Hataitai
Wellington
New Zealand
A lecture series aimed at educating and bringing Wellington’s Jewish community together is flourishing.
Kia Ora Torah, began last year, and is going from strength-to-strength, attracting about 40 guests per lecture.
The multidisciplinary Limmud–style lectures take place every Monday night at The Realm, Hataitai’s watering-hole.
Jeremy Smith, the Realm’s owner, is also the president of Temple Sinai, Wellington’s Progressive Jewish Congregation.
Kia Ora Torah co-ordinator, Michelle Gezentsvey Lamy hopes the series will foster a sense of community, and make guests feel proud of their Jewish heritage.
“The most amazing thing is we’re inviting capable people from our community to share their knowledge with us.”
Speakers have included Steven Sedley and Luca Quaglia, Dr Hal Levine, Rabbi Adi Cohen, and JoEllen Dukor on such subjects as the history of Jews in Hungary and Italy, reactions to shechita restrictions, Jewish sex, mother and baby, and Jewish meditation.
Dr Gezentsvey Lamy was inspired to start the group after she and her husband attended an adult Jewish education course at the Orthodox centre Edmond Fleg in Paris.
Leon Ben Baruk will be speaking about North African Jewry.
He will be commuting from Wanganui for the presentation, and Dr Gezentsvey Lamy says this illustrates the wide perspective of speakers to the group.
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