Shavuot 2023

Listen ! שמע

Tickets for Shavuot 2023

Friday, 26 May 2023

6.45pm - Shavuot Erev Service Sanctuary

7.45pm - Buffet Supper and Cheesecake Competition Montefiore Hall

9.00pm - One Woman Show 'Za’atar Rain' - Sanctuary

10.30pm - Join one of the study sessions, discussions and talks:

Maya Goldstein - Q&A on 'Za'atar Rain' - Sanctuary
Hezzi Shouster and Samah Salaime - Oasis of Peace: How to make peace relevant again between Palestinians and Israelis - Montefiore Hall

11.15pm - Join one of the study sessions, discussions and talks:

Frances Marshall - Photo Project "Queer Religion" - Montefiore Hall
Hazel Summerfield - Do some Jewish values need to be adapted to save the planet? - A response to climate change - Assembly Hall (upstairs)

Saturday, 27 May 2023

0.00am Rabbis at Midnight - Discussing texts in small groups - Montefiore Hall

1.15am Join one of the study sessions, discussions and talks:

Tyana Petrova and Raffaelle Geller - Listening in a world of many opinions

Assembly Hall (upstairs)

Jack Sheeran - Icecream Making Worksop

The LJS Kitchen

2.30am Dodo van Uden - How to approach difficult texts in Judaism? - Mattuck Room (upstairs)

3.30am Icecream Break - Assembly Hall (upstairs)

4.00am Rabbi Igor Zinkov - Wisdom of War: What is worth dying for? What is worth living for? - Assembly Hall (upstairs)

5.00am Early morning Shacharit - John Rayner's Room

Maya Goldstein

9.00pm - One Woman Show 'Za’atar Rain' - Sanctuary

10.30pm - Q&A on 'Za'atar Rain' - Sanctuary

Maya Goldstein is an actress, performance maker and a graphic designer originally from Tel-Aviv. She has worked as an actress in Israel in TV and theatre productions, and graduated with an MA in Performance Making from Goldsmiths University of London. In her works she observes voyeurism as an act of affection, an expression of the individual yielding to find roots. She explores new means of technology to examine different ways in creating a narrative.

One Woman Show Za’atar Rain

Za’atar Rain is a tragaicomedy one woman show. It is a play challenging its audience to reflect upon and question the notion of borders, and the craving of crossing them and reaching the unreachable.

Nowadays, as societies shift towards the state of being far apart from one another ideologically and diving deep into nationalism and the reinforcement of borders, there is a place for theatre to try and challenge border-mentality.

Za’atar Rain does not tell a story solely relating to the Middle East. This could happen anywhere; the U.S and Mexico, North and South Korea to name two prominent examples. It poses a simple yet pertinent question: Why can’t two people from neighbouring countries meet?

This is a story inspired by a real person, whose purpose is to challenge preconceived notions and fight border mentality. The show will be followed by a Q&A session, and a special workshop, designed to form a hub to facilitate ideas and share multilateralism, providing unmediated access to different stories whilst enabling people to reconnect, create new relationships and share new skills through the use of theatrical practices.

It will help address issues of social concern, and let allow people to gain a deeper understanding of, and hopefully affection to the people that surround them.

This project came about as a result of post show discussions, where audience members expressed their longing as individuals to connect with the "other" - a craving that often stays unaddressed. I realised that a workshop following the performance could help people cement and implement the ideas conveyed in the show by exposing them to stories of real people living in their vicinity.

Hezzi Shouster

10.30pm - Oasis of Peace: How to make peace relevant again between Palestinians and Israelis - Montefiore Hall

Hezzi Shouster is a long-time resident of Wahat al- Salaam - Neve Shalom (WASNS). He worked for 22 years as a communications teacher at the primary school. In 2016, he was appointed head of the WASNS Pluralistic Spiritual Community Center. In that position, Hezzi turned the PSCC into a center of culture, hosting Jewish & Palestinian authors, introducing cinema evenings and initiating an interfaith program for religious leaders.

After completing his term, Hezzi went back to the primary school and, among other things, was the school librarian. Today he resides in London with his family, and he volunteers with the British Friends of Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom.

Samah Salaime

10.30 pm - Oasis of Peace: How to make peace relevant again between Palestinians and Israelis - Montefiore Hall

Samah Salaime is a member of Wahat al- Salam/Neve Shalom, and she is currently head of the Communications and Development office for the WASNS Association of non-profit Educational Institutions. A social worker, peace activist and educator, Samah has been recognized for her years of leading the fight against gender-based violence. She founded Na’am Arab Women in the Center in 2009 to advance Arab women living in the mixed cities of Lod, Ramla and Jaffa and has been its director ever since. chairperson of Neve Shalom-Wahat al Salam’s Association of non-profit Educational In 2013 - 2014, she was a fellow at the prestigious Mandel School for Educational Leadership. Before taking on her current position, Salaime served as Institutions, which oversees the community’s School for Peace, Primary School and Pluralistic Spiritual Community Center.

In January 2018, Samah was named one of the top ten most influential activists in Israel by the daily Yedioth Aharonoth. Samah is a consistent contributor to Local Call/+972 Magazine, and is regularly called on by news media to speak on social issues in Israel. Samah was recently awarded a Rappaport Prize, and an award from The International Alliance for Women (TIAW), and she was elected to the Hebrew University Board of Governors.

Frances Marshall

11.15pm - Photo Project "Queer Religion" - Montefiore Hall

Winner of the Portrait of Britain 2023, Frances Marshall is a classical music and opera photographer. Her clients include some of the world’s greatest classical musicians and arts organisations. In 2017 Frances co-founded Marshall Light Studio with her wife and Design Director Sophie Light, providing photography and creative design services for the classical music and opera world. Her personal collections and projects focus on the themes of equality and connection.

Photo Project Queer Religion

11.15pm - Montefiore Hall

Queer Religion is a London-based collection created by Frances Marshall, spotlights and celebrates prominent queer leaders in religion. These queer leaders risk so much personally in order to live in their truth and create positive change within the monotheistic religions. The subjects captured openly identify as queer and by their very existence provide a safe space within institutions that actively promote queerphobia. Religious organisations still blend seamlessly into society and with that comes a deep spread of negative and dangerous views towards queer people, inviting discrimination and hate towards this often vulnerable community. Coming to terms with my own queerness in a Catholic community and education system was very difficult and painful. My goal is to shine light on these individuals that are unashamedly living their true selves, and demonstrating that being queer and having religious beliefs can beautifully coexist. This collection is purposefully shot in natural light in order to represent the normality of queer life in religion.

Hazel Summerfield

11.15pm - Do some Jewish values need to be adapted to save the planet? - A response to climate change - Assembly Hall (upstairs)

Hazel Summerfield is a Human Rights Consultant whose career focussed on policy surrounding protection and integration of minorities and Indigenous people, including protecting land rights and the environment.

She has worked in the UK and abroad for various Governments, NGOs and IGOs including The UN Commission for Human Rights. Hazel has been a trustee of various charities including Health Poverty Action. She was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Tyana Petrova

1.15am - Listening in a world of many opinions - Assembly Hall (upstairs)

Tyana Petrova is a Humanistic Therapist that is dedicated to raising Mental Health and Trauma awareness. Her experience working with individuals meets her passion for facilitating groups and creating and holding space for both therapeutic and non-therapeutic discussions. She has a keen interest for exploring the intersecting points between Progressive Judaism and Humanism.

Raffaelle Gelein

1.15am - Listening in a world of many opinions - Assembly Hall (upstairs)

Raffaelle Gelein is a mental health passionate. For the past 4 years, she has been raising awareness around mental health issues in the corporate world, where she practices as a financial services lawyer. Raffaelle is a founder and a chair of a mental health forum within the banking institution she works for. In this capacity, she moderates workshops and discussions contributing towards putting mental health at the forefront of corporate culture.

Listening in a world of many opinions

1.15am - Assembly Hall (upstairs)

How do we listen? What are our limits and boundaries when dialoguing with others? What can be the role of Jewish values and ethics in listening and how do we choose for them to guide us? We’ll be opening a facilitated discussion space considering the above questions and more. All are welcome to join us whether you wish to listen or contribute.

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