Here is a calendar of upcoming events, up and down the country. Some are organized by us, others by like-minded organizations and groups.
Join us for a highly informative and interactive presentation by acclaimed Professor Yoram Barak on a survey of the available evidence, observations and hypotheses on how Alzheimer’s Disease might be prevented. This is the second in a 2-part series of lectures.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Yoram Barak is an assistant professor of Psychiatry at the Sackler School of Medicine of Tel-Aviv University, and director of the Psychogeriatric Department at the Abarbanel Mental Health Center. Trained in medicine and psychiatry at the Sackler School of Medicine, he became an Israel Medical Scientific Council Specialist in Psychiatry in 1993, and was awarded a Masters in Health Administration from Ben-Gurion University of Beer-Sheva, Israel in 2004.
Dr. Barak is also a consultant for the National Multiple Sclerosis Center in Israel and a special consultant on Positive Psychology for the Israel Defense Forces. He was president of the Israeli Association of Old-Age Psychiatry, and is currently on the editorial board of the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and the Open Psychiatry Journal. Research interests include multiple sclerosis, cancer, depression, schizophrenia, obsessive–compulsive disorder, suicide and geriatric psychiatry. He has published extensively in these areas, and is author and co-author of over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles.
He is currently on Sabbatical and teaching at the Otago University School of Medicine in Christchurch.
VENUE: Northwood Villa Clubrooms, Northwood Villas Cres, off O’Neill Ave, Northwood, Christchurch
WHEN: 2pm, Sunday, July 3, 2016
ADMISSION: Please bring a plate of finger food, we’d be grateful if you could avoid pork or seafood products.
FEEL FREE TO INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY
CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY: RAPHAEL WEIN AND NAFTALI GROSS
Tuesday October 25, 12 noon
THE NZ INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS INVITES YOU TO WHAT PROMISES TO BE AN ENGAGING AND FASCINATING ADDRESS
Ethical Dilemmas of Serving in the Israeli Defense Forces: Israel’s war against terrorism.
About the Speakers:
Raphael is a Business Administration and Political Science Student at Ariel University and is a reservist in the IDF. Naftali is a medical student at the Hebrew University and a volunteer paramedic for Magen David (the equivalent of St John’s Ambulance Service in NZ) and is also a reservist in the IDF. Both were combatants in the 2014 Gaza War.
Venue: Logie 104, University of Canterbury, Ilam, Christchurch.
A map showing the location of the venue may be obtained by clicking this link.
Admission is free
Feel free to pass this notice on to anyone else you feel may be interested.
It’s that time of the year. If you would like to nominate another member for the committee, please send your nomination to our secretary, Rebecca (contact details below).
After the AGM we will be showing a hilarious episode of “Yes Prime Minister”, the episode when PM Jim Hacker discovers what his Ministry of Foreign Affairs really thinks about Israel.
Please bring a plate of finger food. Of course, please exclude any pork and seafood products.
THE STORY OF THE JEWS
(Part I)
CHRISTCHURCH:
SUNDAY, 2PM, 18 NOVEMBER 2018
Northwood Villa Clubrooms, O’Neill Ave, Christchurch (Note the change in venue, being different than that in the newsletter, please advise your friends and other members if you know they are interested in coming).
Simon Schama presents an epic five-part series exploring the extraordinary story of the Jewish experience from ancient times to the present day. Drawing on original scholarship and Sharma’s own family history, this is a story that is at once deeply historical and utterly contemporary, taking viewers on a journey from the biblical past to tomorrow’s front pages. Travelling the globe from the Middle East to Eastern Europe, from New York and Burlington to Cairo in Jerusalem, the story unfolds with the help of a dazzling cast of historical characters, vivid storytelling, stunning location photography, and encounters with people who live with the passions and perplexities of the Jewish story today. At the heart of the story of the Jews is a compelling argument about distinctiveness and difference, separation and isolation, tolerance and prejudice, but it is also a celebration of the ways in which Jewish thought, Jewish imagination and Jewish achievement have transformed the world for us all.
In a review for The Daily Telegraph, Neil Midgley described the first episode as a “resounding success”, saying: “Schama told the story efficiently and evocatively – and deftly picked out stories that would illustrate his overarching thesis about how Judaism managed to survive…In Schama’s view, to be a Jew is to be verbal…By the end of this first episode, Schama had given the title of his programme an intriguing double meaning. Over its four remaining parts, The Story of the Jews promises to be not only a chronological history, but also a common narrative of what unifies and fortifies Jewish people”
Part 1 starts with Creation
Where: Northwood Villa Clubrooms, McNeill Ave, Northwood, Christchurch. Please note the venue is different from that published in our newsletter.
When: 2pm, Sunday November 18.
Admission: A plate of finger food. Please no pork or seafood products.
THE STORY OF THE JEWS
(Part II)
CHRISTCHURCH:
SUNDAY, 2PM, 17 February 2019
Northwood Villa Clubrooms, O’Neill Ave, Christchurch
Simon Schama presents an epic five-part series exploring the extraordinary story of the Jewish experience from ancient times to the present day. Drawing on original scholarship and Sharma’s own family history, this is a story that is at once deeply historical and utterly contemporary, taking viewers on a journey from the biblical past to tomorrow’s front pages. Travelling the globe from the Middle East to Eastern Europe, from New York and Burlington to Cairo in Jerusalem, the story unfolds with the help of a dazzling cast of historical characters, vivid storytelling, stunning location photography, and encounters with people who live with the passions and perplexities of the Jewish story today. At the heart of the story of the Jews is a compelling argument about distinctiveness and difference, separation and isolation, tolerance and prejudice, but it is also a celebration of the ways in which Jewish thought, Jewish imagination and Jewish achievement have transformed the world for us all.
In a review for The Daily Telegraph, Neil Midgley described the first episode as a “resounding success”, saying: “Schama told the story efficiently and evocatively – and deftly picked out stories that would illustrate his overarching thesis about how Judaism managed to survive…In Schama’s view, to be a Jew is to be verbal…By the end of this first episode, Schama had given the title of his programme an intriguing double meaning. Over its four remaining parts, The Story of the Jews promises to be not only a chronological history, but also a common narrative of what unifies and fortifies Jewish people”
Part 1 starts with Creation
Where: Northwood Villa Clubrooms, McNeill Ave, Northwood, Christchurch. Please note the venue is different from that published in our newsletter.
When: 2pm, Sunday February 17.
Admission: A plate of finger food. Please no pork or seafood products.
We are forming a group to go view this documentary on Sunday June 16. If you’d like to join up, call our Wellington Regional Coordinator, Joanna Moss on (022) 154 7865.
“…by the end, Keane and McConnell are tugging so hard at heartstrings that most viewers will be unable to resist, even the ones who can see the puppeteers in constant motion.” – Hollywood Reporter
It’s hard to imagine anybody living a normal life in the Gaza Strip. Frequently labelled as the world’s largest open-air prison, it makes an appearance on news reports every time a confrontation erupts between Israel and Hamas. On TV sets thousands of miles away, this tiny piece of land has been reduced to an image of violence, chaos and destruction.
The Gaza which is seldom seen is ordinary, everyday Gaza, a coastal strip smaller than Lake Taupō and home to an eclectic mix of almost two million.
So what do the people who live there do when they’re not under siege?
Gary Keane and Andrew McConnell’s atypical approach to their subject matter yields unexpected, unfamiliar stories of people plagued by conflict but not defined by it.
“We don’t wanna be killed or injured. We simply want to live.”
– Paramedic in Gaza
Gaza cannot be understood in a purely political context or by analysing tragic sound bites during conflict. It can only be understood by immersion, by living amongst its people and by recognizing and exploring its rich social diversity and cultural subtleties.
As the filmmakers travel through the physically broken and battered landscape, they allow their subjects to speak for themselves.
Through them, we gain a nuanced understanding of what life is really like for Gaza’s citizens. In Keane and McConnell’s tender portrait of beleaguered humanity, we experience familiarity and affinity with this unique community.
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
CHRISTCHURCH:
“ASK ME ANYTHING” (AMA) SESSION
WITH
RABBI ARIEL TAL
RABBI OF THE WELLINGTON JEWISH COMMUNITY
19 SEPTEMBER 2019
Following the massacres, it’s clear that there is a lack of knowledge and understanding of minorities in our community. With that lack comes uncertainty, anxiety and even fear. Unfortunately we humans often respond with prejudice and intolerance. One of those minorities is the Jewish community and those who adhere to Judaism.
We are honoured to host Rabbi Ariel Tal to join us for an “Ask Me Anything” session where he will take questions from the floor.
Rabbi Ariel Tal is an experienced educator, Rabbi and marketing expert, serving in positions in both North America and Israel. Rabbi Tal has a education degree from Ohalo College in the Golan Heights, Israel, Rabbinical Semicha from Israel Chief Rabbinate, and is a Personal Coach through Da’at U’Tevuna School in Rechovot, Israel. He has taught at the Netivot HaTorah Day School in Toronto, Kibbutz Lavi Primary School and the educational organisation Livnot U’Lehibanot.
With such wide experiences, Ariel is well able to answer questions on Judaism, Jewish life in Israel, the Diaspora and New Zealand.
Ever wondered what Judaism stood for? What it says about the meaning of life? What Judaism says about how the world ends?
A Jewish perspective on the Middle East Conflict and Palestinian Arab relations? What Jews outside of Israel think of the Middle Eastern situation?
What impression New Zealanders have made on Ariel and his family? His thoughts on New Zealand culture and what its like to live in Wellington?
That’s just a few questions you could ask him.
A rare opportunity to publicly quiz a Jewish Rabbi in person.
Where: Sumner Community Centre, 14-16 Wakefield Avenue, Sumner, Christchurch.
When: 7.30pm, Thursday, September 19.
Admission: A plate of finger food. Please avoid pork and seafood products. A collection will be taken to help defray expenses.