National Jewish Retreat 2019: Full Schedule

Schedule is Subject to Change

3:30pm EDT

The Jewish Art of Happiness

If happiness is an ”inalienable” right, why are we constantly searching for it? Is happiness really a life goal? In this profound talk, Yael helps us view happiness through a Jewish lens, in order to find it, perhaps, where we least expect it.

Speakers

Mrs. Yael Trusch

Jewish Latin Princess

Tuesday August 13, 2019 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

3:30pm EDT

When Pigs are Kosher

The coming of the Messiah (Moshiach) will be a game-changer. In addition to peace on earth, the return of the dead, and our reunion in Israel, the Messianic Age will bring specific aspects of Halacha (Jewish law), including pigs becoming Kosher. Imagine that

Speakers

Rabbi Manis Friedman

Dean and Founder, Beis Chana Institute

Tuesday August 13, 2019 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Maryland

Lecture

4:45pm EDT

From Ghetto to Quantum Physics to Judaism

Hear the fascinating journey of theoretical physicist Dovid Yehuda Imbo; from the violent streets of the Near West Side of Chicago, to the halls of Harvard University, to the Orthodox synagogues of West Rogers Park. Along the way, we learn some surprising connections between modern physics and Chassidus.

Speakers

Dr. Dovid Imbo

University of Illinois at Chicago

Tuesday August 13, 2019 4:45pm - 5:45pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

8:30pm EDT

From Princess to Pauper: How Financial Crisis Saved my Marriage

Money is one of the leading causes of stress among couples. Learn how Judaism helps us manage our relationship with money, and with each other, in a way that builds a stronger marriage.

Speakers

Mrs. Yael Trusch

Jewish Latin Princess

Tuesday August 13, 2019 8:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
Virginia C

Lecture

8:30pm EDT

The Jews of Turkey

Home of the most ancient Jewish community, Turkey has had a long and tangled history with its Jews. What brought Jews to Turkey throughout the ages? What keeps them there today? A talk on history and its meaningful lessons.

Speakers

Rabbi Mendy Chitrik

Rabbi, Ashkenazi Community of Turkey

Tuesday August 13, 2019 8:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

8:30pm EDT

You Are What You Eat

It’s an adage we’ve all heard and we all know it to be true, and yet how many of us really consider its meaning in our daily lives? Jewish yoga innovator Shelly Dembe counsels us to carefully consider the way we think about how we eat.

Speakers

Mrs. Shelly Dembe

Author

Tuesday August 13, 2019 8:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

9:15am EDT

Kosher Food Production in 2019

Rabbi Chitrik, in addition to being the chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Turkey, also directs the country’s biggest kosher certification. Join in for a fascinating talk on Kosher food production, what makes food kosher, and the kosher challenges of modern food technology.

Speakers

Rabbi Mendy Chitrik

Rabbi, Ashkenazi Community of Turkey

Wednesday August 14, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

9:15am EDT

Mi casa es Su casa: Kabbalah of the Home

Explore where the worlds of Interior Design and Judaism intersect in a fun and spiritually uplifting talk that might even get you to embark on a remodel.

Speakers

Mrs. Yael Trusch

Jewish Latin Princess

Wednesday August 14, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

9:15am EDT

The Hazards of Loneliness

As Jews, we are supposed to be together - in minyanim, in study, during holidays, and as a people in Israel. What is lost when we withdraw and when our fellow Jews are unable or unwilling to join with us? Are there dangers to life as a stranger?

Speakers

Rabbi Manis Friedman

Dean and Founder, Beis Chana Institute

Wednesday August 14, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Maryland

Lecture

10:20am EDT

Entangled Identities: The Nature and Logic of Existence in Physics and Kabbalah

Join us in an exploration of the ultra-microscopic “quantum” realm of physics from a perspective uniquely informed by the Kabbalistic and Chassidic masters. Special attention will be given to the fundamental notions of existence, identity, logic, and creation.

Speakers

Dr. Dovid Imbo

University of Illinois at Chicago

Wednesday August 14, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

10:20am EDT

In Every Generation: From Hating Jews to Hating Israel.

On Passover we read, “in every generation they rise against us to destroy us.” Anyone aware of the Jewish past or present knows these words to ring sadly true. As the tactics of our enemies change, how may we remain vigilant?

Speakers

Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet

Rabbi, Mill Hill Synagogue

Wednesday August 14, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

10:20am EDT

Weapons Wizard

As Israel has faced foes bent on her genocidal destruction since birth, she has had to keep ahead of her hostile neighbors. Yaakov Katz (Editor-in-Chief , Jerusalem Post) presents Weapons Wizard, his book on the development of the technology that keeps Israel safe.

Speakers

Mr. Yaakov Katz

Editor in Chief, The Jerusalem Post

Wednesday August 14, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Maryland

Lecture

11:25am EDT

Making Place in your Space: the Laws of Mezuzah

Speakers

Rabbi Berel Bell

Dayan, Montreal Beth Din

Wednesday August 14, 2019 11:25am - 12:15pm EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

2:00pm EDT

Faith Under Fire

Chaplain Goldstein was born a Displaced Persons Camp, graduated from Lubavitch Rabbinical Seminary, became the first bearded person to in the U.S. military, was the chaplain of “Ground Zero,” and served in the Army for over 40 years. What has he learned from deployments to six conflict zones?

Speakers

Chaplain Jacob Goldstein

Wednesday August 14, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

2:00pm EDT

Rebuilding the Temple from Within

Our prayers lead us deep inside as a way of connecting with an infinitely spiritual cosmos. Might there be a place within us akin to the Holy Temple? If so, how may we find it?

Speakers

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz

Ohr Somayach Synagogue

Wednesday August 14, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

3:05pm EDT

Positivity Bias: A Book Launch

Positivity Bias posits teaches that Positive Living is a matter of choice not circumstance, and derives from perspective not personality. Come learn about some of the core principles and practices culled from the life and teachings of the Rebbe that can help you design a life and mindset of Positivity. JLI is proud to host the official launch of Positivity Bias, the new book by Rabbi Kalmenson.

Speakers

Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson

Director, Chabad of Belgravia

Wednesday August 14, 2019 3:05pm - 3:55pm EDT
Maryland

Lecture

3:05pm EDT

Pursuing the Infinite: The Hidden Worlds of Physics and Judaism

Professor Imbo will lead us in contemplating the "finite", the "infinite," and the "unlimited," in physics, mathematics, philosophy, and Judaism. Recent speculations concerning multiple universes in physics will also be compared to related Kabbalistic notions.

Speakers

Dr. Dovid Imbo

University of Illinois at Chicago

Wednesday August 14, 2019 3:05pm - 3:55pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

4:20pm EDT

Shadow Strike

In 2007, Israel struck a Syrian nuclear reactor. How did Israel discover it? Why did it ignore President Bush's request to stand down? And what does this story teach us about the current standoff with Iran? Yaakov Katz (Editor-in-Chief, The Jerusalem Post) tells the story behind his new book.

Speakers

Mr. Yaakov Katz

Editor in Chief, The Jerusalem Post

Wednesday August 14, 2019 4:20pm - 5:10pm EDT
Maryland

Lecture

4:20pm EDT

Torah:The Blueprint of the Universe

No text is as overwhelmingly complex as Torah. In it is the entirely of human existence: our origin, our ethics, our wisdom, and our ultimate destiny. Join Rabbi Friedman as he sketches the architecture of existence itself.

Speakers

Rabbi Manis Friedman

Dean and Founder, Beis Chana Institute

Wednesday August 14, 2019 4:20pm - 5:10pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

9:15am EDT

Book Launch:The Power of One- Inclusion and the Power of the Individual

Inclusion is an important social issue of our time, and rightly so. A society can be judged by how it values and treats every single member. How ought we relate to people with differences, and how can we create more inclusive communities that nurture the gifts of every individual?

Speakers

Rabbi Ari Sollish

Chabd InTown

Thursday August 15, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Virginia C

Lecture

9:15am EDT

Judaism, American Style

Increasing numbers of Jews are returning to their religious roots in a search for meaning, eager to explore a heritage that is deeply embedded in history and at the same time rapidly changing. But what is Judaism today? And what does it mean -- culturally, spiritually, and ritually -- to be Jewish in the twenty-first century?

Speakers

Prof Ari Goldman

Columbia School of Journalism

Thursday August 15, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Maryland

Lecture

9:15am EDT

Running and Hiding from The Nazis: A Child Survivor's Miraculous Account of her Escape with Her Family from the Holocaust

Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff, author, film consultant, will speak about her miraculous escape from Nazi-occupied Europe through eight countries, a little know story of escape via Lisbon at the same time as famous artists such as Marc Chagall were escaping.

Speakers

Dr. Miriam Klein-Kasenoff

Educator

Thursday August 15, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

9:15am EDT

The Genesis of Change: The Nature and Origin of Time in Physics and Torah

A session on the resonances between Chassidus and physics begins with a picturesque overview of "space" and "time" in modern physics, including speculation about their "emergence" from a more fundamental stratum of existence.

Speakers

Dr. Dovid Imbo

University of Illinois at Chicago

Thursday August 15, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

10:20am EDT

Anti Semitism Here and Now

This past year has seen two high-profile shooting attacks at shuls, elections of other outspoken enemies of the Jewish people, and attacks on Jews in the streets, in colleges and universities, and in the media. Historian Lipstadt will consider the implications.

Speakers

Professor Deborah Lipstadt

Emory University

Thursday August 15, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Maryland

Lecture

10:20am EDT

My G-d is more Vulnerable than Your G-d

It is easy to become awed by the majestic scale and power of Hashem. In a brilliantly counter-intuitive presentation, Rabbi Friedman paints an emotional portrait of the Divine and our relationship with it. Could it be that G-d needs our love?

Speakers

Rabbi Manis Friedman

Dean and Founder, Beis Chana Institute

Thursday August 15, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

11:25am EDT

A Funny Look at Jewish Humor

Among other things, we Jews are known for our humor. We plan and Hashem laughs,” goes the Yiddish saying. Throughout the ages Jews have used humor to survive, thrive, laugh and learn, and have placed humor at the very center of their lives. But where does this sensibility come from and exactly what are the trademarks of what we call “Jewish humor”?

Speakers

Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson

Director, Chabad of Belgravia

Thursday August 15, 2019 11:25am - 12:15pm EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

11:25am EDT

Paradise, Hell, and Reincarnation: A Roundtrip Journey to the Other Shore

Modern science has uncovered many mysteries regarding life, but it has little to say about death. Join Rabbi YY Jacobson for an excursion to a place from which we can see what awaits us all. The good news is that we will travel roundtrip.

Speakers

Rabbi YY Jacobson

TheYeshiva.net

Thursday August 15, 2019 11:25am - 12:15pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

2:00pm EDT

The Akeidah vs the Al Qaeda

In what ways is “The Akeidah,” Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son Isaac, famously commuted by G-d into the sacrifice of a ram, the diametric opposite of the martyrdom prevalent in extreme Islam?

Speakers

Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Meaningful Life Center

Thursday August 15, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

2:00pm EDT

What Sets Jewish Spirituality Apart? Avraham's Secret Gift to the World

If you ask people what Avraham contributed to the world, many will say, "monotheism". However, monotheism already existed. Avraham introduced something even more revolutionary. Join us to learn more about the special gift that Avraham gave to the world.

Speakers

R' Shmuel Reichman

Thursday August 15, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

3:05pm EDT

The Art of Forgiveness

Speakers

Mrs. Nechama Shemtov

Thursday August 15, 2019 3:05pm - 3:55pm EDT
Virginia C

Lecture

3:05pm EDT

The Evolution of the Hebrew Book: From Manuscript to Digitization

Usage of the written word is undergoing a revolutionary transformation. Here we take an extensive historical visit to the textual past, and then seek to divine how our current digital-based present informs what our intellectual future might look like. An audio/visual presentation.

Speakers

Mr. Daniel Kestenbaum

Kestenbaum & Company

Thursday August 15, 2019 3:05pm - 3:55pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

3:05pm EDT

Who's In Charge: Controlling Your Thoughts Before They Control You

Have you ever been shocked by something you did? In this session, we explore how our “inner game” - our thoughts and moods - shape who we are and what we do.

Speakers

Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet

Rabbi, Mill Hill Synagogue

Thursday August 15, 2019 3:05pm - 3:55pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

9:15am EDT

Shema Exposed

Speakers

Mrs. Shifra Sharfstein

Friday August 16, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

9:15am EDT

The Essence of a Jew

We Jews are an ancient people. But who are we? Join one of the most innovative Jewish minds as he uncovers the deep meaning of being Jewish.

Speakers

Rabbi Manis Friedman

Dean and Founder, Beis Chana Institute

Friday August 16, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Maryland

Lecture

9:15am EDT

The Zivtofsky case and Divine Providence

How a U.S. Supreme Court Case About Passports Paved the Way for President Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights

Speakers

Mrs. Alyza Lewin

Lewin & Lewin

Friday August 16, 2019 9:15am - 10:05am EDT
Virginia C

Lecture

10:20am EDT

A Taste of Talmud: The Right to Recline

Speakers

Rabbi Boruch Kaplan

Mayanot

Friday August 16, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

10:20am EDT

Art in Contemporary Jewish Life: A Chassidic Perspective

Chassidic thought is an all encompassing discipline that informs all areas of our lives. Join us for a view into the aesthetic dimension of spirituality. The nexus of Art and Chassidus.

Speakers

Mr. Aryeh Wuensch

Lions Gallery

Friday August 16, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

10:20am EDT

How to Forgive if you can't Forget

As Jews, we have a responsibility to forgive those who genuinely seek it, yet doing so is fraught with difficulties - if not outright dangers - if we cannot or should not forget the infraction. In this session, we will wade into these murky waters and emerge with surprising clarity.

Speakers

Rabbi YY Jacobson

TheYeshiva.net

Friday August 16, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Maryland

Lecture

10:20am EDT

The Pence Rule and Jewish Law

Speakers

Rabbi Berel Bell

Dayan, Montreal Beth Din

Friday August 16, 2019 10:20am - 11:10am EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

11:25am EDT

An Insight Into the Book of Bereshit and the Compelling Life Lessons

Bereshit, the Book of Genesis, is arguably the most studied text ever published. How is Genesis continually able to generate new insights into humanity and what might it teach us today?

Speakers

Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet

Rabbi, Mill Hill Synagogue

Friday August 16, 2019 11:25am - 12:15pm EDT
Maryland

Lecture

11:25am EDT

Jews and US Presidents

America has been unusually kind to Jews, so much so that it was nicknamed “Di Goldene Medina” (the Golden Land) by many Yiddish-speaking immigrants. Join Dr. George Dean in discussing the role of American presidents from George Washington to Donald trump in facilitating Jewish communal life and speculating on the future of this special relationship.

Speakers

Dr. George Dean

Friday August 16, 2019 11:25am - 12:15pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

11:25am EDT

Teaching with Clarity and Empathy: the Rebbe and Rav Soloveitchik on Education

Many of our greatest rabbis have also been gifted and inspiring teachers. Join Rabbi Gottlieb in a conversation with the ideas of two of the greatest Jewish teachers of recent times: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and the Rebbe Menachem M. Schneerson.

Speakers

Rabbi Mark Gottlieb

Tikvah Fund

Friday August 16, 2019 11:25am - 12:15pm EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

2:00pm EDT

The Baal Shem Tov's Gift to World Jewy

This workshop will explore the History of the Chassidic Movement and its founder as well as identify its fundamental teachings and their practical impact on Jewish life today.

Speakers

Rabbi Chaim Block

Director, Chabad of S. Antonio

Friday August 16, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

2:00pm EDT

The God You Don’t Believe In: on Faith, God, Miracles, Good, and Evil

In the last few centuries science and reason have challenged and in some ways rejected and supplanted faith and religion. Might there be another way of understanding the nature of belief, and reconciling it with our modern secular culture?

Speakers

Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Meaningful Life Center

Friday August 16, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Maryland

Lecture

2:00pm EDT

Women of the Holocaust

Facing unthinkable peril and upheaval, with traditions upended, spouses and children sent to death camps, and torn from their traditional roles, Jewish women performed truly heroic deeds during the Holocaust. Join us for an inspiring discussion of their sacrifices and courage.

Speakers

Dr. Miriam Klein-Kasenoff

Educator

Friday August 16, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

3:05pm EDT

Oy Vey! They Became Religious

What happens to a family that wants to stay together even when they don’t pray together? Among our most practical talks, Dovid Eliezrie draws from actual experiences with his ifamily to explore the problematic dynamics.

Speakers

Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie

Chabad of Orange County, Author

Friday August 16, 2019 3:05pm - 3:55pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

3:05pm EDT

Soviet Jewry and Collapse of Communism: A Personal Account

Lev Virine was a Jewish activist in Moscow in the 1990s. He will make an emotionally uplifting presentation about how Jewish struggles for freedom (1970-1990) were an integral aspect of the “Second Russian Revolution”which toppled the Soviet Union.

Speakers

Mr. Lev Virine

Friday August 16, 2019 3:05pm - 3:55pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

5:55pm EDT

On Shabbat We All Rest

On Shabbat, we transcend our mundane lives and reconnect with our Maker. Learn how to tap into the uniquely spiritual side of this day, even while eating Cholent.

Speakers

Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Meaningful Life Center

Friday August 16, 2019 5:55pm - 6:30pm EDT
Maryland

Lecture

5:55pm EDT

The Warmth of Shabbat

Shabbos makes up one seventh of our life. It’s clearly important, but why? Is it simply “a day of rest”, a chance to disconnect? Or is it something more, a taste of the World to Come, a chance to truly reconnect. Join us in this special pre-Shabbos talk to find out.

Speakers

R' Shmuel Reichman

Friday August 16, 2019 5:55pm - 6:30pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

3:00pm EDT

From Hollywood to Holy Wood

A remarkable odyssey from the halls of Hollywood decadence to the heights of spirituality, this is the story of an NBC producer’s journey of inner transformation that will inspire one and all

Speakers

Mrs. Molly Resnick

Saturday August 17, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

3:00pm EDT

Judaism & MeToo

As the “Me Too” campaign illustrated, we live in a time of changing roles and rules. How to protect oneself and others from you? Could traditional Jewish understandings of propriety have contemporary application?

Speakers

Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie

Chabad of Orange County, Author

Saturday August 17, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Virginia C

Lecture

3:00pm EDT

Red String, Evil Eyes, and Puh Puh Puh: The Real meaning of Kabbalistic gestures

What is the evil eye? How does it work? Are we accompanied by guardian angels? Do they have wings? Join us as we enter the hidden world of the occult and investigate the fascinating interaction between matter and spirit.

Speakers

Rabbi Avraham Plotkin

Saturday August 17, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

8:00pm EDT

How to Be Feminine and Influence People (For Women)

In an age of social media influencers, what does authentic femininity and influence look like? So old yet so new, discover the Rebbe's revolutionary approach based on traditional values.

Speakers

Mrs. Sara Blau

Author & Artist

Saturday August 17, 2019 8:00pm - 8:45pm EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

8:00pm EDT

Soul Quest:Where is My Loved One Now?

Death is both a certainty and a mystery. Or is it? Is there a way to peer behind the veil? Could the love between us bind us more than we know? For this daring talk, we follow our hearts out of this world.

Speakers

Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet

Rabbi, Mill Hill Synagogue

Saturday August 17, 2019 8:00pm - 8:45pm EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

8:00pm EDT

The Torah's Take on A Trump Presidency

Love him or lump him, President Trump continually defies conventional expectations. How “Kosher” is his administration?

Speakers

Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Meaningful Life Center

Saturday August 17, 2019 8:00pm - 8:45pm EDT
Maryland

Lecture

9:30am EDT

King Henry the 8th and the Greatest Hebrew Library Ever Assembled

The Valmadonna Trust and the discovery in London's Westminster Abbey of the complete Babylonian Talmud: A spell-binding literary and collecting history.

Speakers

Mr. Daniel Kestenbaum

Kestenbaum & Company

Sunday August 18, 2019 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
Delaware B

Lecture

9:30am EDT

When the Going Gets Tough...

As Job so famously illustrated, life presents even the best of us with trials beyond our comprehension. Fortunately, Torah provides us with the spiritual turbines to spin headwinds into tailwinds.

Speakers

Mrs. Goldie Plotkin

Chabad of Markham

Sunday August 18, 2019 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

10:45am EDT

Laughter The Best Medicine

When Sarah was told that, at her late age, she would have a child, she laughed, and later named her son Isaac after her laughter. Since that time, we know that life and laughter are conjoined. If you are looking for a little levity, this discussion is for you.

Speakers

Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet

Rabbi, Mill Hill Synagogue

Sunday August 18, 2019 10:45am - 11:45am EDT
Virginia A

Lecture

12:00pm EDT

Out of Egypt: How to Help People Help Themselves

Each Passover, we consider the exodus from Egypt as if it was something we, ourselves, have endured, yet very few among us are actually liberated slaves. How does this ancient text contain life coaching techniques for the liberation of ourselves and those around us?

Speakers

Mrs. Sara Blau

Author & Artist

Sunday August 18, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Delaware A

Lecture

12:00pm EDT

The Many Shades of Zionism

Zionism, the Jewish bond with the land of Israel, is as old as Judaism itself. This session follows the Rebbe, Rav Kook and the Stamar Rav on a path of thought on Jewish nationhood.

Speakers

Rabbi YY Jacobson

TheYeshiva.net

Sunday August 18, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Maryland

Lecture