LIST OF SPEAKERS DaniellaAboody,JoelAbramovitz,RabbiAdinaAllen,RobertAlter,DeenaAranoff,BarryBarkan,RabbiYankyBell,Dr.ZviBellin,DavidBiale,RachelBiale,RachelBinstock,JoanBlades,RabbiShalomBochner,JonahSampsonBoyarin,RobinBraverman,RebaConnell,RabbiDavidCooper,RabbiMenachemCreditor,RabbiDianeElliot,JulieEmden,DannyFarkas,RonH.Feldman,RabbiYehudahFerris,EstelleFrankel,ZeligGolden,DorHaberer,OphirHaberer,RabbiMargieJacobs,RabbiBurtJacobson,AmeenaJandali,RabbiRebeccaJoseph,IlanaKaufman,RabbiYoelKahn,BinyaKoatz,RabbiDeanKertesz,ArikLabowitz,SusanLubeck,RaphaelMagarik,RabbiJacquelineMates-Muchin,JudyMassarano,Dr.DavidNeufeld,RabbiDevNoily,AmandaNube,MartinPotrop,MSW,AndrewRamer,RabbiDorothyRichman,NehamaRogozen,RabbiYosefRomano,AviRose,RabbiSaraLeyaSchley,DavidSchiller,NaomiSeidman,RabbiSaraShendelman,NoamSienna,MaggidJhosSinger,IditSolomon,JerryStrauss,MSW,MaharatVictoriaSutton,AmyTobin,ArielVegosen,RabbiPeretzWolf-Prusan,RabbiBridgetWynne,andTamarZaken SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS AquarianMinyan,BendTheArc:AJewishPartnershipforJustice,BerkeleyHillel,ChochmatHaLev,CongregationBethEl,CongregationBethIsrael,CongregationNetivotShalom,JCCEastBay,JewishCommunityHighSchooloftheBay,JewishFamily&CommunityServicesEastBay,JewishGateways,JewishLearningWorks,JewishStudioProject,KehillaCommunitySynagogue,Keshet,Kevah,LehrhausJudaica,MidrashainBerkeley,MinyanDafna,OrZaruaReconstructionistHavurahoftheEastBay,PJLibrary,RichardS.DinnerCenterforJewishStudies(CJS)attheGraduateTheologicalUnion,TehiyahDaySchool,TempleBethHillel,TempleSinai,TheReutlingerCommunity,UrbanAdamah,WildernessTorah,andYeashoreCommunity

We gratefully acknowledge the support of our individual donors and the following foundations: the Koret Foundation, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, Taube Philanthropies, the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, the Israel & Mollie Myers Foundation, and the Grossberg Abrams Foundation.

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TIME/ROOM TEACHERS TOPICS * Denotes use of musical instruments, AV, writing, etc. Ø Denotes Mindfulness/Contemplative Track 6:05p – 7:05p *Auditorium Jewish Renewal Mincha Service with Aquarian Minyan & Kehilla Community Synagogue (musical instruments used) *Yard Musical Ma’ariv Around the Fire with Wilderness Torah (musical instruments used) 7:15p – 8:15p Auditorium Traditional Egalitarian Ma’ariv Service South Hall Rabbi Burt Jacobson Martin Buber: Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land Rm 19 Orthodox Service Rm 20 Rabbi Bridget Wynne Balancing Compassion and Justice Rm 22 Martin Potrop, MSW All of Jewish History in One Hour! Library Tamar Zaken Tefillat Beit HaMidrash: Preparing Ourselves for Torah Study Ø Rm 7 Julie Emden Yoga and Torah: In the Desert (Ba-Midbar) Rm 13 Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan Learning from Heretics and Unfortunate Situations Center Rm Jerry Strauss, MSW Releasing Chronic Pain on Shavuot *Yard Wilderness Torah Songs, Stories, and Candlelighting Around A Fire (musical instruments used) Game Rm Chevruta Rm 14 Childcare begins at 8:00pm for pre-registered families 8:25p – 8:45p Auditorium Community Gathering and Welcome 8:45p – 9:10p Courtyard Kiddush, Handwashing, & Motzi 9:10p – 10:10p Please be mindful of arriving at your sessions as promptly as possible! Auditorium Amy Tobin with Joan Blades, Ilana Civic Engagement, Dialogue, and Fighting For What’s Right Kaufman, Susan Lubeck, & Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin South Hall David Biale Jewish Heresies Rm 19 Rabbi Yoel Kahn Midrash on Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah) Rm 20 Ameena Jandali & Andrew Ramer Times, Tides, and Texts Rm 22 Barry Barkan Meshiach is Birthing: We Are The Midwives, The Mother, and The Baby Library Rabbi Adina Allen The Art of Liberation Ø Rm 7 Rabbi Margie Jacobs Mindfulness Meditation: The Sound of Silence Rm 13 Rabbi Dean Kertesz Emil Fackenheim – A Second Revelation Yard Zelig Golden & Arik Labowitz Revelation from the Heart Game Rm Chevruta 10:20p – 11:20p Auditorium Robert Alter The Poetry of Yehuda Amichai South Hall Deena Aranoff Imeinu (Our Mother): Maternal Imagery in the Torah Rm 19 Rabbi Menachem Creditor On the Role of Prophecy Rm 20 Dr. David Neufeld We Were All There: The Covenant of Inclusion Rm 22 Rabbi Sara Shendelman Gam Zu Le Tova: All This Is for The Best Library Avi Rose & Rabbi Dev Noily Welcoming the Stranger Ø Rm 7 Estelle Frankel The Wisdom of Not Knowing – The Role of Words and Silence in Divine Revelation Rm 13 Rachel Biale And Yet They Persisted: When Women Challenged Rabbinical Authority Yard Dor Haberer & Rachel Binstock Shavuot and Our Relationship to the Harvest Beyond the Temple Game Rm Chevruta

11:30p – 12:30a Auditorium Naomi Seidman Freud and Id/dish South Hall Maharat Victoria Sutton Fences, Walls, and Evil Eyes – Oh My! Rm 19 Raphael Magarik “May God Bless and Keep the Czar…”: Praying for the Government Rm 20 Ron H. Feldman Echoes of Totalitarianism? Reading Arendt in the Present Moment Rm 22 Rabbi Idit Solomon Revelation, Relation, and Change Library Ariel Vegosen & Binya Koatz Joseph - The Man, The Femme, The Amazing Technicolor Rainbow Dreamcoat: Ancient and Modern Jewish Texts That Highlight Gender Outside the Binary Rm 7 Rabbi Dorothy Richman Preparing for Revelation Rm 13 Rabbi David Cooper Texts on a Multi-Cultural Holy Land – A Different Hatikva Yard Rabbi SaraLeya Schley & Divine Feminine and Mooncycles

Amanda Nube Game Rm Chevruta 12:40a – 1:40a Auditorium Rabbi Yehuda Ferris The First Chasid – The Ba’al Shem Tov: The Man and His Movement South Hall Maggid Jhos Singer Are You a Boy or a Girl? -- Talmudic Gender Journey Rm 19 Rabbi Shalom Bochner The Deeper Meaning of Blintzes on Shavuot Rm 20 Joel Abramovitz Citizenship, Judaism, and Resistance in Troubling Times Rm 22 Jonah Sampson Boyarin Translating a Yiddush-language Holocaust Memoir Library Resting Room Ø Rm 7 Rabbi Diane Elliot Opening the Channels of Blessing Rm 13 Nehama Rogozen Striving for Financial Justice in a Capitalist World: Finding “Tzedek” Beyond Tzedakah Yard Daniella Aboody Lost Stories and Traditions of Shavuot: Mizrahi and Sephardic Perspectives Game Rm Chevruta 1:50p – 2:50a Auditorium Judy Massarano Singing Torah: A Musical Walk through the Biblical (mostly) Prayerbook South Hall Rabbi Yosef Romano One Jew, Two Souls: Know Thyself Rm 19 Noam Sienna Muhammad in the Mahzor: Jihad in the Jewish Tradition Library Resting Room Ø Rm 7 Self-Guided Silent Meditation Rm 13 Robin Braverman What Do We Do with the Violence Committed by God in the Torah? Yard Danny Farkas Protect the Vulnerable Game Rm Chevruta 3:00a – 4:00a Auditorium Rabbi Yanky Bell Humans Vs. Angels: Receiving the Torah in 2017 South Hall Tikkun Teens Teen-led Learning Rm 19 Rabbi Rebecca Joseph Cheese, Please! Library Resting Room Ø Rm 7 Zvi Bellin Jewish Texts on Jewish Mindfulness Yard Ophir Haberer & David Schiller Counting of the Omer Sharing Council Game Rm Chevruta 4:10a – 5:10a Auditorium Maharat Victoria Sutton Orpah’s Legacy: Mother of Giants South Hall Raphael Magarik “The Ladder of the Law Has No Top and No Bottom”: Cain’s Trial Library Resting Room Ø Rm 7 Reba Connell Na’aseh: Mindful Tikkun Olam Yard Ophir Haberer & Zelig Golden Late Night Zohar and Kabbalah Study Game Rm Chevruta 5:20a – end Auditorium Combined Egalitarian Shacharit Service with Minyan Dafna South Hall Orthodox Shacharit Service with Congregation Beth Israel Library Resting Room Yard Dream Revelation by the Fire with Wilderness Torah Game Rm Chevruta Rm 14 Childcare ends at 7am, please pick up your children by this time.

WORKSHOPS 7:15pm–8:15pmSessionsMartin Buber: Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land Jewish philosopher Martin Buber was a religious humanist and Zionist. For almost 40 years he worked tirelessly to try to bring about justice, cooperation and peace between the two peoples. His example can help us persevere in our struggle to end the occupation and bring peace to Israel and Palestine. Rabbi Burt Jacobson is the Founding Rabbi of Kehilla Community Synagogue. (South Hall) Balancing Compassion and Justice How do we balance justice and compassion? A challenging question, whether in the realm of family, crime, or international conflict. Judaism holds that our world needs both qualities, so we will explore teachings that expand our understanding of each, and the relationship between them. Rabbi Bridget Wynne directs Jewish Gateways, an open and inclusive community based in the East Bay in which each individual and family can pursue a meaningful Jewish path. (Room 20) All of Jewish History in One Hour! Experience the dynamic panoply of 4,000 years of Jewish History as it unfolds. You’ll be in the vortex of history as it’s picture develops on the 4 walls around you. See how Jewish History fits together; locate yourself being a link in the ongoing chain of Jewish and World History. Marty Potrop, MSW is a Jewish educator, with a penchant for history and culture, a community organizer who was Director of Hillel at SFSU, who loves enabling people to become aware of where they are coming from, and perhaps, where they are going. (Room 22) Tefillat Beit HaMidrash: Preparing Ourselves for Torah Study In this session, we will examine two versions of Rabbi Nechunia Ben HaKna’s Prayer for the Beit Midrash (from the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds) to understand how we want our ‘house of study’ or Jewish classroom to feel and function. We will also explore commentary from Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron (former chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel) on this prayer and ask: Why do we need to pray before entering a Beit Midrash and what is supposed to go on during Beit Midrash study? Tamar Zaken, educator, organizer and community worker spent over a decade directing Beit Midrash Service Learning programs at Memizrach Shemesh – the Social Justice Beit Midrash inspired by Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jewish culture based in Jerusalem. (Library) Yoga and Torah: In the Desert (Ba-Midbar) Create spaciousness in your being for all of the Torah you are to receive tonight with a yoga practice infused with teachings from Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (The Sefat Emet) about emptying, the desert, wilderness, and not knowing. Loose, comfortable clothing in which you can easily move is recommended. Yoga mats will be provided. Julie Emden, RYT-500, is the founder of Embodied Jewish Learning, where we awaken the body as a gateway to Jewish wisdom and spirituality. (Room 7) Mindfullness/Comtemplative Track Learning from Heretics and Unfortunate Situations We will look at two texts that challenge us: In the first we are asked: Can we learn Torah from heretics, values the ideas of difficult people, and find wisdom from the ‘other side’. In the second text, we are confronted with the scenario of accommodating the lives of others who contradict societal norms and still remain in the community. Might change your life. Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan is Chief Program Officer and a senior educator at Lehrhaus Judaica. (Room 13) Releasing Chronic Pain on Shavuot Shavuot is the perfect time for us to connect to Hashem. It is difficult when you are in chronic pain or fear of future pain. This interactive workshop will help you personalize a release of pain process based on your own microsenses. Jerry Strauss, MSW, specializes in helping clients overcome pain, allergies, and phobias. (Center Room) Song, Stories, and Candle Lighting Around a Fire Come join Wilderness Torah for songs and stories connected to Earth-based Judaism and Shavuot around the fire to welcome in the Chag. Learn about earth-based Judaism and regenerative culture through the voices of many in the community. Rabbi Diane Elliot, Rabbi Lynn Gottleib, Rabbi SaraLeya Schley, Zelig Golden, Mikey Pauker, Aleksandra Dubov, Alexander Kugler, Ellie Schindleman, and Ophir Haberer, among others. (Yard) 9:10pm–10:10pmSessionsCivic Engagement, Dialogue, and Fighting For What’s Right This is a tumultuous moment in the United States. What is required of us as Jewish Americans, and how will we respond? Can we advance social justice and create civil discourse at the same time? What will it take to restore respectful dialogue across difference? What does Jewish tradition teach us about the line between what is moral and political? And do American Jews have a unique responsibility to fight for equal rights and safety for all? Amy Tobin is the CEO of JCC East Bay. Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Oakland. Ilana Kaufman is the Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Director at the Jewish Community Relations Council, East Bay. Joan Blades is the co-founder of Living Room Conversations, MoveOn.org, and MomsRising.org. Susan Lubeck is the National Field Director of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. (Auditorium)

Jewish Heresies Can a Jew be a heretic? And, if so, what kind? We will examine heresies from Korah in the Bible to Jesus and Elisha ben Abuya in the Talmud and Spinoza and Shabbtai Zvi at the end of the Middle Ages. David Biale is the Emanuel Ringelblum Professor of Jewish History at the University of California, Davis, is the author of ten books, including Eros and the Jews, Not in the Heavens: The Tradition of Jewish Secular Thought, and Cultures of the Jews: A New History and, forthcoming, Hasidism: A New History. (South Hall) Midrash on Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah) This session will explore a variety of the classic midrashic (Jewish Bible commentaries) on the events surrounding the revelation at Mt. Sinai, using the English edition of Agnon’s beautiful collection “Present at Sinai.” Texts famous and unfamiliar will expand and inform our understanding of what happened and why as seen through the ages by Jewish teachers. These stories are surprising, challenging, enlightening and a delight to encounter and of course especially appropriate to Shavout. Rabbi Yoel Kahn, Ph.D., is Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth El, Berkeley. (Room 19) Times, Tides, and Texts We will discuss the environmental and spiritual challenges of living in a time of climate change as we study relevant verses from Torah and Qur’an. Andrew Ramer is an ordained maggid and the author of Queering the Text and Torah Told Different. Ameena Jandali is a founding member of Islamic Networks Group and a regular speaker at schools, universities, and other venues on Islam and related subjects. (Room 20) Meshiach is Birthing. We Are The Midwives, The Mother, and The Baby This is the moment of the paradigm shift. The birth canal is a very narrow place. This session draws from learnings about “G-dding,” Eldering and “Doing” with Reb Zalman and Reb Shlomo, may their memories accelerate the healing. With his wife, Debora, Barry Barkan has been working for 40 years to transform the role of elder in the United States, Israel and Canada. (Room 22) The Art of Liberation The Torah teaches that we were freed in order to serve the Source of Freedom – but how? On our journey from liberation to revelation, we attempt connection to the Divine through two artistic endeavors that are at once strikingly similar and profoundly different: the creation of the Golden Calf and the construction of the Mishkan. Together we’ll dive into the text and ask why one form of art is condemned while the other is commanded as our new system for spiritual connection. Rabbi Adina Allen is co-founder and Creative Director of The Jewish Studio Project where she works to empower adults to activate their creativity and claim their role as inheritors and innovators of the Jewish tradition. (Library) Mindfulness Meditation: The Sound of Silence According to the midrash, in the moment before the Torah was given at Sinai there was complete silence. We will begin the evening with song, study and silent meditation, preparing our minds and hearts to receive wisdom this Shavuot. No meditation experience required. Rabbi Margie Jacobs has practiced mindfulness meditation for over 20 years and served as the regional director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. (Room 7) Emil Fackenheim – A Second Revelation Emil Fackenheim, the post-Holocause philosopher, writes of the “commanding voice of Auschwitz.” In this session we look at his claim of a new post-Holocaust revelation and discuss its impact on Jews today. Rabbi Dean Kertesz is the rabbi at Temple Beth Hillel, Richmond and teaches modern Jewish history at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco. (Room 13) Revelation From the Heart Join Zelig and Arik to open our hearts around the fire. Through joyful music and Chasidic texts, we will explore the heart of revelation so we can reveal our own hearts. Come ready to sing, learn and open your heart! Zelig Golden is the Founding Director of Wilderness Torah, which awakens and celebrates the earth-based traditions of Judaism. Arik Labowitz specializes in working with individuals and communities that are looking to connect with Judaism as a heart-centered and embodied spiritual path. He combines his knowledge and experience of traditional Judaism together with a passion for music, wonder, and creativity. Arik has been teaching Jewish spirituality, leading services and officiating lifecycle rituals for the past twenty years. (Yard) 10:20pm–11:20pmSessionsThe Poetry of Yehuda Amichai Yehuda Amichai, one of the great poets of the 20th century, was deeply engaged in the texts of Jewish tradition, in the most inventive and often adversarial or subversive ways. His imaginative challenges to tradition are bracing and instructive. We will consider them through close readings of two or three poems. Robert Alter is the Emeritus Professor of Hebrew & Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley and the editor of The Poetry of Yehuda Amichai. (Auditorium) Imeinu (Our Mother): Maternal Imagery in the Torah The possibility that the Hebrew root term for faithfulness – aleph, mem, nun – has its origins in the maternal process of childrearing opens up new and rich possibilities for interpreting its maniford appearances throughout the Torah and classical Jewish literature. Join us for an exploration of the maternal associations of this term as it appears in a selection of classical Jewish texts. Deena Aranoff is Faculty Director of the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She teaches rabbinic literature, medieval patterns of Jewish thought, as well as the broader question of continuity and change in Jewish history. Deena is also a community educator and teaches Bible, rabbinics and Jewish mysticism throughout the Bay Area. (South Hall)

On the Role of Prophecy The overwhelmed soul that still sings, the brave voice that breaks – what manner of person is the prophet? Join a text-driven conversation with Rabbi Creditor about the role and personalities of the Prophets and the possible influence they might have on modern Jewish communities! Menachem Creditor is the Rabbi at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley and the founder of Rabbis Against Gun Violence, as well as a contributor to the Huffington Post and The Times of Israel. (Room 19) We Were All There: The Covenant of Inclusion Jewish tradition teaches that we were all at Mt. Sinai for the giving of the Torah – everyone had access, and everyone was included. How do we ensure that we live that message in our schools and shuls today; that each of us, regardless of learning style or ability, has a seat at the table? Join us for a discussion of what Judaism has to say about this covenant of inclusion. Dr. David Neufeld is the director of the INCLUDE Special Needs Initiative at Jewish LearningWorks, offering support for special needs inclusion to educators, institutions, and families all over the Bay Area. (Room 20) Gam Zu Le Tova – All This Is For The Best Living in joy despite the difficulties of the world and thus creating healing for yourself and those around you is the mission. Divine guidance rules the world. In this class we will understand our role in discerning and getting in touch with this even as the world seems dangerous and fearful. The basis is freedom from all that pulls at us, which can be attained through mysticism and feeling the light. We will look at our own personal guidance and learn tools to recognize and be one with our path. Rabbi Sara Shendelman is a teacher, author, and artist who has been active in Jewish Renewal since its beginning. She has released CDs of her music and a new book, Spiritual Bankruptcy and How to Avoid It, coming out soon. (Room 22) Welcoming The Stranger Welcoming the Stranger is a core imperative of Jewish tradition, reinforced by our own long history of needing to seek refuge. In this moment of extreme vulnerability for refugees, immigrants, and other “others,” we’ll delve into its origins along with current interpretations and implications. Please join Rabbi Dev Noily of Kehilla Community Synagogue and Avi Rose, Executive Director of Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay, for this exploration. (Library) The Wisdom of Not Knowing – The Role of Words and Silence in Divine Revelation Revelation entails the uncovering of previously unknown mysteries. At Sinai, it occurs through words and silence, a “knowing” that emerges from “not knowing.” This session will offer a contemplative exploration of traditional legends and mystical teachings about Sinai. Estelle Frankel is a therapist and author of The Wisdom of Not knowing. (Room 7) Mindfulness/Contemplative Track And Yet They Persisted: When Women Challenged Rabbinical Authority Women challenge the authority of the Rabbis in a variety of ways: head-on confrontation, guileful queries and subtle undermining. We will read and interpret several Talmudic stories of “uppity women” in action and examine how the men in charge (rabbis and husbands) react to women’s agency. Rachel Biale is the author of Women and Jewish Law plus several children’s books, and has lectured in the U.S., Israel and Europe on women, gender, and sexuality in Jewish tradition. (Room 13) Shavuot and Our Relationship to the Harvest Beyond the Temple Shavuot is agricultural in roots - it originated as a harvest festival. Why did Shavuot transform from a simple harvest festival to arguably one of the, if not the most, important holidays in Judaism? And what do harvest offerings look like in modern times without the temple? Join Dor and Rachel to engage in deep questions on how to honor this special harvest festival in the context of today. Dor Haberer is a permaculturist and farmer in the Eastern Sierras. He managed the farm at Ramah in the Rockies for the past three years and is exploring deeply the intersection of permaculture and Judaism. Rachel Binstock is at Urban Adamah as JOFEE Fellow and Senior Farm Educator, excited to ferment into a more seasoned teacher of wonder and facilitator of earth-based spiritual practice. (Yard) 11:30pm–12:30amSessionsFreud and Id/dish “My unconscious speaks Yiddish,” writes the psychoanalyst Max Kohn; Max Weinreich called the YIVO archives the “collective unconscious” of the Jewish people. In this session, we will explore the connection between Freud and Yiddish, including the Yiddish in Freud, Yiddish translations of Freud, and the overlap between psychic notions of the self and Jewish conceptions of the “mameloshn.” Naomi Seidman is Koret Professor of Jewish Culture at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. (Auditorium) Fences, Walls and Evil Eyes – Oh My! We all know the adage “Good fences make good neighbors.” But does the Ayin Hara (“Evil Eye”) have any impact on zoning laws? Rabbinic codes about good neighbor laws explore concept of hezek reiyah: a violation of privacy or a more sinister damage caused by seeing what we ought not to? Maharat Victoria Sutton is the Director of Education and Community Engagement at Congregation Beth Israel, Berkeley. (South Hall) “May God Bless and Keep the Czar...”: Praying for the Government Should we say public prayers for the American government? What should they be? Does it matter what we think of the current regime? We’ll try to give some historical perspective to present-day questions about Jewishness and American politics. Raffi Magarik is a PhD candidate at Berkeley, an educator for

Kevah, and one of the organizers of Minyan Dafna. (Room 19) Echoes of Totalitarianism? Reading Arendt in the Present Moment Immediately after the Fall election, Hannah Arendt’s classic, “The Origins of Totalitarianism” sold out on Amazon. We will read some key passages from her work and discuss how the present political moment in America and the world may or may not find an eerie echo in the politics of the first half of the 20th century. Ron H. Feldman is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union, edited The Jewish Writings of Hannah Arendt, and is the Chief Financial Officer at the JCC East Bay. You can find more of his writing at ronhfeldman.com. (Room 20) Revelation, Relation and Change Communal and individual narratives of divine revelation in Torah have interesting similarities and differences. Through text study and discussion, we will consider how revelation affects those in the experience and how the nature of revelation might affect the ways we relate to others in our own lives. Rabbi Idit Solomon is an educator and the founder and CEO of Hasidah, Jewish infertility support organization. (Room 22) Joseph – The Man, The Femme, The Amazing Technicolor Rainbow Dream-Coat: Ancient and Modern Jewish Texts That Highlight Gender Outside the Binary Journey into sacred texts that reveal gender outside the binary an dour ancient forefathers as Trans-Femme patriarchs. Learn how the rabbis admired gender fluidity that burst open preconceived notions of a binary gender system in our ancient and modern worlds – from Jacob and Esau’s incredibly beautifully messy mix of presentation, to Joseph’s feminine beauty and the famous bejeweled coat as an intergenerational queer heirloom, to Adam and Eve as one multi-gendered being, to six genders in the Talmud. This Shavuot lets burn the midnight oil of gender expansion. People of all genders and backgrounds welcome. All terms and sources will be translated and explained. Leading the workshop are two amazing Keshet facilitators: Ariel Vegosen is a gender inclusivity trainer, Jewish educator, founder of Gender Illumination www.genderillumination.com, lover of sparkles, Kohenet Priestess, and world traveler. Binya Koatz is a Brown University graduate, Trans Jew, and voracious student of tradition. (Library) Preparing for Revelation According to Jewish mystics, at midnight on Shavuot, the heavens open. Together we will prepare for the midnight hour with song and study and when the heavens open, we will be sitting together, listening deeply to the moment. Dorothy Richman is Rabbi of Makor Or: A Jewish Center for Meditation. (Room 7) Mindfulness/Contemplative Track Texts on a Multi-Cultural Holy Land – A Different Hatikva The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) describes in many texts a vision of or hope for a future where the land is the restored home of the Hebrew people. Some exclusivists use the Tanakh as a property deed to the Jewish people while disregarding the prophetic texts that describe the hope (the tikvah) of return as actually one for a multi-cultural homeland, one that is not exclusively Jewish. These texts also describe that the settling of the land is provisional, that it is conditioned upon acting with justice and equality for all its inhabitants. We will be looking at a few texts that exclusivists have disregarded. Rabbi David J. Cooper is a co-founder of Kehilla Community Synagogue, which he has served as rabbi since 1999. He has recently returned from Israel/Palestine where he participated with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. (Room 13) Divine Feminine and Moon Cycles Embedded in traditional Jewish practice is a deep respect for the divine feminine as personified by the moon. Explore how moon cycles – independent of gender – reflect our ongoing inner psycho-spiritual journey. Each month, during her waxing phase, we chant and dance to her with a prayer called Kiddush Levana, the Sanctification of the Moon, invoking a time when the light of the sun and the light of the moon will again be equal. Rabbi SaraLeya will guide us through this practice and share with us the rabbinic mythology of the moon’s diminishment. Amanda will guide us to deepen and personalize our relationship with the Sivan moon through story and song. Amanda Nube is the author of Healing Mana and a Kohenet (Hebrew Priestess) in training. Rabbi SaraLeya Schley is a local community rabbi with ties to communities across denominations. (Yard) 12:40am–1:40amSessionsThe First Chasid – The Ba’al Shem Tov: The Man and his Movement The Chasidic movement was founded in the eighteenth century by Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem. What is the story of this man and what was his mission? Enjoy a biography of R. Yisrael ben Eliezer, and a glimpse of his teachings and the revolution he sparked. With Rabbi Yehuda Ferris. (Auditorium) Are You a Boy or a Girl? – Talmudic Gender Journey Two thousand or so years ago the Rabbis of the Talmud were already onto the notions of gender fluidity and gender queerness. We will learn a few ancient teachings to glean wisdom and insight for the burgeoning gender revolution of our own times. All Hebrew levels, genders and pronouns welcome! Jhos Singer is the Maggid (Jewish Preacher) and a community leader at Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley and The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. (South Hall) The Deeper Meanings of Blintzes on Shavuot Dairy Foods have an ancient connection with Shavuot, but why? What can we learn from this culinary custom that can add meaning to our observance and understanding of this mystical holiday? With text study and discussion, we’ll look at the deeper levels of eating blintzes and cheesecake. Rabbi Shalom Bochner is the spiritual leader and education director at Congregation Beth Shalom in Modesto. (Room 19)

Citizenship, Judaism, and Resistance in Troubling Times How do we activate our own sense of civic responsibility when our leaders, government, and society are operating in a moral framework different from ours? This is a question that the Jewish tradition wrestles with from Torah until today. We’ll look at textual sources that present different perspectives on the roles of citizenship, dissent, and resistance – and reflect on how this applies to us in 2017. Joel Abramovitz is Jewish Studies and Middle School Principal at Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City and serves on the Bay Area Chapter Council of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. (Room 20) Translating A Yiddish-Language Holocaust Memoir Mordkhe Volfshaut-Dinkes grew up as a yeshiva bokhur in interwar Poland, then became a secular, left-wing Zionist activist and union organizer in his home city of Przemysl. We will hear a reading of an excerpt from Volfshaut-Dinkes’ Holocaust memoir (translated from Yiddish to English), as well as reflections on the translation process from his translator, Jonah Sampson Boyarin. We’ll also discuss what resources for collectively resisting anti-semitism and racism today might lie in studying Yiddish language as well as the Holocaust. Jonah Sampson Boyarin is a Jewish educator and activist and a 2016-2017 Translation Fellow at the National Yiddish Book Center. (Room 22) Opening the Channels of Blessing Revisiting the qualities of the kabbalistic sefirot, which were awakened and refreshed in the Omer period between Pesach and Shavuot, we’ll open the channels of our bodies and minds to receive revelation. Our time together will include gentle movement, breath, chanting, and silence. Rabbi Diane Elliot, RSMT, is a spiritual teacher and counselor, dancer, ritual leader, and the founding director of the Alliance for Jewish Renewal’s Embodying Spirit, En-spiriting training program. (Room 7) Mindfulness/Contemplative Track Striving for Financial Justice in a Capitalist World: Finding “Tzedek” Beyond Tzedakah Some of us take our bank accounts, credit cards, and 401Ks for granted – but in a world where almost half of Americans can’t come up with $400 in an emergency, we need to ask tough questions about what financial justice means. Let’s use Jewish teachings to understand how to shape a world where everyone has the ability to meet their basic needs, and access to the financial products that make that a reality. Nehama Rogozen works for the City and County of San Francisco’s Office of Financial Empowerment, holds a master’s in development practice from UC Berkeley, and helped create Minyan Dafna. (Room 13) Lost Stories and Traditions of Shavuot: Mizrahi and Sephardic Perspectives It is said that the Torah has “70 faces,” and yet is still one, unified Torah. In this hour, we will honor the rich diversity within Judaism by shining light on the Jews native to the Middle East and North Africa, and giving voice to our community members of this heritage. Join us outside around the Wilderness Torah fire to get a taste of Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewry: come hear folktales and personal stories, and learn on Shavuot traditions from Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia and more. Daniella Aboody is an Iraqi-Israeli-American woman, an active Wilderness Torah community member and educator, and is passionate about connecting others to their inner-wisdom and sense of wonder. (Yard) 1:50am–2:50amSessionsSinging Torah: A Musical Walk Through the Biblical (Mostly) Prayerbook The word “Torah” (and its derivates) shows up in both predictable and surprising places in the traditional Siddur. Let’s journey in song together in the wee hours, as we celebrate the Book of Books in its many liturgical contexts. Judy Massarano is a local teacher and singer of Torah to students of all ages. (Auditorium) One Jew, Two Souls: Know Thyself There is nothing more empowering than knowing oneself. In his magnum opus, Tanya, the Alter Rebbe dissects the human psyche and clearly lays out and describes all of its components providing us with an instruction manual of sorts that has propelled millions to true spiritual fulfillment. In this class, we will explore the initial elements that are at the root of every Jew: the two souls. With Rabbi Yosef Romano. (South Hall) Muhammad in the Mahzor: Jihad in the Jewish Tradition A story about the prophet Muhamman (unnamed) appears in the Artscroll High Holiday prayerbook. How did it get there? In tracing the roots of this story, we discover a shared tradition about spiritual struggle, enriched by centuries of Jewish-Muslim conversation and collaboration. Noam Sienna is a Jewish educator, artist, and graduate student in Sephardic History at the University of Minnesota. (Room 19) Silent Meditation Join us in self-directed silent meditation. Please help co-create this sacred space by refraining from all conversation within and just outside the room. (Room 7) Mindfulness/Contemplative Track What Do We Do With the Violence Committed by God in the Torah? Violence continues to plague our world, raising questions about the role religion, any religion, may play in inspiring violence. God behaves violently in many places throughout the Torah. As Jews, the role model of a God who repeatedly behaves in angry, violent ways in our most sacred text presents obstacles for many of us in embracing Torah as truth. This night, as we receive Torah anew, let us wrestle together with God-violence in Torah. Robin Braverman teaches creative approaches to Jewish learning and practice that express Jewish values in social action and everyday life and go beyond Jewish denominational differences. (Room 13)

Protect the Vulnerable “And if your neighbor becomes poor and their means fail them with you, then you shall strengthen them and the live amongst you.” From the foundation of the Jewish mitzvah of taking care of the vulnerable we will explore text and implement lessons into modern day action. Danny Farkas is a life-long experiential Jewish educator currently with the Jewish Teen Foundations as a Project Director. (Yard) 3:00am–4:00amSessionsHumans vs. Angels: Receiving the Torah in 2017 Moses went up to the heavens where he encountered the angels in conversation with the Almighty. Why not give us the Torah, they asked? A valid question after all; aren’t the angels in better shape than humankind to receive such holy commandments that require so much spirituality? If we observe only 2 or 3 Mitzvot, how can we ever make a difference if G-D gave us 613? Rabbi Yanky Bell and his wife Shternie live in El Cerrito, where they recently founded the Chabad Jewish Center, a great resource to the many Jews in the area. (Auditorium) Teen-Led Learning When else but Shavuot will you get to have an open-ended chevruta at 4 in the morning with some awesome, engaged teens. Inquiring minds want to know! (South Hall) Cheese, Please! Enjoy this slightly irreverent foray into the history and lore of cheese-making in antiquity while tasting some fresh cheese and accompaniments based on ancient recipes. Rabbi Rebecca Joseph is anthropologist, chef, and founder of 12 Tribes, the Bay Area’s original farm-to-table kosher caterer. She is writing a culinary companion to the Babylonian Talmud. (Room 19) Jewish Texts on Jewish Mindfulness Learn classic Jewish texts that sparked the practice of contemporary Jewish mindfulness. Dr. Zvi Bellin is an Assistant Professor of Holistic Counseling Psychology at JFKU, the Director of the Holistic Research Center, and a licensed professional clinical counselor. (Room 7) Mindfulness/Contemplative Track Counting of the Omer Sharing Council Join Wilderness Torah for a council on sharing your Omen experiences from Passover to Shavuot, whether you counted the Omer or just tuned in to the changes that were going on that the time. What was your personal journey between exodus and revelation? With Wilderness Torah Festivals and Leadership Manger Ophir Haberer, and David Schiller, who has been an active leader in the Wilderness Torah community, both in festivals and youth programs. (Yard) 4:10am–5:10amSessionsOrpah’s Legacy: Mother of Giants While Orpah fades from the Biblical text of Ruth at the start of the story, she lives on in midrashic lore as the mother of Goliath – a tale full of sordid details. Why does this obscure, minor Biblical character live a double life in the Midrash? Maharat Victoria Sutton is the Director of Education and Community Engagement at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley. (Auditorium) “The Ladder of the Law Has No Top and No Bottom”: Cain’s Law Why doesn’t Cain get the death penalty? Through looking at the story of the world’s first murderer, we’ll ask basic questions about criminal justice, and in particular ponder what it might mean for a judge to be implicated in the crime they’re judging. As it’s four in the morning, there’ll be some heresy to keep you awake. Raffi Magarik is a PhD candidate at Berkeley, an educator for Kevah, and one of the organizers of Minyan Dafna. (South Hall) Na’aseh: Mindful Tikkun Olam We will study contemporary/ancient midrash on Resistance and explore how to change the world from mindful awareness as Jews and allies. Integration of mindful practice with activism will be explored. Reba Connell teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Better Mood, Naturally: Mindful Eating with the Brain in Mind. She has been writing midrashic poetry for 30 years. She is a lay leader at Or Zarua, Reconstructionist Havurah of the East Bay, www.orzaruaeastbay.org. Join us in Albany the first Saturday in June! (Room 7) Mindfulness/Contemplative Track Late Night Zohar and Kabbalah Study Come experience deeper, higher states of perception as we delve into a few mystical texts of the Zohar in the magic stillness of the predawn time period. Ophir Haberer is the Festival and Leadership Manager of Wilderness Torah and Zelig Golden is the Founding Director of Wilderness Torah. (Yard)

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