[SydPhil] Belfer Oration 2026 - Dr Samuel Lebens (University of Haifa) & Andrew West (ABC Radio National)

[Catherine Wesselinoff]

Registration essential — register here: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/GQ4bCZY1NqiDjEQR7czfwcBR88a?domain=greatsynagogue.org.au


The Notre Dame Centre for the History of Philosophy warmly invites you to the 2026 John and Anna Belfer Oration in the History of Jewish Philosophy.

DATE: Wednesday 1 July 2026

TIME: 6:00 PM (Doors open 5:30 PM)

VENUE: The Great Synagogue, Sydney

ORATOR : Rabbi Dr Samuel Lebens (University of Haifa) — lecture followed by conversation with Andrew West (ABC Radio National)

TITLE: Is Free Will an Illusion? Authoring the Story of Our Lives with Hasdai Crescas and Joseph Albo

BIO: Samuel Lebens is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Haifa. His work spans a wide range of interests from the philosophy of Bertrand Russell to the teachings of the Hassidic Masters. He has published articles on topics ranging from religious epistemology to the ontology of literature. He was the founding chairperson of the Association for the Philosophy of Judaism and is an Orthodox Rabbi.

ABSTRACT: Life throws many obstacles in our way, from our genetic make-up to our socio-economic situation. These slings and arrows of outrageous fortune can restrict and restrain our freedom to shape our own lives as we might wish to shape them. And yet, at the very heart of the Jewish faith lies the conviction that, ultimately, and notwithstanding the many constraints under which we labour, we have the power to direct our own responses to those obstacles and constraints. With sufficient discipline and effort, many of the impediments in our way can be overcome; and—the Jewish faith insists—even those challenges that can't be conquered leave us with a degree of freedom regarding how we choose to respond to them. In this year's Belfer Oration, we shall be exploring an iconoclastic medieval rabbi who stood entirely against this conception of the Jewish faith. He was a tireless defender of Judaism and the Jewish people in the face of overwhelming oppression. But unlike almost every thinker in the tradition—both before him and after—he resolutely refused to believe that human beings have any real freedom at all. His name was Rabbi Hasdai Crescas and, according to him, our entire lives, including every decision we ever make, every action we ever perform, and every thought we ever think, are predetermined by causes outside of our control. Is it possible to make sense of Judaism in the absence of a belief in human freedom? Together, we shall scrutinise Crescas' distinctive response to that question in conversation with one of his most prominent students, Rabbi Joseph Albo.

THE BELFER ORATION: The John and Anna Belfer Oration in the History of Jewish Philosophy is a joint initiative of the University of Notre Dame Australia’s Centre for the History of Philosophy and The Great Synagogue Sydney, generously endowed by the Belanna Trust in memory of John and Anna Belfer. The annual Oration brings a distinguished scholar of Jewish philosophy to Sydney to deepen academic and public understanding of Judaism’s remarkable philosophical legacy – a tradition that begins with Philo of Alexandria, runs through medieval thinkers such as Maimonides and Judah Halevi and continues into the twentieth century with figures like Martin Buber and Joseph Soloveitchik. The Jewish philosophical tradition developed in creative dialogue with the other Abrahamic faiths and draws on Tanach, Talmud and Greek philosophy alike. As one of Judaism’s most significant contributions to world history and culture, Jewish philosophy has profound value for Jews and non-Jews alike.

Registration essential — register here: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/GQ4bCZY1NqiDjEQR7czfwcBR88a?domain=greatsynagogue.org.au


Dr Catherine Wesselinoff
Lecturer | School of Philosophy and Theology
Lead, Strategic Programs and Partnerships | Institute for Ethics and Society (IES)
The University of Notre Dame Australia.
Book a meeting with me<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/mqOaC1WLPxckZ1qm6CGhKcVo66y?domain=outlook.office.com> <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/mqOaC1WLPxckZ1qm6CGhKcVo66y?domain=outlook.office.com>

Recent Publications:
"Beauty's Comeback", Debates in Aesthetics, Vol 19. No. 2, 2025, pp 35-45.
"Apophatic Beauty in the Hippias Major and the Symposium", The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 82, Issue 1, 2024, pp 36-44.
The Revival of Beauty: Aesthetics, Experience, and Philosophy, Routledge, 2023.

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