12 Rabbis to present at LimmudVan ’16

Seldom if ever before have so many rabbis of such diverse backgrounds come together to share so much wisdom and knowledge in one day at a community sponsored event.

Twelve rabbis – from Chassidic to Jewish Renewal – will be among 36 presenters leading sessions at LimmudVan ’16 on Sunday, January 31.

In what is shaping up to be a historic moment in Vancouver, the day of learning at Congregation Beth Israel will have pulpit rabbis, community rabbis, rabbinical scholars, spiritual leaders and teachers who are rabbis. They come from Chabad Richmond, Beth Hamidrash, Schara Tzedeck, Temple Sholom, Or Shalom, ALEPH, the academic world and King David High School. They have been ordained in Israel, New York, Montreal and Cincinnati.

The full schedule including all presenters and session topics will be rolled out in the coming days. Registration is now open.

The list of rabbis presenting at LimmudVan ’16 in alphabetical order include:
Rabbi Ilan Acoca – spiritual leader of Vancouver’s Congregation Beth Hamidrash; a certified mohel; received his rabbinical ordination from the Rabbinical Institution Yeshiva Gedola Beth Hamidrash L’Horaah in Montreal; member of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of British Columbia, the Rabbinical Association of Vancouver and the Rabbinical Council of America where he serves as the head of the Sephardic affinity group.
Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman – community leader, spiritual mentor and educator in Judaism and Chassidut; with his wife Chanie, the founding directors of Chabad of Richmond; received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshivat Tomechei Tmimim College in New York; helped re-establish the Jewish community in Minsk.
Rabbi Lindsey Bat Joseph – executive director of Sol Mark Centre for Jewish Excellence; philosophy instructor at Alexander College, Vancouver; provides rabbinical services through out Western Canada; ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati; former Rabbi educator at Edmonton’s Temple Beth Ora; former Rabbi at Kelowna’s Beth Shalom.
Rabbi Eliezer Ben-YehudaRabbi-at-Large serving as guest Rabbi, prayer leader and lecturer in pulpits in the US, Canada, Europe and Israel; Jewish chaplain for V.A.; campus Rabbi at Indiana University of PA; published articles in magazines and newspapers in Hebrew, English, and French; published pamphlets on Judaism, the Holocaust, Zionism and the rebirth of Israel; has written two books.
Rabbi Stephen Berger – head of Judaics at Vancouver’s King David High School; received rabbinical ordination in Israel.
Rabbi Dr. Robert Daum co-leads an international research consortium of nine interdisciplinary teams at 21 universities in nine countries; academic researcher; a Fellow at SFU’s Centre for Dialogue, advises the Office of the Vice-President for Student Engagement at UBC; a director of The Laurier Institution and of Reconciliation Canada.
Rabbi Hannah Dresner – spiritual leader of Or Shalom; ordained by the ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal; Fellow of Rabbis Without Borders.
Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan – director of Inter-religious Studies and professor of Jewish Studies at Vancouver School of Theology; faculty member at ALEPH ordination programs; professor emerita of philosophy at UNC-Charlotte; Rabbi emerita at Or Shalom Synagogue; recipient of Carnegie Foundation’s U.S. Professor of the Year Award; Rabbinic ordination from ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal; written dozens of articles and a book and edited multiple anthologies.
Rabbi Dan Moskovitz – Senior Rabbi of Temple Sholom; author of numerous articles and publications including The Men’s Seder (MRJ Press), an experiential journey through the Passover Seder for Jewish men; frequent lecturer to Jewish professional groups on the use of technology in Jewish organizations, and Jewish men’s issues.
Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt – Rabbi at Schara Tzedeck Congregation; received semicha from Yeshiva University in New York; the great grandson of Yossle Rosenblatt and grandson of Rabbi Dr. Samuel Rosenblatt; graduated from Columbia University with a bachelors degree in chemistry and English literature; masters degree in science bio-organic chemistry.
Rabbi Hanna Tiferet Siegel– a mashpia’ah ruchanit on the ALEPH Hashpa’ah faculty; co-founded Or Shalom in Vancouver with her husband Reb Daniel Siegel; recently served as rabbi of Boston’s B’nai Or; recorded eight albums of healing and heart-centered music.
Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Rabbinic director of ALEPH Canada; co-founded Or Shalom with Rabbi Hanna Tiferet; founding member of the Academic Vaad of the ALEPH ordination program and currently teaches a course for senior rabbinical students; first person to receive semichah from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi; former Hillel director in Vancouver, Jewish chaplain at Dartmouth College and Rabbinic director of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal.