For the first time, Limmud activists from Africa, Asia, and Australasia gathered to brainstorm the future of Limmud and Jewish life in their communities. Known as the 3As, they met at Shalom College in Sydney, Australia, and hailed from Beijing, Mumbai, Durban, Johannesburg, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland.

“Although we live so far apart and come from such a wide array of countries, this leadership summit underscored what we share – namely, that Limmud is central to our communities and our future,” said Limmud 3A Co-Chair Mandi Katz, a Limmud Connections Team member and Melbourne-based governance professional. “Despite the diversity and distances between our individual Limmud communities, we can learn and grow from the experiences, challenges and creativity of our fellow volunteers across the region.”

The Limmud 3A Summit focused on the opportunity to develop internal and external regional partnerships that bring Jewish learning and volunteerism to some of the biggest countries in the world.

“The more established Limmud communities of Australia and South Africa had much to share in mentoring the newer Limmuds in our vast region, and we gained a great deal from the interaction and helping to support Limmud volunteers elsewhere,” said 3A Co-Chair Nancy Krisch. “We want to leverage our strengths by sharing information and setting up infrastructure to connect volunteers and pool knowledge and resources.”

Debbie Staniland, who chairs the Limmud Global Connections Team and lives in the UK, highlighted the developing phenomenon of Limmud tourism as a unique way to see the world. “Limmud tourism is a fast-growing outcome of the international nature of Limmud’s expanding network,” she observed. “People are planning holidays around Limmud events all over the world. The southern hemisphere is a very popular destination and has huge potential for visiting Limmudniks.”

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Natan Fund and UJA Federation-New York partnered with Limmud on the summit.