Limmud Oz (Sydney – June 10-12) and Yom Limmud (Melbourne – June 18) are back in 2017, and with so much to see we thought we’d offer some suggestion on speakers and sessions you might find interesting.

Here are links for you to buy tickets and see the full schedules of both conferences:

• Limmud Oz (Sydney) – Tickets · Schedule · More Information
• Yom Limmud (Melbourne) – Tickets · Schedule · More Information

What to see at Limmud Oz (Sydney)

New Israel Fund panel:

• “Seeing Israel through different lenses” – Sunday June 11 at 8:15pm
  A New Israel Fund session exploring how different generations engage with Israel and the 50-year occupation of the Palestinian territories. Panel members Jo Kalowski, Mandi Katz, Shahar Burla and Yuli Dar each offer a different generational perspective.

Other sessions:

• “Goldilocks and the three Orthodoxies — traditional responses to same-sex relationships” – Saturday June 10 at 8pm
  A discussion with Orthodox Rabbi Steven Greenberg, the Co-Director of Eshel, a support, education and advocacy organisation for LGBT Orthodox Jews and their families.
• “Trump and the Jews” – Saturday June 10 at 8pm
  Panel discussion on Trump’s unpredictability and how it might impact US Jewry, and the future of US-Israel relations.
• “Women in Judaism” – Sunday June 11 at 9:30am
  Is the role of women in Judaism changing? Why is women’s leadership share in Jewish communal life so small? Are women in Israel slowly losing rights? This panel features NIF Program Manager Sharon Berger and former board member Ilona Lee.
• “What can we do to 'give peace a chance'?” – Sunday June 11 at 9:30am
  Hear from a group of leaders from the Uniting Church and Jewish communities who visited Israel and the West Bank in January to experience these lands together, with open minds and open hearts.
• “Exploring Jerusalem—a divided city” – Sunday June 11 at 10:45am
  Hear Plus61J contributing editor Shahar Burla discuss how fifty years after the Six-Day War and the 'Reunification', Jerusalem is a divided city, and how Jerusalem might look after a peace treaty.
• “One state, two states” – Sunday June 11 at 5pm
  President of Meretz’s Governing Council Uri Zaki (at Limmud representing “SISO: Save Israel, Stop the Occupation” and head of World Betar Nerya Meir discuss solutions to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
• “The jubilee that tears us apart” – Monday June 12 at 9:30am
  In this session, In this session Uri Zaki, President of Meretz’s Governing Council, examines the effects of the 50-years-long Israeli control of the disputed territories on Israel itself, specifically the effects on Israeli democracy.
• “The dramatic geopolitical changes that are redefining the Middle East” – Monday June 12 at 10:45am
  Consultant and author Hagai Segal discusses how developments occurring now will define the region for decades to come.
• “Censored Voices — film and discussion” – Monday June 12 at 4pm
  Former NIF board members Mandi Katz and Robin Margo will lead a discussion after a screening of the Amos Oz-narrated film Censored Voices and its significance in the 50th year after the Six-Day War.

What to see at Limmud Oz (Melbourne)

• “7 x 7 x 7 in 5777” – Sunday June 18 at 11am
  This year marks milestone anniversaries of numerous events of Jewish historical significance. Join 7 engaging presenters for 7 minutes each as they look back and reflect on 7 pivotal moments in this, the Jewish year 5777. The power of 7!
• “Knesset insider” – Sunday June 18 at 11am
  Knesset reporter Lahav Harkov will give a behind-the-scenes look at what is happening in Israeli politics. It promises to be topical and filled with the kind of details that only someone who is in the Knesset regularly would know.
• “IS/ISIS/Daesh: the situation in Syria/Iraq, and its global implications” – Sunday June 18 at 1:45pm
  Hagai Segal, a Middle-East and counter-terror expert who works with counter-terror agencies across the globe, will examine the situation in Iraq and Syria and explore the threat posed – to the Middle-East, the West, and indeed the globe – by IS/ISIS/Daesh.
• “Fifty years later: the legacy of the Six Day War” – Sunday June 18 at 3pm
  Fifty years after the Six Day War, Israel is more divided than ever on how the war and its impact is understood, and on what can be done to address the deep human and political issues which are its legacy. Join Israeli journalist Lahav Harkov in conversation with former NIF board member Mandi Katz on the political legacy of the Six Day War within and outside of Israel.
• “Can the centre hold? Jews and populism” – Sunday June 18 at 4:15pm
  Trump, Brexit, key elections across Europe. 2016 and 2017 have seen unprecedented polarisation in electorates, a widespread sense of disenfranchisement, refugee suffering on a huge scale and communities divided by the impact of migration. Join Hagai Segal and Cnaan Liphshiz, in conversation with Julie Szego, on the rise of populism in the US, UK and Europe and what it might mean for Jewish communities.