Limmud: Showcasing the Very Best of the Reform Movement
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Adam Overlander-Kaye, Fundraising Director at the Movement for Reform Judaism reflects on the recent Limmud Conference and the Reform presence at the 'jewel in the crown' of the British Jewish community.
This December I went to, without doubt, the best Limmud I have been to since 1997. As ever the buzz, the excitement, the learning, the music, the diversity, the enjoyment, the community were all present, as you would expect from Limmud.
This year however, there was a difference for me. And it wasn’t just the musical inspiration of Joshua Nelson (imagine having Bill Withers or Stevie Wonder as your cantor or chazan!) or the insights of Rachel Korazim on Israeli literature.
This time, you could sense that the Movement for Reform Judaism had a high-profile, co-ordinated presence with a wide range of rabbis, educators and teachers.
If you wished to listen to new Movement Rabbi, Laura Janner-Klausner, discuss prayer or halachah you could. And more than that you would have been inspired and proud. If you had listened to Rabbi Julia Neuberger of West London, interviewed by our Youth Director, Jude Williams you would have been moved by the passion and the sincerity of our belief in tikkun olam and the need to act.
Had you been at Rabbi Mark Goldsmith and Rabbi Dr Deborah Kahn-Harris’ session on God you would have felt God’s presence, the Shechinah in that very room.
This was us showcasing the very best of the Reform Movement. We made a strong and positive impact at Limmud with high quality sessions engaging the minds and hearts of 2500 people.
You could have heard Rabbis Sybil Sheridan, Jonathan Romain, Danny Smith, Yuval Keren, Paul Freedman and Michael Hilton give an array of talks ranging from Talmud and Star Wars; interfaith issues; Progressive Zionism; and happiness to the Jews of Ethiopia; parenting and Israeli poetry and much, much more.
At Limmud, you could see Reform Judaism at is very best. Welcoming and inclusive; rooted in Jewish tradition; committed to personal choice; men and women having an equal place and having Jewish values inspiring social change and repair of the world.
At Limmud, you would have met many of our best and brightest young people from RSY-Netzer and Jeneration, leading, organising, networking, teaching, inspiring and being inspired.
And inspiration is what I believe we can learn from Limmud. The bar is raised so high in terms of Judaism, learning, practice, discussion. How do we take the ideas that Limmud showcases and translate them into our own communities? Can we foster that same sense of passionate volunteering and enable our members to create, to think, to share and then to act? Can Limmud inspire us to create more learning opportunities whether it be text, film, music or learning Hebrew?
I believe it can. And it should. We know that we want to be a place where we keep tradition progressive and that we do that through, 'our sense of Jewish identity, our determination to give it meaning and purpose, our openness and inclusivity, our commitment to the Jewish journey whilst recognising that there are many ways of experiencing Judaism, understanding Torah and loving Israel.'
Personally, I believe Limmud is the jewel in the community’s crown. We should be proud of our profile, presence and role at this year’s Conference. Next year should we have more of our rabbis and members there inspiring others and showcasing the talent of the Reform Movement? I, for one, certainly hope so.
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