It is said to be better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. On Wednesday, January 4, eighty Modi’in residents chose to light such a candle, together. Over the past few weeks, Israel has been in a whirlwind about a social issue that has been burning on a low flame since - well - maybe forever. One by one, stories of the exclusion of women (or in Hebrew, “Hadarat Nashim”) kept popping up in the news. Soldiers walked out of a ceremony in which women were singing on stage. High ranking army officers and the Minister of Defense had a laugh at the expense of women soldiers. Ultra orthodox communities in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh maintained separate sidewalks for men and women. Advertisements were censored to exclude pictures of women. The final straw - when a man spat on an eight-year … Continue Reading
Covenant Foundation Announces New Grants
The Covenant Foundation today announced nearly $900,000 in new grants as part of its mission to support and advance excellence and impact in Jewish education. The new round of grants underscores a commitment to initiatives across the landscape of Jewish educational experiences, settings and audiences, and propel innovative work in technology, new media, youth engagement and community building through education. Foundation grants are divided into two categories: Signature grants, which provide funding for up to $250,000 for up to five years, and Ignition grants, of up to $20,000 for one year to support new and untested approaches. The grants announced today are part of approximately $1.7 million to be distributed this year. Signature grantees include: The Center for Jewish Living and … Continue Reading
Are Israelis the Backward Ones?
from Israel Hayom: A great miracle happened there We are on the campus of Warwick University, a little over an hour from London... And yet, against all expectations, Limmud was conceived in England, not Brooklyn or Jerusalem. Every year it grows and branches out to all corners of the Jewish world, and even includes an Israeli component, which is why I was there... They do not really need us. Of course, they care about Israel. Some more, and some less so. They are certainly not indifferent to what goes on here. But beyond that, they get along very well without us. For a long time Israel has been telling itself all kinds of stories. We Israelis are dying to have world Jewry need us like they need air to breathe. We wanted to think that at least from the point of view of Judaism, we are the … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with David Wolkin
Deborah Fishman sits with David Wolkin. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [After serving for many years as a volunteer, David Wolkin is now the Executive Director of Limmud NY. This transition has given him an interesting perspective on networks, the value they hold for participants, and their role in the Jewish world. David has also served in a variety of Jewish educational capacities and received his MA in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary.] What is a network? It’s an overlapping series of webs between people. In many cases, some subset of these webs are entirely aware of the connections that exist; others aren’t aware of how they are a part of that system that forms and shares relationships. What emerges as a result of that tends to be very … Continue Reading
Today on Limmud TV
Conference in the UK concludes today; but you can still catch a few sessions on Limmud TV: Rebuilding Noah's Ark: Does the Story of the Flood Really Hold Water? (Rachel Zarum) and God Is Not Righteous and the Torah Is Not Moral (Nathan Lopes Cardozo) limmud on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free Here’s the complete Limmud UK livestream session schedule. (note all times are GMT). There are over 50 Limmud events happening around the world in 2012. To find a Limmud close to you see limmudinternational.org. … 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
Spotlight: Do Jews from the FSU in Germany Volunteer?
by Julia Itin The whole concept of volunteer work among the numerous Jews from FSU living in Germany today seems to be a nonexistent. But only at first glance. During Limmud Day Berlin, we interviewed participants only to discover that volunteerism does exist as part of the post-Soviet Jewish experience in Germany - but it faces many challenges. Stand up, all Victims of Oppression! Involvement in politically motivated groups such as subbotniks, mandatory days of volunteer work, unions, as well as the Komsomol, the Communist Union of Youth carried with it a strong social component. Under communism, people volunteered not necessarily because they felt they were "building the country’s future," but because these committments gave them "social capital," a feeling of being responsible for … Continue Reading
The Limmud Phenomenon Rekindles the Global Jewish Flame
"Participants report one of Limmud’s strongest impacts is in connecting them to Jews “who are different than me.” Bringing together Jews of all (and no) denominations, ages and nationalities, Limmud nurtures a profound sense of peoplehood even as it serves as a networking hub across Jewish communities." Shining bright as the Chanukah lights, Limmud - the cross-communal, international Jewish learning movement that reaches over 30,000 participants annually - is countering assimilation and disengagement seen widely in the Jewish world. “The Limmud International Study: Jewish Learning Communities on a Global Scale,” released today, demonstrates the value of self-motivated, informal and intensive Jewish learning. The learning clearly serves both as an expression of and impetus to Jewish … Continue Reading
One Week from Today: Occupy Limmud
Nearly 2,500 Jews from the United Kingdom, together with Limmud International activists from 20 communities, will “Occupy Limmud” at the University of Warwick during Christmas week, December 25-29, 2011. To capture the excitement of Chanukah, which this year coincides with Christmas, a thousand dreidel enthusiasts are expected to break the world record for simultaneous dreidel spinning. Beyond the first-class cadre of presenters, including Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt, Israeli social protest leader Dafni Leef and Turkish Ambassador to the U.K. Unal Cevikoz, Limmud 2011 will see the launch of other firsts: An inclusive pilot project integrating learning disabled presenters and adult participants taking one more step in their Jewish journey in a project initiated by Conference Co-Chair … 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
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