Limmud Bay Area Festival 2018: Full Schedule

3:00pm PDT

Instant a Cappella

Jump into the world of contemporary Jewish a cappella singing and create an instant choir with your Limmud friends! Teens and adults welcome! If all goes well, we will conclude with a public a cappella performance during Havdallah!! This session will meet two times so come once to get your feet wet or twice to sing more!
Some singing experience is recommended and it is helpful if you are able to sight-read music, although neither is required.
Daniel Henkin’s participation in Limmud Bay Area is made possible through the generous support of the Covenant Foundation.

Presenters

Daniel Henkin

Pioneer of Jewish a Cappella, Choir Master

Daniel Henkin has conducted Jewish and secular choirs for 30 years and has produced more than a dozen albums of Jewish and secular choral music. He has directed ensembles at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher and Merkin Halls and is the recipient of the 2016 Covenant Award. As an... Read More →

Friday June 29, 2018 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Artistic Expression

4:15pm PDT

Instant a Cappella

Presenters

Daniel Henkin

Pioneer of Jewish a Cappella, Choir Master

Friday June 29, 2018 4:15pm - 5:25pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Artistic Expression

8:00pm PDT

Camp Bedtime Storytelling. Laila Tov - Good Night!

Hear a Shabbat story and have sweet dreams - tomorrow is another fun day at Camp Limmud!

Presenters

Liora Brosbe

Friday June 29, 2018 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

2:00pm PDT

Jewish Diplomacy: A Practical Workshop

It happens all the time these days: someone makes an offensive comment, you read an annoying op-ed in the newspaper, hear a one-sided report on the radio. Or there is an incident at your school, your alma mater or even in another country halfway around the world. You feel angry, paralyzed or afraid, and you either try to ignore the situation or sometimes react with ineffective and regrettable responses.
At a time when we are experiencing a national breakdown in civility, diplomacy skills are required. This workshop will use case studies to develop your Jewish advocacy skills to feel more empowered and respond graciously and strategically. We'll consider proactive efforts to build bridges of understanding while taking a stand to promote the welfare of the Jewish people.

Presenters

Serena Eisenberg

Rabbi Serena Eisenberg is the Northern California Director of the American Jewish Committee since February, 2018. Prior to that, Serena spent 10 years as Executive Director of Hillels at Stanford University and Brown University, and on sabbatical in Israel as a Jerusalem Fellow... Read More →

Saturday June 30, 2018 2:00pm - 3:10pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Identity, Workshop

5:15pm PDT

Chiasms: Unlocking the Bible's Dazzling Literary Structure

See Jewish texts afresh by learning to find chiasms, a little-known but powerful Biblical structure even your rabbi may not have heard of. A chiasm is like a palindrome, but for words, events and ideas rather than letters – and they are hidden in plain sight in hundreds of Jewish texts!
How is the Tower of Babel story written like a tower? What’s dazzling about “Ahavat Olam?” Do the Bible’s structures suggest the Torah has one author, or many? Plenty of practice, and you’ll leave with a new skill! (No Hebrew necessary.)

Presenters

David Benkof

David Benkof teaches "Jewish Culture 101" twice a week online. His classes (tinyurl.com/BenkofClasses) help students find meaning in cultural products like literature, musicals, art, music, and TV/film. His Jewish culture videos are available at youtube.com/user/DavidBenkof. He lives... Read More →

Saturday June 30, 2018 5:15pm - 6:25pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Text, Religion

9:00pm PDT

Instant a Cappella Rehearsal

We will rehearse for the performance during Havdallah!! Come to polish what we've learned in the a cappella sessions in the last two days, and get a chance to sing more!
Some singing experience is recommended and it is helpful if you are able to sight-read music, although neither is required.
Daniel Henkin’s participation in Limmud Bay Area is made possible through the generous support of the Covenant Foundation.

Presenters

Daniel Henkin

Pioneer of Jewish a Cappella, Choir Master

Saturday June 30, 2018 9:00pm - 9:15pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Artistic Expression

10:00pm PDT

Jewish Crossword Clues For the Brain and the Funny Bone

Learn to solve – and write – Jewish crossword clues from the former editor of the Jerusalem Post Crossword Puzzle. Some of the best:

It had a major part in The Ten Commandments (6 letters): RED SEA
Branch of Judaism (5): LULAV
He’s at your service (5): RABBI
Yom Kippur and others (4): WARS

No expertise required. This one is great: “Friendly jeers for Jerry Seinfeld” (7). Want the solution? Come to the session.

Presenters

David Benkof

Saturday June 30, 2018 10:00pm - 11:10pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Humor

9:30am PDT

Runaway Inequality

This session will be a succinct review of some of the major forces that have contributed to the extreme imbalance of wealth and income currently characterizing American society.

Presenters

David Gaskill

Self-employed, semi-retired, former social worker, soldier, cop, sandalmaker and apprentice maggid.

Sunday July 1, 2018 9:30am - 10:40am PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Social Justice

1:20pm PDT

Comforting the Mourner

Have you ever had a friend, relative or co-worker tell you that someone close to them just died, and you had no idea what to say or do? In this workshop we’ll talk about Jewish traditions regarding how to comfort the mourner, as well as practical advice about what to say and do (and what not to say or do), which will be useful whether or not the mourner is Jewish.

Presenters

Susan Esther Barnes

Susan Barnes is a founding member of her synagogue's Chevra Kadisha, the group of volunteers who visit the sick, comfort mourners and prepare people who have died for burial by performing taharah (ritual washing and placing the body in a coffin) and shmirah (guarding the dead person... Read More →

Sunday July 1, 2018 1:20pm - 2:30pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Ritual

2:50pm PDT

Transform Your Health and Nutrition to a Healthier You

The top two deadliest causes of death in the US can be reduced, if not eliminated, by proper nutrition, better sleep, reduction of stress and excercise. However, the transformation requires thought and planning. In this session, we will review the process of transformation and a holistic approach to an implementable plan for change.

Sunday July 1, 2018 2:50pm - 4:00pm PDT
Dry Creek Valley

Well Being