Please contact Mel Weiss at [email protected] with any questions!
Check Out Highlights from our 2024 Conference Schedule
Including links from selected sessions for further reading!
1:15-2:15 PM
One Midrash, Two Midrash, Old Midrash, New Midrash with Rabbi Leah Berkowitz
T‘filah Workshop: Finding Your Why with Rabbi Sam Weiss
The Israeli Diaspora—Betrayal, Contradiction, or Opportunity? with Gahl Rinat
To Be at Home in the World with Rabbi Rachel Isaacs
Find the source sheet here!
Learn to Tell Your Jewish Climate Story: A Session for Teens and Adults with Samm Kaiser and high school students from the Jewish Youth Climate Network
Maine Roots Programming with Sarah Rockford
Kids’ Programming: Hebrew Games with Raizel McNally, and babysitting
2:30-3:30 PM
Everybody Can Trope with Cantor Sheila Nesis
Bringing Local Back to Kosher: Ancient Practices for Modern Times with Robert Friedman of Robariah Farms
Unexpected Lessons from the Cairo Geniza with Rabbi Marjorie Berman
See slides, extra readings, plus an extended slide show by Dr. Rebecca Jefferson
Though Shalt Zip Thy Lips? Jewish Perspectives on Free Speech with Rabbi Sara Rich
Security, Freedom, and Public Service During Trying Times with Danna Hayes, Molly Curren Rowles, and Zach Heiden.
See a source sheet from Zach Heiden on this topic here.
Seeking Spirituality: The Intersection of Psychedelics and the American Jewish Spiritual Experience with JennyBess Chaim
6:30
Early Zionist Approaches to the Arabs of Palestine with Lauren Cohen Fisher
Mishnayot of Bava Metzia with Rabbi Heather Renetzky
Mapping the Journey: the Mourner and the Soul with Jean Berman
For more information, visit kavodvnichum.org and shomercollective.org
Keeping Jewish Communities Safe and Secure (presented by The Jewish Federations of North America) with Debra Grant and Tony Neves
Maine Roots Programming with Shani Mink of the Jewish Farmer Network
Family Storytime with Rabbi Leah Berkowitz
7:45-8:45 PM
What does Blessing Do? with David Mahfouda
The American Synagogue and the COVID-19 Pandemic with Julie Levey
Faith in a New World: How Sermons (and Forward articles) Shape our American Jewish Identity with Joe Blumberg
Moshiach: A Modern Understanding of the Messiah throughout Jewish Tradition with Rabbi Andy Gordon
The Shalosh Regalim and Maine with Lorin Troderman
An Exploration of Shabbat Love with Rabbi Danielle Leshaw
Sunday June 23, 2024
9:15-10:15 AM
Hope in a Time of Climate Crisis with Rabbi Daniel Swartz
Source sheet here.
Angry Prayers and the Talmud with Sarah Rockford
Caring for the Dead in Ancient Israel with Kerry Sonia
Write Your Own Story: A Megillah Making Workshop with Meryl Troop
Intro to Jewish Agricultural Time with Shani Mink
International Law, the International Court of Justice, and Israel’s War in Gaza with Ken Rodman
Find Professor Rodman’s suggested reading list here.
Kids’ Programming: Fabric Art with Joey LeBlanc
10:30-11:30 AM
The Rabbi in the Attic: Evolving Images of the Rabbi in Literature, TV, and Film with Rabbi Leah Berkowitz
Battle of the Niggunim with Cantor Sheila Nesis (a special session for past and present participants in the Shlichei Tzibur program)
The Many Faces of Yentl with Sarah Biskowitz
Meet the Artists: a moderated conversation in the gallery
Courage to Dream: Rabbi Sally Priesand and the Rise of Women in the Rabbinate with Robin Asch
Now More than Ever: Jewish Life on Film presented by the Maine Jewish Film Festival
BeAware – An Introduction to Situational Awareness (presented by The Jewish Federations of North America) with Debra Grant and Tony Neves (please note that this session requires pre-registration)
11:30 AM-12:45 PM
Lunch
12:45-1:30 PM
Closing Ceremony Niggun Circle with Joe Blumberg
2-3 PM
Come see Waterville’s new mikvah at Beth Israel Congregation.
FAQ
When is the Conference?
The Conference will be held June 21-23, 2024, in Waterville.
Who should I contact with questions?
Melanie Weiss: [email protected]
How can I get updates on the Conference?
Like us on Facebook! You can also scroll to the bottom of this page and register for our monthly newsletter for program information.
Housing Information:
Dorm rooms at Thomas College are available for the entire weekend. If you would prefer to stay off campus, please make a reservation at one of Waterville’s hotels or B&Bs.
Other Hotels Include:
If coming by bus, Concord Coach does not run to Waterville over the summer. Only Greyhound provides direct service. However, Concord Coach does stop in Augusta year-round, and one can order a taxi from Augusta to Waterville.
Colby is located on Mayflower Hill, overlooking the small city of Waterville, Maine, just 15 minutes north of Maine’s capital, Augusta. Waterville is home to 15,000 residents and boasts a downtown district that features a municipal auditorium (the Waterville Opera House), one of America’s great independent cinemas (three screens), and many locally owned businesses including restaurants, bakeries, retail stores, and a brewery. Visitors will also find a half-dozen hotels, two hospitals, a multiplex movie theater, and nationally recognized businesses—Starbucks, Home Depot, and many fast food chains—within city limits.
