LimmudLA: An Extraordinary Success
Featuring more than 600 participants, 260 sessions, 21 films, 2 concerts, and 1 off-Broadway play, LimmudLA premiered this past holiday weekend to great reviews.
Since 1999, Limmud has been spreading at an unprecedented rate throughout the Jewish world. Inspired by their visits to Limmud Conferences in the UK, tens of activists have returned to their home communities enthused and invigorated by
Limmud’s unique model of cross-communal, volunteer-led, dynamic Jewish education –
and sought to replicate some of the Limmud magic in their own community. Indeed, as the Jerusalem Report astutely observed in 2000: “wherever there are Jews, there should be a Limmud”.
Around the world, the Limmud movement mixes some of the world’s most dynamic Jewish educators, performers and teachers with Jews of all stripes in an atmosphere of exploration. With a goal to help all participants go one step further on their personal Jewish journeys.
LimmudLA was for all who wanted to see Los Angeles Jewry become more knowledgeable about where they came from and where they are going; for anyone who wanted to see the diverse communities of LA more connected, identified and more active. And most of all, “for anyone who wants to help create that future”.
According to Sue Fishkoff (writing for the JTA):
“Limmud is a grassroots, intensive Jewish experience that has tapped into something profound and timely in the global Jewish community. And it seems to have happened by accident; the first put together 27 years ago by a group of British Jewish educators for an intensive week of study and professional development.
Today, Limmud in the United Kingdom is a hugely popular undertaking, no longer limited to Jewish professionals: Some 600 presenters and 2,500 participants showed up last December for the 28th annual event.
From England the model is spreading quickly throughout the Jewish world. The first export was in 1999 to Australia. Holland followed next, then Toronto, Paris, New York, Lithuania, Hungary.
In the past two years, the number has more than doubled, as Russia, Germany, South Africa, Israel, Bulgaria and Serbia got on board. This year, new Limmuds will take place in Ashkelon, Israel; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Yalta, Ukraine; and Khabarovsk, Russia.
Altogether around the world, Limmud has reached more than 30 communities.
In the United States, Limmuds are scheduled this year for Denver and Atlanta, and planning committees have organized in Philadelphia and Chicago.”
to read Sue’s complete article, click here.
And who knows; perhaps we did not need all the hype of the Next Big Idea; perhaps Limmud (like several other existing initiatives) is the one transforming concept.
from an earlier post…
what if the idea is already on the table…what if the next big idea is staring us in the face…what if we are so ‘hung-up’ on finding that next big idea, we don’t realize…
we already have the perfect vehicle to transform how the Jewish community thinks about itself…
updated February 22nd…
check out this great article on Limmud from the LA Jewish Journal, “Whole Lotta Jews”