The spirit of Judaism

The Lo Bashamayim Festival, which will take place for the 16th year at Tel Hai College in the Upper Galilee, covers numerous aspects of Jewish interest.

By BARRY DAVIS
Singer Natanella (photo credit: GUY KUSHI AND YARIV FINE)
Singer Natanella
(photo credit: GUY KUSHI AND YARIV FINE)
Betwixt the plethora of fun cultural events taking place across the length and breadth of the country, there are several slots that address more serious topics.
The Lo Bashamayim Festival, which will take place for the 16th year at Tel Hai College in the Upper Galilee, covers numerous aspects of Jewish interest, with a three-day program that offers lectures, shows, panel discussions, classes and various sessions with researchers, educators and artists.
The activities (in Hebrew) kick off on Tuesday morning with several hikes around the region, which offer definitively educational and informational benefits. The Cultural Heroes in the Valley hike will begin in the Beit She’arim National Park, near Tivon, which was the seat of the Sanhedrin between the second and fourth centuries CE, and the nearby monument to Alexander Zaid, who was a prominent figure of the Second Aliya.
The festival officially opens at 4 p.m. at the college on Tuesday with an intriguing session called Jewish Philosophy and the Challenges of the Present – A Tribute to Prof. Aviezer Ravitzky.
Friends and colleagues of the 70-year-old Israel Prize laureate philosophy lecturer and writer will participate in a panel discussion on the contemporary relevance of Jewish philosophy.
On the panel will be Prof. Avi Sagi, Prof. Moshe Halbertal, Prof. Ella Belfer and Dr. Avinoam Rosenak. During the course of the festival, disciples of Ravitzky will present research work inspired by their teacher.
There will be more contemporary fare on offer later on Tuesday when writer and historian Prof. Fania Oz-Salzberger takes a look at reasons for the mass movement of Israelis to Berlin.
Oz-Salzberger released a book on the subject a full 15 years ago, and since then the transition trickle has become a deluge.
Postmodern mind-sets also feature in the Lo Bashamayim fray, as journalist and writer Hanoch Daum will moderates the quizzically titled session “About Satire and Boundaries, or Not.” Daum will be joined by theater director and writer Shmulik Hasfari, poet and scriptwriter Nili Osherov, journalist Avishai Ivri, and comic book writer and artist Uri Fink for an intriguing and no doubt entertaining look at just how far a satirist can go with the touchy subject of bereavement.
Other leading subjects of discussion at the festival include cultural pluralism, poetry, Jewish renewal, circumcision, and political violence in the Bible.
There will also be plenty of quality musical entertainment over the three days, including the Night in the Galilee show fronted by actor-comedian Nathan Datner and featuring singers Keren Hadar, Natanella and Idan Haim David, who will perform new arrangements to Israeli classics. The theme of the show is the centenary of kibbutz communities in the Upper Galilee.
For more information: (04) 681-6481 and www.lo-bashamayim.org.il