts and culture

1:15pm AEST

Jewish filmmakers: Jewish films

Monday June 9, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

A session with three or four Jewish filmmakers exploring their motivations to make films on Jewish themes/topics and the way they go about making those films in terms of concept creation, development, financing, production, and distribution and marketing.

Speakers

Shaun Miller

Shaun Miller is a film and entertainment lawyer based in Melbourne. He is the principal of Shaun Miller Lawyers. Shaun has been the production lawyer on over 300 feature films, documentaries, animations web series.

Monday June 9, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

Arts and culture

2:45pm AEST

The story-cycle in the Talmud

Monday June 9, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST

M1.02 - Room 1

There are about 25 examples of “story-cycles” in the Talmud where three stories or more appear in sequence. These cycles have a distinctive impact on the audience, functioning almost philosophically to explore and reflect on a given topic from multiple perspectives. In this session, we will examine a story-cycle about astrology, which grapples with the tension between the fatalistic astrological worldview and rabbinic theology.

Speakers

Jeffrey Rubenstein

Professor, New York University

Dr. Jeffrey L. Rubenstein is Professor of Talmud at New York University. He received his B.A. from Oberlin College, his M.A. from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. from the Columbia University. His scholarship focuses on Talmudic stories, the development of Jewish law... Read More →

Monday June 9, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm AEST
M1.02 - Room 1

Text and Philosophy

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

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