Jewish Festival of Learning
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Events Calendar

Thursday Sessions

Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood

Mark Oppenheimer

Thursday 24th at 5:00pm in the Advanced Tech Lab, Engineering Building 7
Come hear from the former New York Times religion columnist, current "Unorthodox" podcaster, and prolific author, Mark Oppenheimer.  Mark will speak on the themes from his recently published book on Squirrel Hill; about the synagogue attack at the Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh, and about how the community came together to grieve and heal from such trauma.  His talk will educate on antisemtism while celebrating Jewish community and its allies.

Check in will start at 3:30 pm right outside Engineering Building 7. Reflection groups will start at 4pm and there will be a book signing directly following the presentation.

Friday Sessions

*Community Viewing option of Zoom available at Congregation Beth David, breakfast included!

Combating Antisemitism on Social Media

 Liora Berkstein, Kate Chavez, Eli Zada

Friday 25th at 9:30 am via ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82719644827?pwd=ZWhDMEhFaG40SElzdGNHTWpLUlA1QT09
Webinar ID: 827 19464 4827, Passcode: 128173
This presentation explores best practices for identifying and responding to antisemitism and anti-Zionism online. We will briefly dive into the law and how it relates to antisemitism on social media. Participants will learn about algorithms on various platforms, when to block comments and how to manage time during antisemitic flare ups, how to respond to posts depending on the content, and much more. This empowering session provides real-world tools and strategies for the online world. Together we will explore a variety of practices for each platform, the importance of your voice and focus on effective strategies online.

Contemporary Antisemitism with a Focus on College Campuses

Tina Malka and Vlad Khaykin

Friday 25th at 9:30 am via ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82351165052?pwd=eFNDUDRwaDRza25uclYzZDZyTUIvQT09
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Webinar ID: 823 5116 5052, Passcode: 976547
Vlad Khaykin, National Director, Programs on Antisemitism with ADL and Tina Malka, Associate Director, Israel Action Program with Hillel International will be running a one-hour session on contemporary antisemitism with a focus on college campuses. They will be introducing the new video series on antisemitism developed in partnership between Hillel International and ADL.

The Kabbalah of Shabbat

Rabbi Chaim Hilel

Friday 25th at 9:30 am via ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81061029886?pwd=MU9mZUlyVEtkZGlRSWZhcFpCUFlCZz09
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Meeting ID: 810 6102 9886, Passcode: 146682
The Jewish tradition has given the world the gift of Shabbat- a day of rest every week. Why is shabbat special? What makes shabbat different then the other days of the week? Together we will explore the kabbalistic ideas behind this special day.

Understanding and Disrupting the Impacts of Bias

Shannon McGowan

Friday 25th at 9:30 am via ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84232651403?pwd=TUd0aDllNHhKK1lWQ1ZOcDg5eEs5Zz09
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Meeting ID: 842 3265 1403, Passcode: 760477
​Although universal, bias takes many forms in society and impacts groups of people differently. In this interactive session, we’ll explore the need to recognize bias within ourselves and others, and learn strategies for disrupting it. Through this general understanding of bias, participants will develop skills to challenge antisemitism and all forms of hate.

What's My Line - Jewish edition

Fil Yeskel, Gordon Mullin

Friday 25th at 1:00 pm via ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85963615625?pwd=MlJBWlZiVVM0UFc0QkhJMnRSLzdmdz09
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Meeting ID: 859 6361 5625, Passcode: 554215
Everyone knows, or should know, the famous Jews that have made major contributions in film, music, mathematics, science, medicine, literature, and much more. This presentation is a lighthearted audience participation Q&A regarding some of the lesser known members of our tribe. Some you may have heard of, some not, and some you may wish never to mention again.

How The Misinterpretation Of The Bible Laid The Foundation For Antisemitism

​Rabbi Dov Gottesfeld

Friday 25th at 2:00 pm via ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84354849126?pwd=L1c1cS9PY1RCRkVaWHpqLzBhY0FRdz09
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Meeting ID: 843 5484 9126, Passcode: 115024
There are more than a hundred different translations of the Hebrew Old Testament into English, beginning with a partial translation written in the seventh Century. Why are there so many English versions? As the English language developed, new words and religious philosophical ideas came into being. Therefore, there was a need to make the English archaic text easy to read and understood by the masses. Gradually the original intent of the Hebrew Old Testament got lost in the multiple translations. In order to keep the masses in check new concepts such as: “The Good, The Sinner, and the Messiah” came into being, and the rest is history.

Jewish Student Panel: Antisemitism on Campus

Eliana Nunley, Hayden Flechner, Noah Matlof, Amit Sharir​

Friday 25th at 2:30 pm Outdoor area behind the Newman Catholic Center at Cal Poly
This seminar will help people understand the experiences of Jewish students on campuses everywhere- when it comes to a general lack of sensitivity or outwardly antisemitic attacks and the progressively weakening acknowledgments and attempts to combat it from college administrations and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion boards. According to a survey by Jewish On-Campus and Alums for Campus Fairness, half of all Jewish students believe that antisemitism is getting increasingly worse on campus, over half have experienced an antisemitic attack, and three out of four students have overheard antisemitic comments from fellow classmates. However, the anti-Jewish sentiment is not only coming from the students. Join us to discuss how antisemitism presents itself on college grounds and within the classroom, and how you can best support your Jewish friends.

The Story of My Family's Holocaust Survival

Phil Koek

Friday 25th at 4:00pm in Phillips Hall
Phil shares the story of his father, Joe, and his aunts, Eva and Henny. Joe Koek was born in 1930 in The Hauge, Holland. The Nazis invaded and began to occupy Holland in May 1940. In 1943, Joe’s parents went to the underground and asked the underground to hide Joe and his two sisters. They lived in hiding on the third floor of an apartment/school building for 3-4 months. Joe’s parents went into hiding as well but were discovered, arrested, and then deported to Auschwitz. In fear that his parents might give up their location under interrogation, the underground moved the children to a temporary hiding location in Haarlem, Holland. Joe and his sisters were separated, and Joe was brought to a farm in Zvenhuizen, Holland, to live/hide with a couple as their “distant cousin visiting from Amsterdam.” While hiding on the farm, Joe changed his name and lived under a false identity as a Protestant. In the fall of 1944, Joe broke his leg on the farm and spent 8 weeks in the hospital. While Joe was in the hospital, the Nazis came to Zvenhuizen and liquidated the town. The underground moved Joe to a temporary hiding place and finally to a home in Oosterzee, where he stayed until liberation. Joe reunited with his sisters at a Jewish orphanage, where he spent 6 years. His mother and father perished in Auschwitz.

Shabbat Kiddush with Nosh and Music

Friday 25th at 5:00 pm at Phillips Hall
Please join us for Shabbat Kiddush with provided appetizers, refreshments, and music following Phil Koek's keynote presentation.

Saturday Sessions

Understanding and Responding to Microaggressions

Dr. Cornel Morton, Danya Conn Nunley

Saturday 26th at 10:00 am Outdoor area behind the Newman Catholic Center at Cal Poly
A microaggression is a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, usually unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group related to race, gender, religion, ethnicity and other social identities. The first step in eliminating microaggressions is to make the "invisible" visible. Skills for responding to microaggressions will be discussed. This session will stimulate discussion, self reflection and helpful dialogue directed at increasing mutual respect and understanding among participants as we share the multiple social identities we all possess.

Creating Effective Dialogues about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Dr. Stephen Lloyd-Moffett

Saturday 26th at 10:20 am at the 52-E27, see CSQ Map
Discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with others can be some of the most challenging conversations on campus since they often touch upon past individual trauma, intense political divisions, competing religious identities, and histories of antisemitism and islamophobia. Too often, presentations have often served more to offer support for one side of the conflict rather than foster dialogue that encourages dialogue and understanding. In this presentation, Dr Lloyd-Moffett will share some strategies to foster productive dialogues based on a decade and a half of classroom discussions and public presentations.

Antisemitism and Conspiracy Theories

Dr. ​Adam benShea

Saturday 26th at 10:20 am at the UU Room 219, see CSQ Map
In textual tradition and across historical instances, Jews have been designated as a people apart. This creates a situation where Jews were, and continue to be, characterized as distinct or different. Placing a sense of otherness on the Jewish people is a factor for the recurring conspiratorial accusations and allegations levelled against Jews since the Middle Ages and into modern times. Across examples of conspiratorial claims against Jews there are recurring tropes that indicate an overarching pattern of antisemitism.

Likes and Dislikes: Holocaust Analogies in the Age of Social Media

Dr. Deb Donig

Saturday 26th at 1:15 pm at the 52-E22, see CSQ Map
This session considers the way that Holocaust analogies, or “likenesses” circulate on social media, as a way to talk about what we do or do not “like.” I look at the way in which strategies of likeness—metaphor, analogy, simile—migrate into political discourse about human rights in virtual digital environments. We will investigate the context and the consequences of analogical and metaphorical thinking in a current political and technological climate of decline in public agreement about factuality, or what it means to know. Simultaneously, we will think about the broader advantages—and consequences—of Jewish suffering as a way to talk about and represent the suffering of other groups.

"Stitching Judaica" - Exploring Fiber Art - CANCELLED!

​Ellen November

Saturday 26th at 2:30 pm at the 52-E26, see CSQ Map
Get to know local Jewish artist, Ellen November. We will discuss various symbology used in Judaic art. Find out what led her to her most recent immersion into fiber art. She will share her inspiration, techniques and methods for her most recent work. You will get to see her Judaic and cartographic work up close.

Seudat and Havdalah 

​Rabbi Dov Gottesfeld 

Saturday 26th at 5:00 pm at Temple Ner Shalom and Makom Hillel
Please join us for a special Havdalah filled with food, friends, and learning at Temple Ner Shalom (outside) and the Makom Hillel on the JCC property to close out the Sabbath and our festival. Rabbi Dov Gottesfeld will lead us in the Havdalah ritual as we head into a new week filled with learning and love.

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Grenda
 
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Grenda Ernst
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