In England, winter break is Limmud season. Each year, more than 2,500 learners of all ages descend on the U.K. Limmud conference to engage in activities and lectures spanning the full spectrum of Jewish learning. This year, Limmud celebrated its 35th anniversary. In that time, it has formed the basis for an international movement, marking a new form of Jewish learning and engagement now active in more than 80 communities worldwide.
Limmud was once referred to as British Jewry’s greatest export. While I might argue that my British-born mother should hold that title, Limmud has created a compelling model of Jewish education that successfully addresses the needs of a new generation of learners. The underpinnings of this model can serve as an important example for other settings of learning and engagement.
First, Limmud is driven by volunteers rather than professionals. The constantly revolving core of volunteers, who are largely in their 20s and 30s, has ensured that the organization regularly reinvents itself, remaining relevant to a changing audience and changing needs. In some ways, this base of young leaders resembles the youth movement activism of the past.
What’s more, the generations of Limmud volunteer alumni have started to reshape the face of British Jewry. The United Kingdom’s “40 under 40” list of future Jewish leaders consistently features Limmud volunteers. Today, Limmud organizers throughout the world can network with one another, sharing experience and expertise. For these individuals, Limmud is a critical and ongoing form of Jewish engagement, stretching well beyond the event they are organizing.
Second, Limmud is designed for “prosumers” – a generation that seeks to both consume and produce experiences. Everyone is involved in creating Limmud. Beyond the organizing volunteers, presenters at Limmud are largely drawn from participants who respond to an open call for sessions. In most conferences, the ratio of presenters to participants is quite low, indicating the high level of engagement. Similarly, the conferences themselves are brought to life by “Limmud makers” – individuals who offer time at the conference in return for reduced fees. In some way, everyone at Limmud is both a producer and consumer of the experience.
Third, Limmud is not institutionally bound. While it draws on institutional leaders, it bucks the trend of institutional collaboration, often characterized by each partner including its own logo and criteria for content and structure. Rather, Limmud maintains a non-institutional identity. Part of balking at the institutional yoke, Limmud operates in public spaces. Conferences take place on university campuses and in public schools, places with lower barriers to entry than synagogues and yeshivot.
Fourth, Limmud is multi-generational. The program usually includes activities geared to kids, teens and adults as well as cross-aged programming. By opening itself to children of all ages, Limmud enables parents to mix family time with personal growth. For many young families, Limmud is like camp with programming both separate and together.
Fifth, Limmud works on our schedule. Limmud was originally conceived of as a response to the December dilemma – while our neighbours celebrate Christmas, Jews gathered for their own celebration. Beyond a Christmas alternative, it’s scheduled at a time when school is closed, work is slow and families can vacation.
Finally, Limmud is replicable, but not mirrored. In 2015, there were 66 Limmud events run by 3,000 volunteers with 33,000 participants in more than 50 communities from New York to New Zealand, China to across Canada. While the core values of Limmud remain common across various settings, the program is unique to each community and shaped by individual volunteers and participants.
Limmud’s growth stands in contrast to waning participation in many legacy forms of Jewish engagement. It’s worth our while to consider what lessons we can learn from this relatively new start-up on the Jewish educational stage.