The Power of An Idea; The Power of Limmud New York

Limmud New York, the first child of Limmud International, recently concluded their 6th annual conference. Launched in 2005 by six volunteers, and assistance from UJA Federation of New York, The Picower Foundation and Bikkurim, last weekend’s conference featured over 300 sessions for the 700 participants along with heat! With attendees from three weeks to 97 years old, there was programming for all. 100 kids and teenagers participated in a winter camp and a vibrant group of college students helped keep the tempo high. Here’s a sampling of what’s being said: Tamar Fox writing in MyJewishLearning.com: Limmud NY 2010: The Quintessential Limmud Experience The thing I always love about Limmud is the sheer number of times every day that my world is completely rocked by brilliance. In any... Continue Reading

Limmud’s Global Chavruta Project

Combine globalization and technology and what do you get? Limmud Conference’s first worldwide, 100% virtual team! The Co-Chairs of Limmud’s 2009 Chavruta Project span four continents across fourteen time zones – from New York to Sydney who joined together for a unique collaboration to create Jewish learning that transcended boundaries. The Chavruta project was conceived by Limmud in the UK 13 years ago and has since been exported to Jewish communities around the world. For those unfamiliar, chavruta means ‘friendship’ or ‘partnership.’ It is a form of traditional Jewish learning involving pairs of people, usually with similar levels of ability and knowledge, exploring texts together. At Limmud, these can range from ancient materials to modern scholarship, song lyrics... Continue Reading

The Next Limmuds

Limmud continues to expand with another fifteen programs set for between now and May. February 12-15 – Limmud LA 14 – Limmud Chicago 18-19 – Limmud Arava March 6-7 – Limmud Philly 7 – Limmud day Cologne 13-14 – Limmud New Orleans 14 – Limmud Atlanta 15-18 – Limmud FSU Ukraine April 15-18 – Limmud FSU Moscow May 01 – Limmud day Liverpool – UK 13-16 – Limmud.de Germany 23-24 – Limmoed Netherlands 27-31 – Limmud Colorado 31 – Day Limmud London [Translate] Bookmark:  Read More →

The Phenomenon Called Limmud

55,000 meals served; 900 sessions; 320 presenters, a 380 page program book and 2500 participants from 40 countries. Those attending ranged from eight weeks to 90 years; 1000 were first-timers and 300 were between 5 and 18. Such were some of the stats from last month’s LimmudUK. Known simply as “Conference” this annual independent event is, in the words of Sir Jonathan Sacks, “British Jewry’s greatest export.” Held in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, this year’s Conference was the biggest ever. Bringing together religious and secular, affiliated and not, traditional and alternative to celebrate, to create and to provide a catalyst for individuals to further their own Jewish learning in an inclusive atmosphere. Conference took place on the campus... Continue Reading

Limmud UK: The Mother of All Conferences

by Adam Rattner Some 2,000 people checked into the halls of residence at Warwick University, West Midlands, yesterday morning, joining the 500 participants who had already spent the Christmas weekend away from festivities and in a Shabbat atmosphere instead. Long unsure about what to do with themselves as the rest the country celebrates Christmas, Britain’s Jews have found an unlikely answer – go to university for a week. The Limmud conference, the world’s biggest Jewish educational get-together, offers the chance to sleep in university dorms and spend the day in lecture theaters listening to academics, rabbis and lay people presenting on just about every Jewish topic conceivable. Participants were still arriving on Sunday, weather conditions permitting, from all over the world. Since... Continue Reading

LimmudFSU: Pushing Forward in 2010

Backed by a determination to attract new donors in 2010, LimmudFSU, has released their 2010 schedule. And like many organizations they are keeping an eye on costs; but they also increasing the dollars allotted to programming in order to continue reaching out to a broader audience. In addition to planning five major events, they continue to push the envelope with new a leadership training summit – a full-week event in the U.S. after Pesach. Here’s the current line-up for 2010: Ukraine: March 15-18 (rescheduling of the recently canceled event due to swine flu) Moscow: April 15-18 Baltimore: April 28-May 4 – international leadership training summit (Pearlstone Retreat & Conference Center) Jerusalem: July 21-23 New York: mid-August Belarus: mid-November LimmudFSU’s most recent... Continue Reading

From WestHampton, New York to Russia’s Far East, Limmud FSU Makes Inroads

Seven time-zones from Moscow, about as far east as one can travel in Russia, lies the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, or Region. Established in 1934 “for the Jewish population of the Soviet Union to receive a territory in which to pursue Yiddish cultural heritage within a socialist framework” this out-of-the-way region is today largely forgotten by world Jewry. But here, last week over 300 [mostly] young Russian Jews gathered in the capital city of Birobidzhan for four days of seminars, workshops, entertainment and just plain fun at the first ever Limmud in Russia’s Far East. Planned to coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Oblast’s founding, the attendees were provided a window not only to their own heritage but an opportunity to connect to the global Jewish community. Taking the... Continue Reading

Limmud Fest: An Outdoor Happening

It’s a Limmud month – from the U.K. to the U.S. to Russia’s Far East – and newer models continue to grow from the original. Beginning with Limmud Fest, five days of learning and fun in the U.K. – from studying with fantastic presenters to dancing to the latest Jewish beats; a magical recipe of art, tradition, religion, spirituality and Jewish life, sprinkled with creativity and served to participants from all backgrounds, religious affiliations and age groups. Limmud Fest has quickly grown in five years from a gathering of around 200 British-Jewish young adults seeking an alternative Jewish experience in the summer, to the most important event in the British-Jewish summer calendar. Last week over 600 people participated, from 5 months to 88 years old; from shomrei-mitzvot... Continue Reading

What I Learned in the Hamptons

At last Sunday’s Limmud FSU event in WestHampton, I had the privilege to meet Yoram Dori, a senior adviser to President Shimon Peres. Here are his thoughts on the event. I didn’t know much about Limmud FSU. About Matthew Bronfman I knew a bit more. I knew he was involved with Israeli banks. Banks annoy me. And I knew he was an owner of IKEA in Israel. This is also not one of my favorites, because my credit cards seem to work overtime there. But last week, on Long Island, New York, I discovered that the combination between Limmud FSU and Bronfman is a winning one. I concluded this after I witnessed hundreds of young Jewish emigrés from the former Soviet Union lifting their hands to the sky and dancing and singing Moshiach, Moshiach, Moshiach and other Jewish and Israeli songs after a long... Continue Reading

Limmud FSU Comes to America; and WestHampton Will Never Be the Same Again!

Forty Presenters; Eighty Workshops; Seven Hours With the Russian-Jewish community making up 25% of New York’s Jewish community, the time has come to make serious efforts to weave the young adult demographic of this community into the fabric of American Jewish life. To respond to this challenge, an exciting one-day happening, A Taste of Limmud – organized under the expanding umbrella of Limmud FSU, is happening right now on the campus of The Hampton Synagogue in WestHampton, New York. A premiere event for young Jewish Americans from Russian-speaking families, participants are experiencing Judaism through a broad range of informal learning sessions, performances, and panel discussions, featuring local and international scholars and entertainers. As Limmud FSU has all year, the event is themed... Continue Reading

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