This event is co-sponsored by the New College Festival of Books andBelief and Edinburgh Jewish Literary Society.

Please note that everyone needs to book a ticket to attend this event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-college-festival-elli-tikvah-sarah-tickets-1996241367668?aff=odcleoeventsincollection. However, if you are a paid up Lit. member you will receive a booking code and a link on registering for this event that gives you free access. Please register and follow the instructions to book a ticket: https://forms.gle/cCcyh2SmdBvVFbwo6

Join us for a lunchtime event with Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah celebrating ‘Breaking Binaries’ (Unusual Publications, 2026), her new book challenging the oppositions that shape contemporary thought and practice. ‘Breaking Binaries’ explores gender, Jewish identity, conflict, interfaith engagement, and our responsibilities to the planet. An LGBT+ pioneer, equal-marriage campaigner, and longstanding advocate for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, Rabbi Sarah brings decades of rabbinic, interfaith, and activist experience to these urgent questions. Discover how moving beyond either/or thinking can open richer, more compassionate possibilities for communities, relationships, and our shared future as earthlings in a divided world.

Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah was ordained in July 1989 by Rabbi Lionel Blue (Leo Baeck College). An LGBT+ pioneer and campaigner for equal marriage, Elli has also been engaged in interfaith dialogue and actively committed to Israeli-Palestinian coexistence for decades, and has written extensively on these areas. Author of ‘Trouble-Making Judaism’ (2012), Elli’s latest book is ‘Breaking Binaries. A Progressive Rabbi Engages with Contemporary Issues’ (2026). Rabbi of Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue for twenty years, following her retirement (2021) Elli became Emeritus Rabbi of the congregation. Elli is married to artist and biblical scholar, Dr Jess Wood MBE.