David Lilienthal lecture 2021
The David Lilienthal lecture was again held via Zoom on 31 October 2021 and recorded as a film.
Guest speaker was Prof. Dr. Irene Zwiep, professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Amsterdam and also chair of the Academic Committee of the Levisson Institute. She has been actively involved in our institute from the start.
She talked about: Jewish study(s) in the Anthropocene. About the relevance of Jewish education in a time when the world is busy with other things (mp4) (in Dutch)
What is the Anthropocene? It is the time we live in now. The term was coined by the Dutch Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen, a Dutch meteorologist and it means: “geological age of man” in which the destructive influence of man on the earth is present. The term Anthropocene has also been picked up in the Humanities in particular, because the influence of humans has such an enormous impact on all parts of life on earth. Among other things, we should try to think differently about education, the relevance of specifically Jewish studies at a time when we are directly dealing with pandemics, with rapid climate changes, volcanic eruptions, sea rises, melting of the ice cap, floods and hurricanes, enormous population migrations, hardening of positions in society. And perhaps also a different interpretation of the function of rabbi in a rapidly changing society.
David Lilienthal lecture 2020
Due to the Covid-19 pandamic the David Lilienthal lecture was held on 1 November 2020 via Zoom and was recorded.
Prior to the lecture a short film was shown as an introduction to the Levisson Institute (mp4) (in Dutch).
Our guestspeaker was Yoram Stein, philosopher with a PhD on Spinoza.
He talked about: How to deal with uncertain times and what can we learn from Spinoza about it (mp4) (in Dutch)
See here his PowerPoint presentation (in Dutch).
David Lilienthal lecture 2019
Conductor Jules van Hessen held an animated story in LJG Amsterdam on 13 November 2019, based on film fragments, about Mahler, Gershwin and Bernstein. Three “Jewish” maestros. Can you hear it?
David Lilienthal lecture, 2018
The second David Lilienthal lecture was on 28 October 2018, in LJG Amsterdam.
Speaker was Henny van het Hoofd who talked about her PhD: The secret of Hoogeveen. Jewish education in the Netherlands between 1860-1940. (in Dutch)
In her lecture the Jewish teachers (‘Israëlietische godsdienstonderwijzers’) were the main subject. Why choose someone (m/f) for being a teacher in Jewish education and how were they educated themselves, which carreer possibilities did they have? Which problems did they encounter? What can we learn from those teachers in the past?
Afterwards Lea Abram and Anne-Maria van Hilst, coordinators of Rimon, the Dutch Liberal Jewish education center, about Jewish education at this moment.
Photos see here.
First David Lilienthal lecture, 2015
At the farewell of rabbi David Lilienthal as dean of the Levisson Institute and his aliyah to Israel with his wife and daughter, a Levisson Fund was founded. It will organise lectures in name of David Lilienthal.
On 14 June 2015 the first lecture was held in LJG Amsterdam. Speaker was Anat Hoffman, director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) and founder of Women of the Wall, in Jerusalem. David and Gun Lilienthal came from Israel tot this first lecture.
Anat Hoffman gave a wonderfull speech. She is a very power woman, good in ‘making trouble’. She called us to express our opinion loud and clear and to think actively about the Jewish State: ‘Take Israel’s measure by seeing how they treat “the orphan, the stranger, and the widow”.’
Anat Hoffman gave three lectures during her stay in Holland:
14 June 2015 LJG Amsterdam Photo’s Amsterdam
15 June 2015 LJG The Hague Photos The Hague
16 June 2015 LJG Utrecht Photos Utrecht