Some 300 mostly young adults gathered today in Chisinau, Moldova, for a daylong Limmud FSU festival. This was the third Limmud FSU festival to be held in Moldova.

The event, a dynamic and pluralistic Jewish festival of culture, creativity and learning, took place at the JCC Kedem, and featured over 60 sessions with 50 speakers from around the world.

Workshops and discussions were held on subjects ranging from art, to Jewish culture and tradition, history, politics, academics, business and lifestyles.

Topics included Jewish views of astrology and superstition, child-rearing, demystifying Shabbat, and religious Zionism.

A special program was held on the legacy of Elie Wiesel by the Moldovan Jewish community and its leaders to mark the Yahrzeit of his passing on Saturday night at the Chisinau Chabad Lubavitch Synagogue, the only local congregation that remains active today in a city that before the Holocaust housed more than 70 synagogues. The event included a special Kaddish that was read by Rabbi Zusha Abelsky (the son of former Chief Rabbi of Moldova Zalman Abelsky), together with Rabbi Mandy Axelrod; President of the Jewish Community of Moldova, Alexander Bilinkis; AJC’s Director of Russian Jewish Community Affairs, Sam Kliger; Limmud FSU founder Chaim Chesler and and the founder of the Wiesel archive at Boston University, Dr. Joel Rappel.

Limmud FSU Moldova was sponsored by the Claims Conference, The American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Nativ, the Jewish Community of Moldova, and others.

Photos courtesy Limmud FSU