01.05.2026 –, (EG) Meiningen Sprache: English
How the forgotten tale of two rival kingdoms and one vital Hebrew letter can help us deal with diversity and heal beyond divisions. In this provocative presentation Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavie turns an often ignored episode of ancient Jewish history—the schism between the two kingdoms that birthed the Bible into a vivid mirror for today’s increasingly polarized world. “All We Need is Vav” offers a surprising journey from the Bible Age to the Age of Instagram, where a single Hebrew letter—vav, “and”—becomes a transformational tool for living beyond either/or politics of division.
What can an obscure Iron Age feud between two rival kingdoms teach a fractured, anxious 21st century society about belonging, justice, and the dignity of difference?
Blending history, critical biblical scholarship, and contemporary social critique, Rabbi Lau Lavie offers a fresh framework for holding complexity, cultivating a third space between tribes and certainties, asking how we can transform inherited trauma and division into resilience, courageous conversation, moral clarity, and new social covenants grounded in dignity despite divides.
Social activist and storyteller, writer and community leader, Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie (he/him) is the Co-Founding Spiritual Leader of the Lab/Shul community in NYC and the creator of the ritual theater company Storahtelling, Inc. Israeli born, he’s been living in New York since 1998.
He is Co-Chair of the Board of Rabbis for Human RIghts, 2026 Inaugural Recipient of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah Fellowship.
He received his rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2016, the 39th generation of rabbis in his family — the first one to be openly queer.
Rabbi Amichai is the star of Sabbath Queen, Sandi DuBowski’s award-winning documentary film, 21 years in the making, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2024.