LIMMUD 2023 – a welcome gathering in a terrible year
Jewish News spoke with attendees at Limmud 2023 in Birmingham in a year dominated by the October 7 Hamas atrocity and conflict in Gaza
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
More than 1,600 attendees have gathered in Birmingham for Limmud 2023 – the largest festival since the pandemic, but one held in the aftermath of October 7 and the resulting conflict in Gaza.
Organisers confirmed that ticket sales for this year’s event, which runs until Wednesday, had increased in the weeks after the Hamas terrorist atrocity, perhaps a signal that the community wished to come together even more this year.
And once again, the obvious highlight of the five day celebration of Jewish life, learning and culture, was Limmud’s ability to attract people as young as nine days, and as old as 102 to experience its unique atmosphere.
Speaking to Limmud 2023 attendees gathered around the bar at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Sunday evening, it was clear that everyone was pleased they made the decision to attend.
#Limmud’s youngest ever participant, Ella Lawton (9 days old) meets #LimmudFestival23’s oldest participant, Ruth Shire (102) #intergenerational pic.twitter.com/AugIrnQetI
— Limmud (@limmud) December 24, 2023
Anna Lawton, mother to nine day old Ella, revealed she had taken her daughter to four sessions on Sunday.
She smiled:”Ella is showing a lot of promise in her Talmud skills. She has so far avoided getting up to ask ‘a question’ and instead is talking to herself.”
Anna revealed Ella had got hungry during a session on breastfeeding in the Talmud.
“It turned out to be a more practical session that expected,” said mum.
But for older, more seasoned Limmudniks there were other reasons to attend this year.
Toby Millis, 22, an English literature study in London, said he had been coming to Limmud since he was 11 years old, when it was then held at Warwick University.
“What I like to see, and I’ve heard this in sessions already is talk of pride in being Jewish, and not being afraid,” said Mills, when Jewish News asked how he thought October 7 had impacted this year’s event.
“Being proud of your Judaism and everyone coming together for that reason – I think Limmud, so far, especially over Shabbat, has been a positive space to be Jewish.”
Millis added “subconsciously you are never going to shake off the horrors that happened on October 7th and what have happened since.
“But the I’m just glad to be in a space with the Jewish community. We are finding our way to work though it, or around it, but we are not working against it, and that’s important.
“Because if we keep going back to fear and we keep going back to hatted we are not going to go anywhere.”
Amongst the 768 sessions at the festival, the oldest presenter this year was Yitzak von Schweitzer, a 97 year-old ex SS officer.
Daniel Kalman from Philadelphia, revealed he was attending his first ever Limmud UK because he “loves Jewish learning and heard for many years that this is like the mothership of that.”
At home in the States, Limmud is staged on a “much smaller” scale, he said.
Asked about the impact of October 7th on the vice of Limmud he said:”I think it has had an impact.
“But it’s important that Jewish culture does not become suspended until hostilities end, because the conflicts are never entirely going to cease.”
Sessions at Limmud this year were as wide ranging as ever, including debates about activism, health, divorce, drugs, and of course many on religion and being Jewish.
This year saw 278 returning presenters, while 149 people made their debuts. With such a large line-up, some sessions are of a higher stand than others.
Eden, a charity worker living in Manchester, was also at Limmud for the first time, working as volunteer, helping at sessions and with the large dining sessions.
On the impact of October 7th at Limmud, Eden said:”The schedule has been adapted in parts where people have not been able to travel, but I think there’s the usual wide range of Limmud different perspectives on a lot of different issues including Israel/Palestine.
“I’m glad to see that spirit has not been disrupted.”
Brian Bell, from Brighton, said he had attended this year with his wife, believing it “imperative” to witness Jewish life continuing to flourish in this country.”
He said there were more people than at previous Limmud’s he’d attended.
Bell said he wished to emphasise the solidarity he had seen from people outside the community since October 7th in this country.
He added we needed to careful about how we approach the impact of antisemitism in this country, and never forget that despite current fears, the UK remains an extremely tolerant country for Jews to live.
Nina Morris-Evans, a teacher at a school in Camden, North London, confirmed she was at her 25th Limmud this year.
“I would say Limmud is able to apply it’s characteristic academic lens and fruitful discourse to something even as horrific as those attacks,” she said of the impact of October 7th on this year’s festival.
“I was just at a session where an academic asked ‘where is Israel’s place now?’
“It wasn’t a conflictual discussion, there were no fiery words. It was purely informative.
“Of course that looming this year, in the way all world events would. Another Limmud might have spoken a lot about Covid, another elections.
“For me at least, it’s special this year to be together amongst the community.”
Morris-Evans said the event, as always, also showed UK Jewry are “able to come together through their differences and engage in sometimes challenging, out of people’s comfort zone, conversations.”
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