Limmud FSU Moscow: Thousands join learning festival
More than 2,000 young Jews, passed through the doors of the cultural conference’s 12th festival of learning in the Russian capital
Record numbers of Russian-speaking Jews attended Limmud FSU’s annual conference in Moscow, with Israeli ministers among the speakers.
More than 2,000 people, most of whom were young Jews, passed through the doors of the cultural conference’s 12th festival of learning, with more than 350 lectures, sessions, panels and
performances.
Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar attended, alongside Israel’s Minister of Aliyah and Integration Sofa Landver, Israel’s Ambassador to Russia, Gary Koren, and his predecessor, Dorit Golender.
Since its inception 35 years ago, Limmud has become one of the most successful Jewish cultural events in the world, with scores of conferences in 43 countries.
The Russian-speaking world established its own variant – Limmud FSU – 12 years ago and this year welcomed guests from around the world, with supporters including Genesis Philanthropy Group, Nativ, Claims Conference, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
“It was my first time at Limmud FSU,” said 25-year-old participant Daria. “I was told by my friend it was an amazing event I had to experience and, after these three days, I feel so lucky that I decided to come. This is the most powerful Jewish event I’ve ever been to here in Russia.”
For adults, there was a range of well-known names attending this year’s Moscow event, including acclaimed composer Sergey Nikitin and TV journalist Nikolai Svanidze, while there was a full programme of activities laid on for the children attending.
“We were all extremely happy to be here right after Israel’s 70 anniversary to celebrate with more than 2,000 youngsters at our flagship event for the 12th time,” said co-founder of Limmud FSU Chaim Chesler.
Fellow co-founder Sandy Cahn said: “We hope to continue to grow and strengthen our amazing community here in Moscow. It’s truly inspiring.”
Meanwhile, Chief Rabbi Lazar said Russian President Vladimir Putin was up to speed on issues affecting the Jewish community, saying he “knows all about the synagogues in different cities”.
Praising the president, Lazar – who revealed Putin are matzah year-round “while drinking tea” – added: “A lot of good things that are taking place in the community are thanks to Putin, for example the establishment of the Jewish Museum. He even contributed one of his salaries to this important project.”
On regional issues, Lazar said Russia’s intervention in Syria would be to the advantage of Israel, saying: “Syria under ISIS’s control is thousands of times more dangerous to Israel than [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad’s reign… There is a strong coordination between Russia and Israel regarding what is happening.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
