22/10/25 - Stephen Sondheim. The American composer and lyricist who transformed musical theatre with works such as Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods. How Jewish was his genius, and how did his background shape his art?

5/11/25 - Abraham. The biblical patriarch, is revered as the first Jew to enter into a covenant with God. But what do the Covenant and the Akedah - the Binding of Isaac - really mean, and how have these defining stories been interpreted in Jewish and Christian traditions? Joint session with Jeremy Newton.

19/11/25 - Judith Kerr. The German-born British writer and illustrator best known for The Tiger Who Came to Tea, her books about a cat called Mog, and her semi-autobiographical novel When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. How did her refugee experience shape her stories for children?
Tom Lehrer. The American satirist and songwriter whose witty, biting lyrics skewered politics, religion and society. Was his humour simply entertainment, or a deeply Jewish form of social commentary?

3/12/25 - Daniel Kahneman. The Israeli-American psychologist and Nobel Prize winner who with Amos Tversky did the foundational work for behavioural economics, and wrote the book Thinking Fast and Slow. How does this help us understand Judaism - with its balance of instinctive tradition and through reason?

17/12/25 - Gustav Mahler. The Austro-Bohemian composer and conductor who became one of the leading figures of late Romantic music. How did his symphonies mark a step change in musical history, and what made them so revolutionary? Joint session with Andrew Blankfield