By Rachel Lustig, volunteer and co-chair of #YomLimmud2014
Well first of all, I was thrilled and honoured to be
selected as one of the Aussie delegates. And wow! What an experience. Cold, cold, cold, the #1 memory I have is of the UK winter. And such short
days! No-one ever told me the sun only
comes up at 8.30am and sets at 3.30pm during a UK winter!
But what better time to hold a Jewish event than over Xmas?! Not many students left at Warwick University, nice n warm inside the student accommodation, memories of taking off multiple layers of clothes, scarves, hats (yes, multiple hats) and gloves every time I entered a building for one of the many Limmud sessions, only to have to put them all back on again to go to the next one! And don’t even think about leaving the building without all your layers... you’ll quickly regret it! We in Australia don’t know how lucky we are.
But what better time to hold a Jewish event than over Xmas?! Not many students left at Warwick University, nice n warm inside the student accommodation, memories of taking off multiple layers of clothes, scarves, hats (yes, multiple hats) and gloves every time I entered a building for one of the many Limmud sessions, only to have to put them all back on again to go to the next one! And don’t even think about leaving the building without all your layers... you’ll quickly regret it! We in Australia don’t know how lucky we are.
I have to say the folks that make it to Limmud UK for the world’s biggest annual Jewish learning event are certainly spoilt
for choice! A record number of 2,500 people can’t be wrong! There are SOOOOOOO
many talks to choose from. At peak times between 10-15 sessions at any one time. It’s a fabulous way to gain exposure to many different facets of Jewish life and education.
And in the evenings, wow, would you believe the kids (teens, 20’s) are dancing together with headphones so that the space isn't dominated by loud dance music! Meanwhile there’s small bands and other entertainment (including one night the winner of the last Israeli Idol Hagit Yaso חגית יאסו) in the many bars and social spots where people gather till all hours of the night, schmoozing, chatting, eating, drinking, playing trivia, meeting new folks … and yes, even dancing!
And in the evenings, wow, would you believe the kids (teens, 20’s) are dancing together with headphones so that the space isn't dominated by loud dance music! Meanwhile there’s small bands and other entertainment (including one night the winner of the last Israeli Idol Hagit Yaso חגית יאסו) in the many bars and social spots where people gather till all hours of the night, schmoozing, chatting, eating, drinking, playing trivia, meeting new folks … and yes, even dancing!
There’s a wonderful vibe at Limmud UK, and if you attend as
a Limmud Oz delegate then you get to meet lots of other international delegates
during special sessions and events – hey, we even got our own personal (Limmud
International) session with Natan Sharansky, and yes, I got to shake the
great man’s hand! Believe me, he’s an
inspirational speaker. His session was full to the rafters (and I mean that
literally) …. Sharansky, Clive Lawton, and the new Chief Rabbi who attended Limmud for the first time. They all got the biggest lecture hall, which seats around a 1,000, yet people were still turned
away or watched via video in another room.
I was fortunate enough to be included on a walking tour
of London the day before we left for Warwick Uni. The tour had been organised for
the Limmud Galil group but they were kind enough to extend an invitation to me to
join them. I got to see parts of London I would never have made it to, left
to my own devices.
I can strongly recommend this experience to anyone who loves
Limmud, and who would like to take their volunteering to a new level. You too could chair or co-chair the next
Limmud event! A great way of meeting new
people and feeling involved with the community which gives so much to us.
I invite you all to come and experience our local Sydney Limmud experience this year condensed into a 1 day event: Yom Limmud - full details on our website. Keep updated with news and updates - Facebook page, Twitter or join the hashtag #YomLimmud2014.
Parents - do not miss out on our #YoungLimmud program for kids aged 3-12!
Limmud is a non-profit volunteer based event, supported by The Shalom Institute. See how you can contribute too!
Rachel
great event!
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