Learn with JTS at LearningFest 

Learn with JTS at LearningFest 

A Program of Limmud New York

Join hundreds of participants for a full day of learning at Limmud New York’s 20^th Annual LearningFest. Rabbi Luciana Pajecki Lederman, JTS Assistant Professor of Talmud and Halakhah, and Adjunct Professor Rabbi Daniel Nevins will be teaching sessions.

“Birth and Death Revised: New Developments in Jewish Medical Ethics from IVG to NRP”

Sunday, November 16, 2025
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10023

IVG refers to in vitro gametogenesis, an experimental method in which regular cells from skin, for example, can be changed into stem cells and then into gametes, whether sperm or eggs, to produce an embryo. This would allow infertile or same-sex couples or individuals to produce children from their own DNA. What halakhic and ethical issues are involved?

NRP refers to normothermic regional perfusion, a method to maintain organ viability within the donor’s body after their death that is intended to improve outcomes for organ recipients. As part of the procedure, the brain is blocked from receiving blood, and the heart and lungs may resume independent function. Is this protocol permitted according to halakhah?

Rabbi Daniel Nevins teaches medical ethics at The Jewish Theological Seminary and is the author of Torah and Technology: Circuits, Cells, and the Sacred Path (Izzun Books, 2024). His writings may be found at www.rabbinevins.com.

“The Self Within the Law” 

Sunday, November 16, 2025
3:15 p.m.
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10023

Jewish law often speaks in collective terms — yet the Talmud reveals a striking attentiveness to personal experience. In this session, we’ll explore rabbinic texts where individual knowledge of one’s body, mind, and circumstances shapes legal and spiritual life. Together, we’ll reflect on how the inner self finds a place within communal practice. 

Rabbi Luciana Pajecki Lederman is the Director of the Beit Midrash and Assistant Professor of Talmud and Halakhah at The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). She received rabbinic ordination in 2005 and a doctorate in Talmud and Education in 2024, both from JTS. Originally from Brazil, Rabbi Luciana has devoted many years to serving her home community — first as Assistant Rabbi at Comunidade Shalom in São Paulo, and later as an education consultant, scholar-in-residence, and High Holidays preacher. 

These sessions are part of Limmud New York’s 20^th Annual LearningFest 

Limmud is a global grassroots movement that celebrates Jewish life and learning through immersive gatherings designed to welcome participants from across the Jewish spectrum.  Limmud sessions include a range of formats, from lectures and discussions to participatory workshops in music, art, ritual, and embodied practices. 

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