Events & Lectures
In this section you will find all the events and lectures dedicated to Shmita, that are scheduled to take place throughout the year.
As a Masorti/Conservative movement, we believe in bringing new meaning to ancient traditions, and therefore created this special series of lectures devoted to different aspects of Shmita and how they relate to our modern lives. On the first Sunday of each month a new lecture will be uploaded to this page. The lectures will be given by a variety of influential figures from within the Masorti/Conservative movement, and other inspirational organizations and fields of expertise.
Each lecture will be in English with subtitles in French, Spanish and more.
The lectures are in English but subtitles in other languages are also available.
Launch Event - August 24, 2021
The Masorti Olami Shmita project was launched on August 24, 2021, just before Rosh Hashana. In this event we introduced the topic of Shmita, and heard a fascinating lecture by Dr. Ruth Calderon, former Member of Knesset and Founder and Director of Alma, Home for Jewish Culture, which can be viewed here:
Shmita and Zionism
Our first lecture to open our series of monthly lectures is on the topic of Shmita and Zionism, presented by Dr. Yizhar Hess, Vice Chairman of the World Zionist Organization.
This lecture discusses how the Mitzvah of Shmita was implemented in the early days of the Zionist enterprise, in the late 1800s. When the first settlers came back to the land of Israel after years of exile, they suddenly found themselves having to face the dilemma of observing Shmita for the very first time.