Here is a calendar of upcoming events, up and down the country. Some are organized by us, others by like-minded organizations and groups.
CHRISTCHURCH: We’re organizing a group to go and see Golda Meir at the Wigram Silky Otter Theatre at 5pm on Satuday. See you there! Just turn up and buy your ticket. 5pm is the beginning of the session time, so you might like to turn up a little earlier.
Limmud is a cross-communal ‘festival of learning’ which last year attracted over 25000 participants to its events, held across five continents, in almost forty countries. It started in the UK 30 years ago where the annual five-day event now attracts 2,500 people from across the religious spectrum and boasts 350 presenters offering some 900 sessions.
Limmud aims to enable each participant to go one step further on their own Jewish journey. One of the key principles behind what has now become an international cross-communal movement is that we all have something to contribute and can learn from each other. Presenters are treated as part of the community, they are volunteers like those who organise the events and all are rewarded by the opportunity to learn from each other. Becoming Limmud NZ makes us part of an exciting worldwide movement.
Limmud has core principles that we feel reflect our community. The catchphrase behind Limmud is “Every Jew should be a student and everyone can be a teacher”. This seems very much to capture what our organizing committee believes, and we are eager for more local presenters to put themselves forward and to encourage people to volunteer. Even an hour will make a huge difference to the success of the first Limmud conference on 18/19 August. Expanding Jewish horizons, empowering individuals to contribute to their community and enabling connections to be made between individuals and across communities are the values behind Limmud International and behind Limmud NZ. We also love the emphasis on ensuring all participants feel equally respected and comfortable at Limmud, no matter which shul they go to, or don’t go to. All Limmud events will be strictly kosher to enable participants to eat and enjoy together.
Limmud, of course, means learning and it is about learning but not in a formalized way. The great thing about the format is it is “pick and mix”. Each session runs for an hour, and there are five different streams to choose from.You just pick what you want to go to – discussion of an ethical dilemma with local and international experts, an intimate text study, a film discussion, or sessions relating to parenting issues. If you need a break for a session, grab a coffee and schmooze. The only thing we can’t do for you is arrange for you to be at two sessions at once – although some sessions are repeated.
Keep these dates free, more information to come.
L’DOR V’DOR SPEAKER SERIES
Wednesday 26 June, 12PM
Histories of Hate: the Radical Right in Aotearoa New Zealand explores intolerance and extremism in Aotearoa New Zealand, from the precursors of the radical right during British settlement in the late nineteenth century to today’s conspiracists and keyboard warriors. The volume reveals the complexities of Aotearoa’s radical right traditions. It discusses how, through time, various groups have been animated by a diverse mix of ideas, idealogues, organisations, social clubs, and political parties.
Speaker Bio: Marinus La Rooij
Marinus La Rooij is an independent researcher with degrees in History and Religious Studies from Otago and Victoria Universities. Raised in Dunedin amidst a large Dutch-Catholic immigrant family, his post-graduate research focused on the rise of conspiracy theories and antisemitism in New Zealand during the 1930s. For over thirty years, he has continued his research with a focus on exploring the process of radicalisation, including the influence of false information and manifestations of extremist thinking in New Zealand and Australia. Marinus has published in scholarly journals overseas and recently was a co-editor of Histories of Hate: The Radical Right in Aotearoa New Zealand (Otago University Press, 2023). Professionally, Marinus has worked as a public servant and consultant on transport and infrastructure matters. He has also worked for a decade as an official and researcher in the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process.
This event is both in-person at 80 Webb St, Te Aro, Wellington, and online via Zoom.
A Zoom link will be circulated to online registrants the week before the event.
CLICK HERE to register to attend in-person
CLICK HERE to register online attendance
To view the recording of our last L’dor V’dor session ‘Jewish Mystery Inside the History – Superheroes and the Holocaust’ with speaker Kris Clancy, HCNZ’s Education Director please CLICK HERE
Juliet Moses
You’re invited to our next members’ meeting and we are privileged to have two guest speakers.
Juliet Moses
Juliet is a partner at TGT Legal, a leading boutique trust and private client law firm based in Auckland, New Zealand. She specialises in trusts, personal asset planning and superannuation and is a regular presenter of seminars and author of articles on issues arising in those areas. Juliet is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and the chair of the New Zealand branch’s education committee. She is also a member of the International Academy of Trust and Estate Law.
Juliet is honorary solicitor to the Auckland Chevra Kadisha and Benevolent Society and the Aorangi Club.
Outside of her legal roles, Juliet is the spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council, the representative body of New Zealand’s Jewish community, and a trustee of the Astor Foundation. The Foundation’s goal is to achieve a peaceful and harmonious New Zealand society, including by addressing extremism and ethnic and religious hate, and by promoting the human dignity of all faiths, cultures and ethnicities.
In her spare time, Juliet is the mother of two teenage sons.
Melina Chithotky
Melina Chithotky is an Argentinian Jew who has been travelling through New Zealand on a 1-year working visa.
She is due to leave in September but has decided to base the rest of her time in New Zealand, here in Christchurch.
We are privileged to hear from Melina about her impressions of New Zealand, the impact of October 7 on her, and her thoughts on Jewish life in Argentina.
DATE AND TIME: 7.30pm, July 30, 2024.
VENUE: The Halswell Centre, 341 Halswell Rd, Christchurch.
ADMISSION: Please bring a plate of finger food. No pork or seafood products, thanks.