Limmud FSU in St Petersburg: Exploring Jewish identity
Festival of learning in the Russian cultural capital reflects a high intellectual calibre attracting Jews from all around the world
St Petersburg was a good choice for a Limmud gathering. The first Jews appeared in the city immediately after its foundation in the 18th century and it is now one of the most vibrant and flourishing communities in the former Soviet Union, with roughly 100,000 Jews, making it the second-largest in Russia.
The cultural, social and religious life in St Petersburg’s Jewish community ties in with Limmud. The annual conferences, started in 2011, reflect high intellectual calibre and cultural-oriented programming, and the city is Russia’s cultural capital.
“Limmud FSU is a hotbed for the expression and strengthening of Jewish identity, connection to the Jewish people and the Jewish tradition,” said the city’s Orthodox community director Rabbi Shaul Brook.
“It is an excellent project and a model for finding paths to the hearts and souls of the participants.
“The organisers of the event are a symbol and an example of how, with good will and willingness, we can find the common denominator that unifies all the members of the Jewish community in the city.”
Yana Agmon, regional director of “Nativ” in Russia and Belarus, said the festival was also “a safe place for young Jews to acquire knowledge, to learn, to learn, and then to learn more — to understand the Jewish past and to become a part of the Jewish and Israeli present.
“The format of Limmud, which is based on the freedom of election of each participant, cannot characterise better the multifaceted modern Israel,” she added.
“It provides an opportunity to plunge into the realities of modern Israeli society. We are pleased to see how the Jewish community of St Petersburg acquaints itself with topics related to Israel and meets Israeli representatives”.
Daniel Jezmer, 25, a volunteer from Israel, said: “I flew especially to Limmud St. Petersburg to see how it is done in another country.
“I wanted to share experiences and adopt some ideas and initiatives for the Israeli Limmud FSU, which I have been involved in for four years, and was also happy for the chance to meet old friends and benefit from the weekend.
“I was struck by Rami Sherman’s lecture about the hostage-taking operation in Entebbe. I could not hope to get personally acquainted and communicate with the participants in this operation, so I’m especially grateful for it.”
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.
