Space to play
The focus of Conference is, of course, on Jewish learning. But you’ll never be stuck for things to do outside formal sessions, because Conference is also about relaxing, meeting new people, renewing friendships and plain good times.
Lots to do outside sessions - whatever your taste
The book club
Meet other book lovers and discuss some familiar and less familiar literature on a Jewish theme. This year we will be talking about these books:
Saturday - 'Everything is Iluuminated ' by Jonathan Safran Foer
Sunday - 'The Human Stain ' by Philip Roth
Monday - 'Great House ' by Nicole Krauss
Tuesday - 'Daniel Deronda ' by George Eliot
Wednesday - 'To The End of The Land ' by David Grossman
Crafternoon Tea
Enjoy crafts? Enjoy a pot of tea? Put them together and it’s a crafty afternoon! With a different theme each afternoon, whether it be stitching, crocheting, mosaic-ing, you’ll have the opportunity to relax, and let your inner creative bee come to life with a cup of tea and good company.
Limmud Jewellery making session
As part of Limmud L’am, there is a jewellery making session being held on Tuesday 27th December. Jewellery will be made using old beads, buttons etc, so, whether you are participating or not, if you have any broken jewellery, spare buttons and the like, please bring them along. Any which are not used at Limmud will be given to the Norwood gifts social enterprise, selling jewellery and art made by people with learning disabilities. To get inspired for the session, or view the gifts, go to www.norwood.org.uk/gifts
Wine Tasting
Learn about kosher wines and learn about each other! A leading wine merchant will be bringing a selection of their finest wines for us to try in a relaxed and friendly pre-dinner session. Sorry - but over 18s only.
Israeli Dance Party
Where a grapevine has nothing to do with grapes, a box step has nothing to do with boxes and a yeminite doesn’t refer to a person! Come and learn the moves and let your hair down. For everyone - from total beginners to experts. We'll party together Limmud-style!
Hebrew Cafe
Shalom! Come and practice your Hebrew conversation skills each afternoon with a good cup of coffee and fellow Limmudniks. The discussions will be facilitated and centred around a current article, a song lyric or poem… all in Hebrew. Intermediate level of Hebrew is recommended.
Lots of cool places to hang out ...
Limmud Lounge - comfortable and relaxing
Somewhere nice and warm and comfy to sit, chat, relax or reflect on what you've heard in sessions. All day and all night - there will be tea and coffee, capacious sofas and squishy beanbags, newspapers, magazines and books, board games, giant crosswords and sudokus on the wall. After dark it’s a quieter, mellower alternative to the bar. Sit there for long enough and you’ll see everyone you ever met at a Limmud event.
Limmud Bar - social lubrication in the evenings
Most people head for the bar after sessions finish for the day – it’s a natural focus for socialising whether you want alcohol or soft drinks.
Art Space - come and be creative
Packed with art materials and art books if you’re looking for inspiration, this is the place to head for if you feel creative. We’ll timetable craft sessions and creative presenters will hold informal sessions so you can drop in when the fancy takes you. It’s also an ideal place for families to spend time after the crèche and nursery have closed for the day.
The shuk - all shuk up
Limmud's very own market - lots of retailers with lots of exciting things to spend your money on. Clothes, books, toys and jewellery all from some of the largest Judaica retailers in the UK all under one roof.
This year there will be two different shuks;
Tuesday 27 December from 10:00-21:00 for judaica, jewellery, things to buy
Wednesday 28 December from 10:00-21:00 for community organisations, learning institutes and charities
Pop in and have a look!!! And don’t forget – each day is different, so don’t miss out!
Please click here to download the shuk application letter.
The bookshop - by hook or by crook, take a look at a book
As always at Conference, you’ll be able to browse and buy from a huge range of exciting and interesting books.
If you'd like to organise your own thing ...
As you'll know if you've been to Conference, there are events going on outside the formal sessions pretty much throughout the whole of the week.
If there's something that you'd like to arrange that isn't catered for we'll do what we can to make some space available so you can.
Maybe you've been thinking about setting up a new synagogue, or starting a Jewish tango group, or getting together with some other single parents. Conference brings together lots of people who share interests - and it could be an unmissable opportunity to get something going.
If you think that your interest might not be anywhere on the programme, do drop us an email, tell us what you have in mind and we'll do our best find you a space. If you let us know by the beginning of October, we'll publicise your event in the handbook too.
As with everything else on this site - more details about the programme and presenters will be released as we get closer to Conference. Do please check back regularly to check out what's new.
