This year at conference

Shabbat Limmud is unique, giving you the opportunity to come together and share Shabbat with Jews from right across the community and from all points of the religious compass. It’s the best way to start your Conference.

Shabbat Limmud is an extra Limmud treat and not a formal part of Conference. It takes place on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th December.

The Shabbat theme this year is ‘community’ and it will be an opportunity to experience Limmud on a smaller and more intimate scale than main conference, whilst retaining the high quality of presenters, participants and, of course, food!

If you’d like to help, or have any suggestions, do get in touch: conf08-shabbat@limmud.org

Every area of Limmud Conference will be involved and we’ll be encouraging people of every age to take part. There will be special activities for those who volunteer, with the emphasis on having fun.

It’s your chance to be an integral part of the Conference experience.

Volunteering at Conference is important, but we need you just as much in the months leading up to Conference. If you can give Limmud some of your time – before, during or after Conference – we’d love to meet you. If you have any questions, or just want to chat about being volunteer, please get in touch with us at conf08-volunteerscare@limmud.org

Connect with traditional and modern texts in Hebrew and English. Work every day with a study partner alongside hundreds of other Limmud participants in the company of experienced facilitators.

We provide a rich study guide to get you going – so you’re especially welcome if you’ve never studied Jewish texts before.

You need to take a break! Conference has a lively and varied programme of social events, entertainment and - well - just fun, to help you switch off and wind down.

Conference can be a daunting place to make new friends - but there are lots of new friends to be made! Our recreation programme is the ideal setting to meet new people and to connect.

Conference isn’t just classrooms and lecture halls. There’s a variety of lively social spaces, catering for everything from buying a book to drinking coffee with friends to chilling with your feet up and your eyes closed.

Shuk
Whether you’re looking for a place to advertise your organisation, sell your wares, indulge in some retail therapy or just to meet and shmooze, Limmud Shuk is the place for you. It’s right in the in the middle of the Conference campus and has stalls galore all clamouring for your attention - charities, Jewish learning programmes, Judaica and much, much more. As always, there’s the Limmud bookshop to browse in - books on a whole host of Jewish subjects, catering for all interests.

If you’d like a stall at this years shuk please contact us on volunteers-conf08[at]limmud.org and we will send you the necessary information.

Chill-out room
Limmud can be a busy and noisy place. If you need some down time, join us in our new Conference chill-out room. There will be soft music, books, crosswords, some relaxing pictures. So shhhhhh ... put your feet up, relax and recharge your batteries before going back out there and enjoying the excitement!

Café Limmud
Every year Café Limmud is the focal point for socialising, chatting, a cup of coffee and a biscuit or two. Conference is as much about learning informally from others at the Café as it is about the sessions - so why not catch up with your favourite presenter in this informal atmosphere? This year the Café promises to be better than ever - if you want to help us to make it the cleanest, most comfortable and most delicious ever, contact us on volunteer-conf08@limmud.org

Exhibitions
Fancy yourself as the next Mario Testino or a budding Ansel Adams? Or do you just enjoy photography and think your pictures are quite good? We’re looking for you!

We are hoping to display an exhibition of photographs in a dedicated space with the theme ‘Jewish Identity’ - what does being Jewish mean to you? It will be a great exhibition space in a prominent place, and a great place to showcase your talents. Who knows? This might be your chance to be discovered ...

We’ll provide the space, tables and boards you’ll provide the pictures, framed and displayed how you want them, together with a short explanation.

Social Events
We’re expanding this programme over the coming months, but the fun events include:

• The Annual Limmud Pub Quiz - this year in an even bigger room to accommodate the hordes of Jewish knowledge junkies who turn up for this competitive, interactive event.
• The inaugural Limmud Book Club - check back here later in the year to find out which book we'll be reading in the lead up to Conference for discussion as a group over a coffee.
• Open-mic stand-up - we all know that Jews are funny, but can you make Limmudniks laugh after a day of learning? Come armed with jokes, stories, songs, poems or routines and try your hand at some stand-up comedy.
• Karaoke - if comedy isn't your thing, how about a spot of public singing? If you're not yet ready for the heady heights of Acoustic Café, come and warm-up and entertain your friends with a bit of karaoke. You may not be funny, but you still might get some laughs ...
• Limmud Bingo - '22 - there's a Jew!' Come and take part in Limmud's first bingo evening and try to win a prize and the title of 'Limmud Bingo Champion'.
• Tzedakah (very loosely translated as ‘charity’) - integral to the ethos of Limmud, as it is to Judaism as a whole. Last year we saw ‘cupid couriers’ and the ‘Limmud auction of promises’. This year there will be more innovative and fun ideas to get you to part with your cash for good causes, including a luxury dinner service and a Limmud tombola.

Our four-part Intensives give you the chance to meet and learn with the same group at the same time each day while afternoon Extensives allow you to engage with an issue in detail from the multiple perspectives of diverse presenters. You’ll have the opportunity to acquire a new skill or develop a topic in more depth – it will also enable you to connect more closely with fellow Limmud participants.

In the morning come and hear our presenters engage with the core texts that they believe every Limmud participant should know – whether it’s Torah, politics, science
or Israeli pop. In the afternoon, come and hear the presenters talk about the texts that continue to guide and allure them. As darkness falls, hear about the challenging
texts that keep them awake at night. Gain an insight into what makes our presenters tick. You can’t fail to be inspired.

From our Beit Midrash study hub to our interactive Art Zone, from our many panel discussions and debates to our Dine ‘n’ Discuss sessions, there’ll be dozens of opportunities to engage directly with some of the most remarkable educators the Jewish world has to offer.