The entertainers begin young at Limmud FSU!
by Nathan Roi
Addressing a packed audience this weekend at the Limmud FSU conference for Russian-speaking young Jewish adults at the Klyasma Resort Center near Moscow, Sofa Landver, Israel’s Minister of Immigrant Absorption, said, “A nuclear holocaust in the Middle East would be a nuclear holocaust the world over.” She elaborated by saying that the special character of Iranian nuclear ambitions Israel threatens not only Israel as the Iranian leadership would wish and the Jewish people in general, but people all over the world. Among those in the audience – Ambassador Dorit Golander, Israel’s ambassador to the Russian Federation; MK Carmel Shama-Hacohen, chair of the Knesset Economics Committee and MK Alex Miller, chair of the Knesset Education and Culture Committee.
Minister Sofa Landver and Chaim Chesler speak with participants.
Following her presentation, Minister Landver spoke with several of the many hundreds of young people attending the conference and noted that recently there has been a 50 percent jump in the number of those emigrating to Israel from the major cities of Russia, including St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Speaking later at a round-table discussion, MK Miller said that Israel, in common with many other countries, is exerting pressure on Iran to stop developing nuclear weapons in the interest of world peace and not just that of Israel. “The threat of nuclear weaponry is not just our problem but that of the whole world.” And MK Shama-Hacohen lauded the relationship between Russia and Israel and also emphasized that Israel is seriously concerned with the threat posed by Iran as well as the political turmoil in Syria. Israel has a direct and immediate interest in halting the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons and it would seem that Russia also has an interest in halting this.
(l-r) MK Carmel Shama-Hacohen, Ambassador Dorit Golander, Minister Sofa Landver, MK Alex Miller, Chaim Chesler
Ambassador Golender praised the relationship between Israel and Russia in various fields which has developed since the increase in flights between the two countries, especially in the economy, culture, and the use of leisure time. “We would like to see an increase in the number of Russian politicians visiting Israel and we are glad that the Mayor of Moscow will be visiting in May with a large delegation, and that the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta will be performing here in Moscow”.
More than 1000 young Jewish adults from all over Russia along with participants coming from Ukraine, France, USA and Israel have been attending the three-day conference at which they heard dozens of presentations, lectures and workshops on a wide variety of subjects, including the volatile political situation in the Russian Federation; science and technology, Jewish history, satire, literature, the arts, yoga, philosophy and much more.
Limmud FSU participants checking out the program.
Looking ahead, Chaim Chesler, founder of Limmud FSU, said that the next Limmud FSU event in Israel will take place in Upper Nazareth in September with the theme sports and the quality of life. A central element will be to observe 40 years since the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. Chesler turned to Minister Landver and the two Knesset committee chairmen seeking their help in bringing to the Nazareth event some of the Russian gold medalists from the forthcoming Olympics in London. “If we could bring to Limmud FSU Beersheva last year, two senior Russian cosmonauts it should certainly be possible to bring Russian athletes to Israel. Moreover we also hope to bring to Nazareth the families of the victims as well as the survivors, including the noted runner Esther Roth-Shachamorov. My dream is also to be able to bring the American Jewish swimmer Mark Spitz who won seven gold medals in Munich. For Spitz, who was forced to leave Munich immediately after the murder, it would be a fitting closing of a circle and a tribute to the murdered Israeli sportsmen.”
Taking a time-out for lunch
Speaking to eJP recently, Limmud FSU co-founder Sandra Cahn said, “Following Moscow, we will turn our focus to Princeton where the first multi-day Limmud FSU event in the U.S. will take place next month. We’re expecting a full-house of participants along with guests including actors from the Israeli movie Footnote. Also in attendance will be the family of Krystyna Chiger, author of The Girl in the Green Sweater, the basis for the recently released movie, In Darkness.”
In addition, the conference will place special emphasis on Prof. Albert Einstein, who lived and taught at Princeton University. Keynote lectures on Einstein will be presented by Prof. Menachem Ben-Sasson and Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund, president and former president (respectively) of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the location of the Einstein Archives and holder of the Einstein copyrights.
Additional reporting by Dan Brown.
photos courtesy Nathan Roi
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Sounds great – wish I were a young Jew in the FSU!
Where does the Limmud FSU get the funding for its events?
By the way, the author says the event in Princeton will be “the first multi-day Limmud FSU event in the U.S.” But there have been numerous Limmud FSU events in the USA – New York and Long Island, for example. I think they have been multi-day, as well.
There have been two previous Limmud FSU events in the U.S. – both in WestHampton, New York, and both single day events.
Limmud FSU receives funding from both individual philanthropists and Jewish organizations. In addition, a significant part of event funding comes from the attendee registration fees.
I see! It’s confusing, because here, this article refers to a multi-day event as being the “third time” – http://www.limmudfsu.org/index.php?Model=17&ModelInstance=76&Actions=show&CatalogueID=401877
and here, the 2011 Hamptons event is referred to as the first ever Limmud FSU event in the United States!
http://limmudfsu.org/index.php?Model=17&ModelInstance=82&CatalogueID=400630&Actions=show&Festival=Article
Tabitha – you don’t have to be young or in/from the FSU! There are now Limmud communities in 60 or 70 places around the world as far as I understand all running activities and events based on the same core values. I’ve been to lots around the UK, but also in the States, France and South Africa. At Limmud Conference in the UK I’ve met people who are involved with Limmud teams in Argentina, Canada, Bulgaria, Germany, Netherlands, Turkey, Johannesburg, Sydney and Melbourne, Stockholm, The Galil and elsewhere, which blows me away that they all share the same passion and love for this organisation.
Where do you live? There is probably a Limmud there, or somewhere nearby that you can go to. You can probably find out more at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Limmud-International/213118938760848 or on their website. Maybe see you in the UK for a Limmud?!
HI Daniel,
I know – I have been to several Limmuds, including in the UK and in Europe, where I am a Limmud volunteer. The agelessness is one of the things I love about Limmud.
My question to Dan was about whether it is true that the upcoming Limmud FSU event in Princeton is the first multi-day Limmud FSU in the USA (because I thought I have heard about other multi-day events). I was also thinking that it would be great if other Limmuds around the world could have 1,000 young Jews attending, as he wrote regarding the Moscow event. Naturally, there are a lot of Jews in the FSU! But does Limmud FSU subsidize their participation to make it more attractive? What do they pay to attend, and what are the real costs per person? This is what many Limmud organizers around the world would want to know. It could be helpful.
To the best of my knowledge, the Moscow registration fee covered the full cost of the hotel accommodations, including meals. Participants also paid their own transportation to the retreat center.
Dan, that is truly amazing. Really worth emulating! So what costs do the sponsors cover?
Tabitha, I suggest you speak with the Limmud FSU folks directly. However, like most Limmud programs around the world, there are year-round fixed costs to running the organization. Limmud FSU, like all Limmud programs, is volunteer run. However, like many, Limmud FSU does employ a Project Manager (called by different titles in different locales) in Russia that has responsibility for two annual programs – one in Moscow and one in Petersburg (and perhaps additional responsibilities as well). There are certainly additional costs to running the conference though I do not know what may be donor provided vs. an actual expense.
Aha, ok. There are a few Limmuds that do have staff. That’s a good idea, to get in touch with Mr. Chesler and Ms. Cahn to find out how they fund the staff person and what that person does. Maybe in your next article about Limmud FSU, you can also include this info. It would be helpful!