Yom Limmud
Thank you for making Yom Limmud 2026 such a wonderful success! We look forward to learning with you next year at Yom Limmud 2027. Look below to see what types of sessions you can look forward to next year!
Sessions
Wordsmith, Tunesmith, Genius: The Great Jewish Singer-Songwriters* with Max Keller
There are few things more daunting than getting up on stage with just a guitar or piano and performing by yourself and yet, some of the most incredible music and lyrics of the last seventy-five years have come from that tradition. Beginning in the 1960s, the work of artists such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, and Carole King – all Jewish – have come to define that style of music. This class will dig into what makes their work so special and timeless and how, at times, it relates to their faith.
Max Keller is the Chair of the Cinema Department at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. After being an adjunct there for eight years, he was brought on as a full-time member of the faculty in 2020 and was granted tenure in 2024. He is also an adjunct faculty member at El Camino College, where he teaches in the Film Department, and he also teaches for the OSHER Institute at UCLA Extension. It is there that he has continued lecturing on a variety of subjects related to classic rock, something he began doing during his undergrad at UC Berkeley when he first taught a course on The Beatles. In the years that followed, he also taught classes on artists such as Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, and more.
There are few things more daunting than getting up on stage with just a guitar or piano and performing by yourself and yet, some of the most incredible music and lyrics of the last seventy-five years have come from that tradition. Beginning in the 1960s, the work of artists such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, and Carole King – all Jewish – have come to define that style of music. This class will dig into what makes their work so special and timeless and how, at times, it relates to their faith.
Max Keller is the Chair of the Cinema Department at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. After being an adjunct there for eight years, he was brought on as a full-time member of the faculty in 2020 and was granted tenure in 2024. He is also an adjunct faculty member at El Camino College, where he teaches in the Film Department, and he also teaches for the OSHER Institute at UCLA Extension. It is there that he has continued lecturing on a variety of subjects related to classic rock, something he began doing during his undergrad at UC Berkeley when he first taught a course on The Beatles. In the years that followed, he also taught classes on artists such as Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, and more.
Jewish Heritage Words: Connecting to Our Ancestors and Communities* with Dr. Sarah Bunin Benor
Most Jews today do not speak the native languages of their great-grandparents, but they maintain some “heritage words” – words from ancestral Jewish languages that have been passed down the generations. In this talk, Dr. Benor explains the historical events that led to this situation and describes the phenomenon, based on interviews from the Heritage Words Podcast. Heritage words may relate to food, family, endearment, and curses, and they are often emotionally charged, allowing individuals to connect with their living and deceased relatives and express their identities as part of multiple groups. This talk includes an interactive portion where participants discuss their own heritage words.
Sarah Bunin Benor is Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies at Hebrew Union College and Adjunct Professor in the University of Southern California Linguistics Department. She received her B.A. from Columbia University in Comparative Literature in 1997 and her Ph.D. from Stanford University in Linguistics in 2004. She is the author of Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism (Rutgers University Press, 2012) and Hebrew Infusion: Language and Community at American Jewish Summer Camps (Rutgers University Press, 2020), as well as many articles about Jewish languages, Yiddish, and American Jews. She is founding co-editor of the Journal of Jewish Languages and co-editor of Languages in Jewish Communities, Past and Present (De Gruyter Mouton, 2018) and We the Resilient: Wisdom for America from Women Born Before Suffrage (Luminare Press, 2017). She founded and directs the Hebrew Union College Jewish Language Project, which runs the Jewish Language Website and the Jewish English Lexicon. Her current research projects analyze the experiences of Sephardi/Mizrahi Jews in Los Angeles and the names of American Jews and their pets.
Most Jews today do not speak the native languages of their great-grandparents, but they maintain some “heritage words” – words from ancestral Jewish languages that have been passed down the generations. In this talk, Dr. Benor explains the historical events that led to this situation and describes the phenomenon, based on interviews from the Heritage Words Podcast. Heritage words may relate to food, family, endearment, and curses, and they are often emotionally charged, allowing individuals to connect with their living and deceased relatives and express their identities as part of multiple groups. This talk includes an interactive portion where participants discuss their own heritage words.
Sarah Bunin Benor is Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies at Hebrew Union College and Adjunct Professor in the University of Southern California Linguistics Department. She received her B.A. from Columbia University in Comparative Literature in 1997 and her Ph.D. from Stanford University in Linguistics in 2004. She is the author of Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism (Rutgers University Press, 2012) and Hebrew Infusion: Language and Community at American Jewish Summer Camps (Rutgers University Press, 2020), as well as many articles about Jewish languages, Yiddish, and American Jews. She is founding co-editor of the Journal of Jewish Languages and co-editor of Languages in Jewish Communities, Past and Present (De Gruyter Mouton, 2018) and We the Resilient: Wisdom for America from Women Born Before Suffrage (Luminare Press, 2017). She founded and directs the Hebrew Union College Jewish Language Project, which runs the Jewish Language Website and the Jewish English Lexicon. Her current research projects analyze the experiences of Sephardi/Mizrahi Jews in Los Angeles and the names of American Jews and their pets.
The Great Haroset Challenge* with Tami Lowensohn
Haroset is essential to the Passover Seder. But it doesn’t need to taste like cement. In our haroset making class, you’ll learn how and why we do this Passover specific food. You’ll also have tools to elevate your own family’s Passover experience. You’ll get tips from LBT’s foremost haroset expert. And you can participate in a haroset making and tasting contest. You’ll be glad you did!
Tami Lowensohn started cooking for crowds when her children were in elementary school. She loved hosting the Sunday Morning Starbaeck’s Bagel Bar with her family. If you are in need, she loves to provide you with a beautiful meal to nourish, support, and heal you and your family. And today, she hopes to elevate your Passover experience by exploring everything Haroset.
Haroset is essential to the Passover Seder. But it doesn’t need to taste like cement. In our haroset making class, you’ll learn how and why we do this Passover specific food. You’ll also have tools to elevate your own family’s Passover experience. You’ll get tips from LBT’s foremost haroset expert. And you can participate in a haroset making and tasting contest. You’ll be glad you did!
Tami Lowensohn started cooking for crowds when her children were in elementary school. She loved hosting the Sunday Morning Starbaeck’s Bagel Bar with her family. If you are in need, she loves to provide you with a beautiful meal to nourish, support, and heal you and your family. And today, she hopes to elevate your Passover experience by exploring everything Haroset.
Teens Talk Big Issues* with Rabbi Berney and LBT Teens
Wondering what's on the minds and hearts of our teens during these tumultous times? This panel moderated by Rabbi Berney will feature several LBT Teens sharing their perspectives on the big issues of our time from Israel to climate change to antisemitism to the enduring effects of the pandemic, AI, and more. Come learn from these wise future leaders.
Wondering what's on the minds and hearts of our teens during these tumultous times? This panel moderated by Rabbi Berney will feature several LBT Teens sharing their perspectives on the big issues of our time from Israel to climate change to antisemitism to the enduring effects of the pandemic, AI, and more. Come learn from these wise future leaders.
*Indicates "Teen Friendly"
Small Tel, Big Stories: Excavating Tel Shaddud in the Jezreel Valley in Israel with Dr. William Schniedewind
In this talk on archeology in Israel, UCLA professor Bill Schniedewind will describe his new excavation at Tel Shaddud in the Jezreel Valley and explain why this site – continuously occupied over millennia – has held such strategic importance throughout many different periods of ancient history. He will share his hope to find early alphabetic inscriptions at Shaddud that will tell the story of the interaction between foreign rule and local Jewish and Israelite administration in this key place. And he will also share some examples of how archeological evidence helps us to turn biblical characters, such as prophets, from literary figures into real people in ancient Israel within real places and institutions.
William Schniedewind is Professor of Biblical Studies and Northwest Semitic Languages, as well as Sady and Ludwig Kahn Director at the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies. He was the inaugural holder of the Kershaw Term Chair in Ancient Eastern Mediterranean Studies, and he served as the NELC Department Chair for many years. He is the author of numerous books and articles covering a wide range of topics relating to biblical studies, Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient languages and inscriptions. His research and teaching combines the study of literature, language, and archaeology. At UCLA, he teaches undergraduate classes on “Introduction to Biblical Literature,” “Jerusalem, the Holy City,” “Ancient Israelite Religion,” and “Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Judaism.” His graduate seminars cover the various biblical literature and Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient inscriptions, History of the Hebrew Language, and the Ugaritic language.
In this talk on archeology in Israel, UCLA professor Bill Schniedewind will describe his new excavation at Tel Shaddud in the Jezreel Valley and explain why this site – continuously occupied over millennia – has held such strategic importance throughout many different periods of ancient history. He will share his hope to find early alphabetic inscriptions at Shaddud that will tell the story of the interaction between foreign rule and local Jewish and Israelite administration in this key place. And he will also share some examples of how archeological evidence helps us to turn biblical characters, such as prophets, from literary figures into real people in ancient Israel within real places and institutions.
William Schniedewind is Professor of Biblical Studies and Northwest Semitic Languages, as well as Sady and Ludwig Kahn Director at the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies. He was the inaugural holder of the Kershaw Term Chair in Ancient Eastern Mediterranean Studies, and he served as the NELC Department Chair for many years. He is the author of numerous books and articles covering a wide range of topics relating to biblical studies, Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient languages and inscriptions. His research and teaching combines the study of literature, language, and archaeology. At UCLA, he teaches undergraduate classes on “Introduction to Biblical Literature,” “Jerusalem, the Holy City,” “Ancient Israelite Religion,” and “Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Judaism.” His graduate seminars cover the various biblical literature and Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient inscriptions, History of the Hebrew Language, and the Ugaritic language.
Living with Intention: Jewish Mindfulness Practice with Rabbi Scott Goldberg
What does it look like to practice and live more spiritual, intentional lives? And where does Judaism intersect with mindfulness? Join Rabbi Scott Goldberg for a session exploring the fundamentals of Jewish mindfulness through body, mind, and soul, grounding our learning in texts, music, poetry, and wisdom from five influential figures of contemporary Jewish mindfulness: Jonathan Slater, Shefa Gold, Sheila Peltz Weinberg, Alan Morinis, and Jack Kornfield. Together, we will study text, experience guided practices, and reflect on what speaks most powerfully to us as we build our own spiritual toolkit. Whether you are brand new to mindfulness or seeking to deepen your spiritual practice, this session offers an accessible entry point into living with greater awareness and heart.
What does it look like to practice and live more spiritual, intentional lives? And where does Judaism intersect with mindfulness? Join Rabbi Scott Goldberg for a session exploring the fundamentals of Jewish mindfulness through body, mind, and soul, grounding our learning in texts, music, poetry, and wisdom from five influential figures of contemporary Jewish mindfulness: Jonathan Slater, Shefa Gold, Sheila Peltz Weinberg, Alan Morinis, and Jack Kornfield. Together, we will study text, experience guided practices, and reflect on what speaks most powerfully to us as we build our own spiritual toolkit. Whether you are brand new to mindfulness or seeking to deepen your spiritual practice, this session offers an accessible entry point into living with greater awareness and heart.
Sanctuary as Subject: Creating Sacred Space Through the Work of Our Hands* with Kathryn Kert Green
When you have sat in a Leo Baeck service have you ever considered your relationship to the sanctuary and its many parts? Maybe the piano, or the eternal light, or a pew or those confounding little arrangement of squares? In this workshop we will have the unique opportunity to contemplate and draw something in our sanctuary. When you draw something you set up a relationship with it and it never looks the same after that. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have that relationship with our sanctuary? Just come with an open mind and the willingness to give it a go, with whatever drawing experience you have had, even if it is none, especially if it is none!
Kathryn Kert Green is an artist and art teacher, who taught K-12 art in various Los Angeles schools. She went from getting her undergraduate degree in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Michigan, to an MA from Stanford U. in Art Education, to most recently an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design in Fine Arts. Currently she is both doing her own drawing and teaching a drawing workshop once a week at the Anti Recidivism Coalition (ARC) downtown Los Angeles. The people there are unusually friendly, hopeful and just plain wonderful; they give her hope for our world like no other place she has spent time. She is truly grateful to all of them and learns something new during each class.
When you have sat in a Leo Baeck service have you ever considered your relationship to the sanctuary and its many parts? Maybe the piano, or the eternal light, or a pew or those confounding little arrangement of squares? In this workshop we will have the unique opportunity to contemplate and draw something in our sanctuary. When you draw something you set up a relationship with it and it never looks the same after that. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have that relationship with our sanctuary? Just come with an open mind and the willingness to give it a go, with whatever drawing experience you have had, even if it is none, especially if it is none!
Kathryn Kert Green is an artist and art teacher, who taught K-12 art in various Los Angeles schools. She went from getting her undergraduate degree in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Michigan, to an MA from Stanford U. in Art Education, to most recently an MFA from Otis College of Art and Design in Fine Arts. Currently she is both doing her own drawing and teaching a drawing workshop once a week at the Anti Recidivism Coalition (ARC) downtown Los Angeles. The people there are unusually friendly, hopeful and just plain wonderful; they give her hope for our world like no other place she has spent time. She is truly grateful to all of them and learns something new during each class.
Nazi Looted Art and The Monuments Men* with Lee Rubenstein
It’s no secret that the Nazis confiscated hundreds of thousands of works of art from Jewish families, collectors and dealers. It’s also a well-known fact that the Allies were responsible for discovering and rescuing many precious paintings, sculptures and decorative art objects. Some passed directly through the hands of the 'Monuments Men,' as they were discovered in the salt mines of Austria, caves, and Nazi leaders’ homes. These works were restituted to their owners or their family’s heirs via different means including the Allied forces, governments, and even from museums. Some works found their way back shortly after the war, others took over 50 years to be returned to their rightful owners. Their stories are as fascinating as the objects themselves.
Lee Rubinstein holds dual degrees in English and History with a minor in Art History. After years of working in the finance industry and the non-profit sector, she was lucky enough to get back to her first love—art. She has been a museum docent for over twelve years. Additionally, during the pandemic, Lee gave over 300 virtual tours to museums around the country and in Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and Israel. She has shared her knowledge and love of art speaking at national conferences in Kansas City and Brisbane, Australia. In addition to her art education programs for adults, Lee created and runs an all-volunteer art program for fourth graders in a local Title I school. For more than fifteen years Lee has shared her talent and teaching skills with these youngsters, standing up for art as both an essential right and critical part of every child's education.
It’s no secret that the Nazis confiscated hundreds of thousands of works of art from Jewish families, collectors and dealers. It’s also a well-known fact that the Allies were responsible for discovering and rescuing many precious paintings, sculptures and decorative art objects. Some passed directly through the hands of the 'Monuments Men,' as they were discovered in the salt mines of Austria, caves, and Nazi leaders’ homes. These works were restituted to their owners or their family’s heirs via different means including the Allied forces, governments, and even from museums. Some works found their way back shortly after the war, others took over 50 years to be returned to their rightful owners. Their stories are as fascinating as the objects themselves.
Lee Rubinstein holds dual degrees in English and History with a minor in Art History. After years of working in the finance industry and the non-profit sector, she was lucky enough to get back to her first love—art. She has been a museum docent for over twelve years. Additionally, during the pandemic, Lee gave over 300 virtual tours to museums around the country and in Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and Israel. She has shared her knowledge and love of art speaking at national conferences in Kansas City and Brisbane, Australia. In addition to her art education programs for adults, Lee created and runs an all-volunteer art program for fourth graders in a local Title I school. For more than fifteen years Lee has shared her talent and teaching skills with these youngsters, standing up for art as both an essential right and critical part of every child's education.
*Indicates "Teen Friendly"
Faith In Action: Immigration, Authoritarianism, and Uncovering Our Moral Courage* with Reverend Zach Hoover and Rabbi Lisa Berney
Join Rabbi Berney in conversation with Reverand Zach Hoover, the former Executive Director of our interfaith justice coalition, LA Voice, to explore how our faith can help guide our response to this moment.
Rev. Zachary Hoover is the former Executive Director of LA Voice. He holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and is ordained in the American Baptist Church. Zach first learned organizing from Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico. During his time at LA Voice, he led organizing campaigns that have dismantled unfair car impound policies targeting immigrants, increased access to groceries in food deserts, increased public accountability for reinvestment by major financial institutions, increased voter participation in communities of color, removed obstacles to employment for formerly incarcerated Angelenos, and bridged gaps between communities divided by race, class and geography. He currently serves as board co-chair for “LA County for Working Families” whose mission is to promote leadership for an abundant LA County for all. He also serves on the advisory board for The Amen Center.
Join Rabbi Berney in conversation with Reverand Zach Hoover, the former Executive Director of our interfaith justice coalition, LA Voice, to explore how our faith can help guide our response to this moment.
Rev. Zachary Hoover is the former Executive Director of LA Voice. He holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and is ordained in the American Baptist Church. Zach first learned organizing from Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico. During his time at LA Voice, he led organizing campaigns that have dismantled unfair car impound policies targeting immigrants, increased access to groceries in food deserts, increased public accountability for reinvestment by major financial institutions, increased voter participation in communities of color, removed obstacles to employment for formerly incarcerated Angelenos, and bridged gaps between communities divided by race, class and geography. He currently serves as board co-chair for “LA County for Working Families” whose mission is to promote leadership for an abundant LA County for all. He also serves on the advisory board for The Amen Center.
Israel and Palestine on Screen with Dr. Ethan Pack
Israel and Palestine are lands often defined by their depictions on screen. In this session, you’ll learn about groundbreaking films and TV shows that grapple with the most compelling issues in Israeli and Palestinian life; the increasing appearance (and disappearance) of Middle Eastern content on streaming platforms; and the possibilities of adaptation between cultures and genres, as filmmakers negotiate the overlapping concerns of aesthetics and politics.
Ethan Pack is a Lecturer at UCLA in the departments of Comparative Literature and Cinema and Media Studies. He teaches courses on Israeli literature, television and film, and is also a research fellow at the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Ethan’s research focuses on Hebrew and Arabic literature, Middle Eastern film and Postcolonial Studies. He is working on a book manuscript entitled Routes of Displacement: Jewish Exile and Visionary Poetics. As a fellow with the Nazarian Center, Dr. Pack has moderated discussions with Israeli authors, playwrights and filmmakers at events and performances at UCLA and across Los Angeles.
Israel and Palestine are lands often defined by their depictions on screen. In this session, you’ll learn about groundbreaking films and TV shows that grapple with the most compelling issues in Israeli and Palestinian life; the increasing appearance (and disappearance) of Middle Eastern content on streaming platforms; and the possibilities of adaptation between cultures and genres, as filmmakers negotiate the overlapping concerns of aesthetics and politics.
Ethan Pack is a Lecturer at UCLA in the departments of Comparative Literature and Cinema and Media Studies. He teaches courses on Israeli literature, television and film, and is also a research fellow at the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Ethan’s research focuses on Hebrew and Arabic literature, Middle Eastern film and Postcolonial Studies. He is working on a book manuscript entitled Routes of Displacement: Jewish Exile and Visionary Poetics. As a fellow with the Nazarian Center, Dr. Pack has moderated discussions with Israeli authors, playwrights and filmmakers at events and performances at UCLA and across Los Angeles.
Kick Up Your Heels: Country Western Line Dancing* with Sid Richman"
Be the life of the party! Learn two of the most often performed line dances at weddings and bar mitzvahs—“The Watermelon Crawl” and “The Electric Slide”—from LBT member and Arthur Murray certified dance instructor, Sid Richman. If you already know these dances, come anyway, for the fun and practice. No partner or cowboy boots required!
**Families are welcome to attend this session
Sid Richman started teaching ballroom dancing in the summer of 1978 at Fred Astaire Dance Studios where, in addition to instruction, he competed in professional dance competitions. Screen credits include being a featured dancer in Back to the Future II. His final teaching stint was at Arthur Murray in Santa Monica (where he met his wife, Bea), and retired from professional teaching in 1993. Since then, Sid has continued to volunteer with friends, family, and has choreographed several wedding dances. He taught his first LBT class in 2004.
Be the life of the party! Learn two of the most often performed line dances at weddings and bar mitzvahs—“The Watermelon Crawl” and “The Electric Slide”—from LBT member and Arthur Murray certified dance instructor, Sid Richman. If you already know these dances, come anyway, for the fun and practice. No partner or cowboy boots required!
**Families are welcome to attend this session
Sid Richman started teaching ballroom dancing in the summer of 1978 at Fred Astaire Dance Studios where, in addition to instruction, he competed in professional dance competitions. Screen credits include being a featured dancer in Back to the Future II. His final teaching stint was at Arthur Murray in Santa Monica (where he met his wife, Bea), and retired from professional teaching in 1993. Since then, Sid has continued to volunteer with friends, family, and has choreographed several wedding dances. He taught his first LBT class in 2004.
Make Your Own Haggadah* with Cantor Sara Hass and Rabbinic Interns, Ally Karpel-Pomerantz and Shoshy Levine
Have you ever wondered what goes into making your own haggadah for your seder? In this hands-on session, we will learn about the structure of the seder and explore some of the options from traditional liturgy to modern poetry that can go in your haggadah. You’ll leave this session with the inspiration and know-how to make your own haggadah for your seder!
**Families are welcome to attend this session
Have you ever wondered what goes into making your own haggadah for your seder? In this hands-on session, we will learn about the structure of the seder and explore some of the options from traditional liturgy to modern poetry that can go in your haggadah. You’ll leave this session with the inspiration and know-how to make your own haggadah for your seder!
**Families are welcome to attend this session
*Indicates "Teen Friendly"