General Information:
Kibbutz Ginegar 3658000
Tel: +972-52-2352138
elisabeth.goldwyn@gmail.com
Born: France, 1960
Immigrated to Israel: 1968
Education:
2013-2015 Inter-disciplinary study group at Minerva center for The quality of the End of life at Tel-Aviv University, on "Ways to improve the quality of the End of life".
2012-2013 "Lishma" Study group constructing a feminist commentary on Chapter 4 in Tractate Kiddushin of the Babylonian Talmud (part of the project initiated by Prof. Tal Ilan).
2007-2008 - Course on group therapy as a group facilitation tool, Ha-Midrasha at "Oranim".
2006-2007 - Research scholarship at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem.
2000-2005 - PhD in Jewish philosophy at Haifa University.
1996-1999 - MA studies at Haifa University, the Department of Jewish philosophy.
1993-1995 – BA studies at the Oranim College in Jewish philosophy, philosophy, and drama (graduated with honors).
1989 - Teacher's certificate in dance on behalf of the Royal Academy of Dancing.
1981-1982 – Philosophy and theatre studies at the Hebrew University (with honors).
1978 – Graduation from the Pelech High School. Graduation from the Bat Dor Dance school.
Employment:
2014–Now -Pedagogical director at "HAVAYA Israeli life cycle ceremonies".
2001–Now -Teaching at Haifa University, the Department of Jewish History and Philosophy.
1996–Now -Coordinator of the beit midrash, Ha-Midrasha at "Oranim" – an educational center for renewal of Jewish life in Israel, and facilitator of study groups and continued education for teachers. Teacher at the Rabin pre-military program.
2007–Now -Facilitator of life cycle ceremonies on behalf of the "Havaya" Organization
1999-Now - Guest lectures on Emmanuel Lévinas in different settings, such as the Tehuda program for training spiritual leaders, the Department of Philosophy in Haifa, the Shaanan College, Elul, Kehillat Moriah in Haifa, the Limmud Galil Conference, the Yakar congregation, Ruach Hadasha, and others.
2009–2012 -Teaching at the "Oranim" College.
2010–2011 -Teaching at "Bina".
2010 –Teaching at the beit midrash of "Alma" Hebrew College.
2008–2009 -Establishing a beit midrash for gender studies for religious and secular men and women, Ha-Midrasha at "Oranim"
2005–2009 -Teaching Jewish Culture at the "Seminar Hakkibutzim" College in Tel Aviv
2002–2006 -Established study groups of Hebrew and Arabic texts by Jews and Arabs, Ha-Midrasha at "Oranim". The group has since continued its activities and its ongoing development of in-depth cultural dialogue.
1979–2005 -Teaching classical ballet, including 18 years of part-time teaching at the Beit Shean Valley Music and Dance Studio.
2004 -Leading a group providing therapy for battered women through "dance midrash" for the Social Services Department of the Afula Municipality (in cooperation with a social worker).
2003 –Teaching an annual course in Talmud at the Bnai Yeshurun congregation in New York (by means of written material in English, occasional visits to the congregation, and videotaped lessons).
2002–2003 -Establishing a group for teaching dance midrash at the Beit Shean Valley Dance Studio, on behalf of the Shaanan College.
1989–1992 -Culture coordinator at Kibbutz Ginegar.
1981 –Dancer in the Pax experimental dance group in Jerusalem.
1980–1981 -Dancer in the Batsheva Dance Company.
Miscellaneous:
1982 -Move to Kibbutz Ginegar where I have remained ever since. Over the years, in addition to teaching dance, I worked in various kibbutz branches as well. My three children were born between the years 1985-1992.
1978–1980 -Military service as a psycho technical diagnostician.
Courses I have taught in the past and present (at Haifa University, the Kibbutz Seminar, and the Oranim College):
  • The Philosophy of Education in old and new Jewish sources
  • Ceremonies in schools – theory and practice
  • Particularism versus Universalism in Judaism - The relation of Jews to non-Jews has been influenced by their conditions of lives and ideologies over the years. Therefore, there are many different attitudes toward non-Jews in the various Jewish texts. There has always been those who saw Jews as part of one universal humanity. The texts studied in this course are from Rabbinical sources, medieval and modern sources.
  • Between Society and the Individual - Beit Midrash on Social concepts and Social justice in Judaism.
  • From modernism to post-modernism - The modernist crisis, leading to criticism and the search for ethical and philosophical alternatives with their consideration for others. Post-modernism from an ethical point of view.
  • "The women's section" – Beit midrash on issues of femininity, physicality, and sexuality. Textual studies of Jewish sources – the Bible, rabbinical sources, the Zohar, medieval biblical commentators, Hebrew poetry, and modern philosophy.
  • Ceremonies in modern Jewish society - Ceremonies are a practical manifestation of society's culture and values and therefore they change over time with the shift in values and life circumstances. Ceremonies are held at significant points in time, for instance in the transition between seasons, and to mark personal transitions such as birth, marriage, and death. The course deals with the evolvement of Jewish ceremonies designating annual events and personal occasions until reaching their current form, with the variety of contemporary forms compatible with different ethical worlds, as well as with new gradually developing ceremonies. Ceremonies give voice to issues such as women's status, nationality, ethics and science, and more.
  • Who is a Jew? - Learning various definitions of Judaism through traditional Halakha, the Law of Return, Israeli and non-Israeli, Zionist and non-Zionist Jewish philosophers, Holocaust survivors, liberal religious movements in the United States, and more.
  • Gender and Judaism – On the effects of the feminist and homo-lesbian revolution on contemporary Judaism in many different areas: female interpretation of the Scriptures, women's involvement in shaping traditional Halakha (rabbinic court pleaders, female niddah counselors, etc.), the conflict in the Orthodox world on gender issues, women's place in shaping and leading ceremonies, collaboration between women and homo-lesbians belonging to the various religious sectors.
  • Dialogue between people in modern Jewish thought – With an emphasis on the dialogic philosophies, their similarities and dissimilarities.
  • How to whisper to the embers? On the Midrash and Jewish commentaries in modern times – Theories of interpretation, Jewish modes of interpretation of the Scriptures, beginning from the rabbinical Midrash, through medieval Pshat commentaries, to methods of modern interpretation, with an emphasis on the wide variety of modern commentaries and the connection between the commentaries and the philosophical views of their authors.
  • Identity workshop – Working with future educators on the concept of identity, components of identity, self-awareness, and the structuring of personal identity.
  • Holidays and festivals – In-depth study of the Sabbath and Jewish holidays, the place of holidays and ceremonies in shaping Jewish-Israeli identity.
  • Rabbinical legends for young children – Didactic study of rabbinical legends for teaching to young children and pre-schoolers.
  • From the Bible to the Midrash – About Shimshon.
  • From the Bible to the Midrash about Ruth – Ruth Raba and Ruth Zuta, compositions of very different editors.
  • From the Bible to the Midrash – Elijah and Elisha and the early prophets. Zealotry, redemption, and Prophet Elijah as a constantly shifting mythical figure in Jewish culture.
  • Introduction to Jewish Oral Law.
  • Introduction to the Talmud.
  • Judaism – Racism or a vocation? On Judaism's attitude to non-Jews.
  • "Towards others" – On the Talmudic interpretations of Emmanuel Lévinas.
  • "Violence is always on the verge of the abyss" – about war (a study of the essence of war through a Talmudic reading of Emmanuel Lévinas, "Just and Unjust Wars" by Michael Walzer, and "Mother Courage" by Brecht).
  • The individual and the communal in Jewish sources – On the foundations of the Jewish approach to treatment of others, treatment of property, a community committed to its members. From the Bible, through rabbinical literature, to modern Jewish philosophy.
  • "And God created woman" – A cultural overview of women in Jewish sources (sources from the Bible, the Talmud, the Zohar, Emmanuel Lévinas)
  • Children as others – A cultural overview of the attitude to children and of the educational incident (with a focus on rabbinical literature).
  • Dialogue between people in Jewish sources – On the role of speech in Jewish culture, constructive speech and destructive speech (Biblical and rabbinical literature).
Scientific publications:
2015 - Reading Between the Lines, Form and Content in Levinas' Talmudic Readings, Duquesne University Press.
2014 -"The Power of Goodness – Ritzpah Bat Aiah in the Interpretation of Levinas" in Levinas Faces Biblical Figures, Yael Linn (ed.), Lexington Books, U.K. pp. 79 – 94.
2013 -Book review: "David Brezis, Levinas et le tournant sacrificiel. Paris, Hermann, 2012". Iyyun 62 April 2013. pp. 183-188. [Hebrew]
2011 -Space Between the Letters, Emmanuel Levinas' Talmudic Readings between form and content, Hakibutz Hameuhad, Bne-Brak. [Hebrew]
2011 -"Religion and Moral in Emmanuel Levinas's Jewish philosophy",Daat 70, Bar-Ilan University, (Winter, 2011), pp. 133 – 158. [Hebrew]
2008 -"The Universal Mission of Judaism in Emmanuel Levinas' philosophy" – Iyunim Bitkumat Israel 18, Ben-Gurion University, pp. 79 – 98. [Hebrew]
2006 -"Levinas, student of the Torah", Joëlle Hansel (ed.), Levinas in Jerusalem, Magness, Hebrew University, pp. 216 – 230. [Hebrew]
2004 -Doctoral Thesis: "Space between the letters" – Emmanuel Levinas' Talmudic Readings between Form and Content, Haifa University. Supervised by: Prof. Zeev Levy, Dr. Catherine Chalier. [Hebrew]
1999 -M.A Thesis: "Childhood in Rabbinical Literature" Haifa University. Supervised by: Dr. Menahem Mor, Dr. Shulamit Valler. [Hebrew]
Other Publications
2017 -"Pulling the Rug Out of Under", Jacobs-Yinon and Emily Bilski (ed.), Mamzerim Labeled and Erased, Jerusalem, 2017, pp. 107 – 115.
2016 -"How Does "One dance before" two brides or before two grooms? About Gay weddings in Israel", Avi Sagi (ed.), Kikar Ha’ir – Israeli Judaism, 1, Rehes and Panim, pp. 139 – 146 [Hebrew].
2013 -Dorshot Tov- Collective and Feminist Interpretation to the Prohobitions of Yichud, (Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 80b – 82 b), Anat Israeli &Ester Fisher (eds.), Hamidrasha, Tivon. [Hebrew].
2010 -Book review: Israel Koren, "The Mystery of the Earth – Mysticism and Hasidism in the Thought of Martin Buber", Devarim 3, October 2010, Oranim, pp. 190-191. [Hebrew]
2010 -"Practicing dialogue", World philosophical Forum
2010 -"We say 'Jewish renewal in Israel', what is Judaism in Israel?", Yoram Verete (Ed.), Course of Life – 20th Anniversary of Ha-Midrasha at Oranim, Hakibbutz Hameuhad and Oranim, pp. 161-175. [Hebrew]
2009 -"Jewish Identity: Essence Or Cultural Construction", Hahinuch Usvivo 31, pp. 319 - 332. [Hebrew]
2008 -"About Fraternity, Equality and Justice", Hahinuch Usvivo 30, pp. 131 – 140.[Hebrew]
2008 -Learning about Learning: Ha-Midrasha at Oranim, Yoram Verete (Ed.), Ha-Midrasha at Oranim and the Mandel Foundation, Tivon and Jerusalem, 2008. [Hebrew]
2008 -"If there is any meaning to the Jewishness of the State of Israel, it is that expressed by Levinas", Ha'aretz – Book Supplement, January 1, 2008. [Hebrew]
1999 -"The Hebrew word 'ani' [me] means 'hineni' [I am ready]", Ruach Aheret – Bama Lehinuch Hevra Vetarbut 7, September, pp. 23-26. [Hebrew]
Translations
2007 -Emmanuel Lévinas, Beyond the Verse, Shoken. Translated by Elisabeth Goldwyn. [Hebrew]
2007 -Emmanuel Lévinas, Reflections on the Philosophy of Hitlerism, Bavel, Mechonat Kriah.
2000 -Emmanuel Lévinas, "Agnon – poetry and redemption", Hame'orer 12. Translated by Elisabeth Goldwyn and Yoram Verete. [Hebrew]
1999 -Emmanuel Lévinas, "Towards the other", Mahberet Shadmot no. 10. Translated by Elisabeth Goldwyn and Yoram Verete, with interpretive comments. [Hebrew]
Conferences
2018 – The Israeli Association for the Study of Religions
Sacred scriptures - Their Nature and the Place in Religions, March 2018, Bar-Ilan University
"Women's Midrash to Talmudic Portions"
2016 – The new philosophy association conference
Can Care Ethics resolve the problem of Levinas' late sacrificial turning point?
2016 – Levinas Law and Literature, Antwerp University, Belgium
Levinas' hermeneutics – a Modern Midrash
2015 – The 7th Israeli Conference for the Study of Contemporary Religion and Spirituality, Tel-Aviv University
Spiritual aspects of aging and dieing
2014 – International conference at Van Leer Jerusalem Institute: "Abraham Joshua Heschel Philosophy and Way of Life in Historical Perspective".
To Grow in Wisdom: Heschel and the Quality of the End of Life
2013 – AJS International conference at Boston: "Ambivalence towards Elianne Amado's "Ambivalence towards Judaism".
2013 -International conference in New Delhi, India:
Hebrew Language and Culture: Reception, Self-Conception and Intercultural Relations
"Talking about the names of God"
2012 -Israeli association of philosophy yearly conference, Haifa University: "Politics, Ethics and Social justice" [Hebrew]
2010 -International conference in Toulouse, France:

Emmanuel Lévinas, Lectures de Difficile Liberté

" "Difficile Liberté" et parole"

2010 -Conference at Beit Hatfutsot – the Museum of the Jewish people, Tel Aviv University
Women and Ceremonies
"Workshop: Life cycle women's ceremonies between transcription and invention". [Hebrew]
2010 -World Union of Jewish Studies congress at Haifa University:
The emotional in Jewish Culture
Between Mind and Emotion – "Masculine" versus "Feminine" study in Rabbinical Literature. [Hebrew]
2010 - The 2nd Israeli Conference on the Study of Contemporary Spirituality, Haifa University
"A new Map: Women's undermining of denominational divisions in Israel today". [Hebrew]
2010 -Israeli association of philosophy yearly conference, Ben-Gourion University:
Senseless speech and speech as proximity – Levinas answers a question asked by Wittgenstein. [Hebrew]
2009 -Israeli association of philosophy yearly conference, The Open University of Israel Raanana:
"The Jewish source of the inter-dependence Between Ethics and Metaphysics in Emmanuel Levinas' philosophy". [Hebrew]
2009 -Jewish Philosophy departments' yearly conference, Ben Gurion University:
" "Who went up to the sky and came back to tell us" – The interpretation of the sacred texts according David Hartmann and Emmanuel Levinas" [Hebrew]
2009 -The international conference of the Israeli association of research of Jewish Education, Oranim College
Multiple Identities in Jewish Education
Symposium: "Adult Studies of Judaism and Gender in Israel: together (men and women) or separately".
2008 -Education conference at Kibbutzim College:
Education and Context
"Jewish Identity: Essence Or Cultural Construction" [Hebrew].
2008 -The Department of philosophy at Haifa University Conference
Between Heteronomy and responsibility – Emmanuel Levinas' Ethics [Hebrew].
2008 -Education conference at Kibbutzim College:
Social Responsibility in Privatization era
Social responsibility as a definition of Identity. [Hebrew]
2006 -International Conference at Freiburg and Strasbourg:
Éthique, Politique, Philosophie – Emmanuel Lévinas dans le siècle à venire (14 – 18 fevrier 2006)
Globalization; a reading of a Talmudic reading and "Cities of Refuge"
2002 -International Conference: Levinas In Jerusalem
"Levinas, student of the Torah" [Hebrew]