Moscow's seventh Limmud FSU conference for Russian-speaking Jews opens today at the Klyazma retreat center near Moscow. One of the central themes will focus on Russia as a society undergoing change, both in general and in particular for its Jewish citizens. Limmud FSU conferences are considered to be the most prestigious of Jewish cultural events in the former Soviet Union and one thousand participants have registered to attend, both the largest ever Limmud FSU event in Moscow and, the flagship event on the Limmud FSU calendar. Chaim Chesler of Limmud FSU, speaking on the eve of the Moscow event, said, “Our dream was to present to the new generation of young Russian-speaking Jews throughout the world, topics which are close to their hearts and excite their imagination, such as Jewish history … Continue Reading
Limmud FSU Princeton: Bridging the Disconnect
With the goal of helping to bridge their disconnect from the American Jewish community, over 500 Russian-Jewish-American young adults will gather at Princeton University, May 11th-13th, for the first-ever three-day Limmud FSU Conference in the United States. The entire conference, including its content, is organized by volunteers from the U.S. Russian-speaking Jewish community and reflects the participants’ desire to maintain their Russian Jewish culture while living in the United States. An estimated 750,000 to 1 million Russian-American Jews live in the country, with about half residing in New York and New Jersey. Among the presenters at the conference are leading academics, politicians, writers and artists hailing from the United States, Israel, Russia and elsewhere including, Yossi Bachar, … Continue Reading
Limmud FSU Comes to Princeton
A truly unique event, organized and run entirely by volunteers, Limmud FSU has revolutionized pluralistic Jewish engagement of Russian-speaking Jews by involving them in an array of interactive workshops, intellectually-stimulating discussions, a festive Shabbat celebration, controversial debates, film screenings, artistic performances, music, dancing and much more. Join them on May 11 - 13th, 2012 and experience the magic of Limmud FSU! For more information, please visit limmudfsuus.org/ … Continue Reading
Taglit Event Explores Russian Culture in Israel
The Tel-Aviv nightclub, Ha-Oman 17, recently played host to "Taglit Art 2012", a festival of modern Israeli art and culture, that brought together 800 Taglit-Birthright Israel participants from the countries of the Former Soviet Union. Four separate break-out areas were dedicated to avant-garde Israeli music; theater and multidisciplinary arts; Israeli fashion; and an exhibition of modern visual arts. Guests snacked on falafel and shakshuka while meeting Russian-speaking Israeli artists and designers. Interestingly, the most energy was not found on the dance floor, but in the artist presentations. The festival event was superbly designed, and implemented, by the Tel Aviv based Fishka House organization. Addressing the attendees, MK Limor Livnat, Israel's Minister of Culture and Sport, … Continue Reading
Limmud FSU Leaders Gather for Global Summit
More than 40 Russian-speaking leaders of Limmud FSU coming from Russia, Ukraine, the U.S., Belarus, Moldova and Israel participated in an intensive four-day conference here in Jerusalem this past week. The international Limmud movement, founded in Great Britain 32 years ago, has become one of the most successful and important educational enterprises in the Jewish world. Pluralistic, egalitarian, non-political and volunteer-based, Limmud events take place in more than 60 countries across the globe. Limmud FSU for Russian speakers was founded six years ago and thousands of young people have taken part in its conferences and festivals. Speaking to eJewish Philanthropy, Sandra Cahn (who co-founded Limmud FSU along with Chaim Chesler) said, "This Summit represents a very important juncture in … Continue Reading
Toward the Miraculous Future: A Chanukiya of Predictions for 2012
“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein “Daddy, how do we know it REALLY was a miracle, not just that somebody counted the oil the wrong way?" Morgan Cohen, age 9 For the serious adult student, Chanukah presents interesting questions about Jewish history, the challenge of heroic narrative and the complexities of a Jewish authority. But for a nine year old, a simple question belies its profound impact: was it really a miracle that the oil burned for eight nights? This question, asked last week by my daughter Morgan, has been burning in my head ever since, especially as I prepared my annual list of predictions for the coming year. In many ways, 2011 was a year filled with surprises that, despite the … Continue Reading
Limmud FSU Leadership Summit Opens Today
Fifty Limmud FSU leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Israel, USA, Belarus and Moldova will gather in Jerusalem today for a four day Leadership Summit that includes professional training, team building and learning. They will be joined by staff, the Limmud FSU co-chairs and guests including Israeli author Etgar Keret, MK Yuli Edelstein (Minister of Public Affairs and the Diaspora, Julius Berman (Claims Conference), Natan Sharansky and Carolyn Bogush and Clive Lawton from Limmud International. In describing the Summit program, Chaim Chesler - the high energy founder and co-chair of Limmud FSU, told eJP, " The four day program provides an intensive series of lectures, presentations, excursions, workshops and discussions, all incorporated in the framework of the Summit. The participants will have a unique … Continue Reading
The Shtetl: Medzhybizh Then and Now
by Nathan Roi Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, better known as the “Baal Shem Tov,” usually abbreviated to “Besht,” was a mystic rabbi who is considered the founder of Hassidism. He was born either in 1698 or 1700 according to different sources, lived in the small Ukrainian village of Medzhybizh and died there in 1760. On the way to Medzhybizh, we pass through a small town called Tolchin: along the road are galvanized tin shacks selling a variety of smoked fish to people who come from all over Ukraine, even as far as Kiev, as the prices are evidently far less. In large basins carp are swimming. Decades ago they would have been destined to end up as gefilte fish on the Sabbath tables of the more affluent Jews in the shtetl. It could well be that the disciples of the Besht could not afford … Continue Reading
The Shtetl: Vinnitsa Then and Now
by Nathan Roi A wonderful example of cubist period art is a painting of the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, by the avant-garde Jewish artist, Nathan Altman. When I visited Vinnitsa for the first time, few people, including the residents of Vinnitsa, knew that it was the home town of Altman before he left for Paris. From 1902 to 1907, he studied painting and sculpture at the Art College in Odessa and in 1906 had his first exhibition in the town. In 1910 he went to Paris where he studied at the Free Russian Academy, working in the studio of Vladimir Baranoff-Rossine, and was in contact with Marc Chagall, Alexander Archipenko and David Sternberg. In 1910, before the Russian revolution, he became a member of the group Soyuz Molodyozhi (Union of Youth). When speaking to some of the young people … Continue Reading
Loving Your Neighbor
by Yoram Dori Va’ahavta lare’echa kamocha (“Love your neighbor as yourself” - Leviticus 19:18) is one of the golden rules in the Bible. It is also one of the basic precepts on which I and thousands of others like me were brought up from childhood. Sometimes I had the feeling that it was another brick in the wall of self-assurance that we are, indeed a chosen people - different from others - somehow better and more ethical. A recent Limmud FSU conference in Odessa taught me that there is sometimes a tangible meaning to the overworked expression. During the course of the conference I was asked to join a “home visit.” At first, I was not too clear about what was implied. What was the connection between Limmud and home visits? Were we going to visit young Odessa Jews in their homes and … Continue Reading
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