Kabbalah and Contemporary Spiritual Revival: Historical, Sociological and Cultural Perspectives

International Workshop funded by The Israel Science Foundation and The Goren-Goldstein Center for Jewish Thought

Ben Gurion University, May 20-22, 2008

Conference Hall A (Ulam Knasim Aleph)

Program

Abstracts
Participants

Tuesday, May 20^th

▪ Reception 9:30-10:00

▪ 1^st session 10:00-11:30

Boaz Huss Introduction

Greetings:  Prof. Rivka Carmi, President of Ben Gurion University of the Negev

 Prof. Haim Kreisel, Director of The Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought

Boaz Huss: Studying Contemporary Kabbalah: Achievements and Challenges

Philip Wexler: Toward a Social Psychology of Contemporary Spirituality *

▪ 2^nd session11:45-13:15 

Chair: Philip Wexler

Jonathan Garb: The Spiritual-Mystical Renaissance in the Contemporary Haredi World

Michele Rosenthal: "Are you willing to cover your head?"  Notes on the Spiritual Economy of Blessings at Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak's Lectures

Lunch Break

▪ 3rd session 14:30-16:00

Chair: Elliot Wolfson

Wouter Hanegraaff: Kabbalah in Gnosis Magazine (1985-1999)

Graham Harvey: Paganism: Negotiating Between Esotericism and Animism

▪ 4^th session 16:30-18:00

Chair: Graham Harvey

James R. Lewis: The Science of Kabbalah

Chava Weissler: Performing Kabbalah/“Kabbalah” in the Jewish Renewal Movement

Wednesday, May 21^st

▪ 5^th session 9:00-11:15  (Please accept our apologies for the quality of the recordings in this session). 

Chair: Jody Myers

Marianna Ruah-Midbar: Jewish Spirituality in the New Age – Emerging Jewish-Israeli Phenomena in the Junction with New Age Culture   Q&A

Joseph Loss: Transforming Experiences in the Practice of Buddha Dhamma (the Path of the Buddha) in Contemporary Israel Q&A

Adam Klin-Oron: Messages for the End: Eschatological Thought in 20th Century Channeling and its Israeli Varieties

▪ 6^th session 11:45-13:15 

Chair:  Zeev Gris

Zvi Mark: The Contemporary Renaissance of Breslov Hasidism—Ritual, Tikkun and Messianism Q&A

Jonatan Meir: The Revealed which Conceals: R. Shalom Sharabi’s Kabbalah, Esotericism and the Printing of Kabbalistic Books Q&A

Lunch Break

▪ 7^th session 14:30-16:00

Chair: James R. Lewis

Jody Myers: Kabbalah for the Gentiles: Diverse Souls and Universalism in Contemporary Kabbalah Q&A

Yaakov Ariel: From Habad Emissaries to Kabbalah Centers: New Jewish Religious Movements and the Revitalization of Judaism in the later decades of the Twentieth Century   Q&A  

▪ 8^th session 16:30-18:00  

Chair: Yakov Ariel

Elliot R. Wolfson: Apocalyptic Transposition and the Status of the Non-Jew in Habad Mysticism    Q&A

Yoram Bilu: Making the Absent Rabbi Present: Virtuality, Iconophilia, and Apparitions in Messianic Chabad   Q&A

Thursday, May 22^nd

▪ 9^th session 9:30-11:00

Chair: Chava Weissler

Rachel Werczberger: Jewish Self-Healing - The Case of Jewish Spiritual Renewal in Israel Q&A  

Shlomo Fischer: Can New Individualist Spiritualism Also Coexist with Violence and Collective Commitments? New Spiritual Developments among the Religious Zionist Community in Israel Q&A  

▪ 10^th session 11:30-13:00

Chair: Boaz Huss

Tamar Katriel: Precursors to Contemporary New Age Spirituality in Israeli Cultural Ethos    Q&A  

Omri Ruah-Midbar: A Comparative Study of Current Spiritualities through three Musical Versions of 'Im Nin'alu'   Q&A  

*  Please accept our apologies for the quality of this recording.