Field studies prove a big hit at Limmudfest

Jewish Chronicle, September 1 2006
by Cecily Woolf

A RECORD 460 people converged on deepest East Anglia for the third annual summer Limmudfest, the Jewish community's answer to Reading and Glastonbury, which took place over the Bank Holiday weekend.

They came to St Felix School, Southwold, Suffolk, from as far afield as the Isle of Man, Brighton, Galsgow and New York to participate in more than 300 sessions and, in the case of 350 of the participants - including 100 children - to sleep in tents.

The sessions - held in classrooms and halls and in two large activity marquees named Oy and Vey - ranged from "Why we give tzedaka [charity] during Ellul", presented by the Chief Rabbi's daughter, Gila Sacks, to "The time-travelling gefilte fish," in which foodie Kevin Sefton charted the history of Jewish cooking. And with Limmudfest falling in Ellul, the month of repentance, the shofar was sounded on Sunday and Monday morning, its plaintive note soaring above the school grounds which, thanks to sunny spells and a brisk wind, were largely mud-free.

Dasee Berkowitz, co-char of next year's New York Limmud, said she would be taking back several ideas from Limmudfest to her planning committee.

"I liked the way the techniques of speed-dating were transformed into speed-chavruta, where you change your partner for learning instead of socialising," she added.

There was "lunch 'n' learn", which enabled people to take their food in a carrier bag to a chosen session, and Limmud Blink Date, compered by Liverpudlian Rina Wolfson, 33, in which participants were matched with their perfect workshop or session.

Other unusual sessions were writer Sasha Frieze's take on Jewish hair, musician Colin Stetson's demonstration of his bass saxophone in a performance tent topped with twigs, and a drama workshop in which theatre director Rachel Mars celebrated the art of failure.

Beth Diskin-Kramer from Windsor, co-chair of Limmudfest - this year sponsored by the Pears Foundation,  Friends of the Hebrew University, the Jewish Agency and software manufacturer Mach 5 Mailer - told the JC: "We were particularly pleased to have created an environment where people from so many different backgrounds could celebrate Shabbat together."

Co-chair IT consultant Lee Lewis from Hendon paid tribute to the 70 volunteers. 

Limmudfest: Dating and disco fever

AMONG THE 75 presenters at the four-day Limmudfest was medical student Daniel Reisel, 31, who had returned just days before from a 17-day stint in the Israeli army, serving in southern Lebanon.

He shared his diary and slides of his service with a capacity audience of some 100 people and maintained that his unit had not been poorly equipped. "We had all the arms and food we needed," he said.

The programme included several walks, including a "Tikkun Trek" for hikers, cyclists and canoeists, which raised £1,000 in sponsorship for projects by Jewish environmental groups Noah and Tzedek. But the most acclaimed was a Shabbat morning shacharit walk with Jewish educator Josh Lake. "We saw a beautiful buddleia tree with masses of butterflies," recalled one of the participants, South-West London teacher Marion Motz. "I hadn't realised before how nature could be linked with the shacharit service."

Many sessions, such as "How green is your nappy?" reflected concern for the environment, and each Limmudnik was issued with mineral water in Britain's first biodegradable bottle.

Young Limmud activities for five to 15-year-olds, under the leadership of 24-year-old Tendayi Bloom, also focused on the environment - and featured a teddy bear's picnic for the tinies - and looked at Jewish identity and social justice.

Solicitor Elizabeth Jonas, 31, from Woodside Park - one of many young parents - met her husband Daniel at a December Limmud where he was playing in a band. "This is our first hoilday with baby Joshua, who is three months old. It's lovely to have a summer break in such a child-friendly environment."

On the last night all participants attended a mock bar- and batmitzvah party and '80s disco. Like the rest of the programme, it was an intriguing approach to Jewish education.