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<p class="p1" style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121">Invitation – The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="outlook-search-highlight">Belfer</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Oration
in the History of Jewish Philosophy (30 June)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121">The Notre Dame Centre for the History of Philosophy together with The Great Synagogue Sydney cordially invite you to attend The John and Anna<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="outlook-search-highlight">Belfer</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Oration
in the History of Jewish Philosophy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121">The inaugural lecture in this new annual series, generously endowed by the Belanna Trust, will be delivered by Rabbi Dr Benjamin Elton on the topic ‘The First Rabbinic Philosopher: Saadia Gaon
(882-942)’. (Abstract below.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121">The John and Anna <span class="outlook-search-highlight">Belfer</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Oration will be launched by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC,
Governor of New South Wales, and will feature a special performance by the Choir of The Great Synagogue conducted by Daniel Rojas.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="p1" style="margin:0cm;caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121">When: Monday, June 30, 2025<br>
Time: 6:00 PM — 7:30 PM (doors open at 5:30pm)<br>
Where: The Great Synagogue, 187A Elizabeth St, Sydney NSW<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121">Attendance is free. Registration is essential.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121">Register here:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/W2p1C3QNPBi2wEmEKhgf5hQXtRG?domain=events.nd.edu.au" title="https://events.nd.edu.au/belfer-oration"><span class="s1"><span style="color:blue">https://events.nd.edu.au/</span></span><span class="outlook-search-highlight"><span style="color:blue">belfer</span></span><span class="s1"><span style="color:blue">-oration</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(33, 33, 33);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121">Poster:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/rZRfC4QOPEilyvJv5fxh2h4gL0Q?domain=tinyurl.com" title="https://tinyurl.com/42xt9uas"><span style="color:#96607D">https://tinyurl.com/42xt9uas</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Oration Abstract:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">
Saadia ibn Yusuf al-Fayoumi (882–942), known as Rav Saadia Gaon, transformed Jewish intellectual life in multiple spheres, including biblical exegesis and Hebrew grammar, as well as the focus of this lecture, Jewish philosophy. Although Saadia was not quite
the first Jew of his epoch to engage in philosophy, he was by far the most significant Jewish philosopher since Philo of Alexandria 900 years earlier. After Saadia, philosophy remained central to rabbinic Judaism continuously for the next 550 years. It seems,
then, that Saadia was responsible for a clear and lasting change in the place philosophical exploration held in Jewish religious and intellectual life. This lecture will ask why and how Saadia achieved this transformation of the role of philosophy in Judaism,
why he was the first rabbinic philosopher, and to what extent his efforts ensured that he was far from the last. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">-- <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none">David Bronstein, PhD<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none">Co-Director, <a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/lbv6C5QPXJi6oD0D9syiQhkgNi3?domain=notredame.edu.au" title="https://www.notredame.edu.au/research/institutes-and-initiatives/centre-for-the-history-of-philosophy"><span style="color:#0563C1">Centre
for the History of Philosophy</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Director,
<a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/awbHC6XQ4LfyEBoBmh5sph5McKx?domain=notredame.edu.au">
<span style="color:#0563C1">Institute for Ethics and Society</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">University of Notre Dame Australia (Sydney)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Australian Research Council Future Fellow, 2023-26<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Associate Editor, <i>Australasian Journal of Philosophy</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Recently published:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/r8XnC71R2NTZvJmJNfqtkhoQyPB?domain=global.oup.com"><span style="color:#0563C1">Aristotelian
Metaphysics: Essays in Honour of David Charles</span><span style="color:#0563C1;font-style:normal"> (OUP)</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/RhcTC81V0PTYlKjKquwuOhy-NEe?domain=routledge.com"><span style="color:#0563C1">Definition
and Essence from Aristotle to Kant </span><span style="color:#0563C1;font-style:normal">(Routledge)</span></a></span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none"><img border="0" width="365" height="114" style="width:3.802in;height:1.1875in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DBE54D.C35B3AA0" alt="signature_3638217211"></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<br><br><p style="font-family: Verdana; font-size:10pt; color:#666666;"><b>Disclaimer</b></p><p style="font-family: Verdana; font-size:8pt; color:#666666;">IMPORTANT: This e-mail and any attachments may be confidential. If you are not the intended recipient you should not disclose, copy, disseminate or otherwise use the information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail and delete or destroy the document. Confidential and legal privilege are not waived or lost by reason of mistaken delivery to you. The University of Notre Dame Australia is not responsible for any changes made to a document other than those made by the University. Before opening or using attachments please check them for viruses and defects. Our liability is limited to re-supplying any affected attachments.
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