The opportunity to involve oneself in a new community of people, and to be exposed to a wide range of thinkers and opinions, while at the same time giving back to society, is all part of the Limmud experience. Unique in its approach, Limmud is driven solely through the efforts of volunteers.
The concept of Limmud – in Hebrew, ‘learning’ – was first put into practice around 30 years ago in the UK, flowing from a Jewish educators’ conference. Since then, it has spread far and wide, including to South Africa. Its success here is clear from the fact that the 2024 event marked the 18th time that Cape Town hosted a Limmud event for the public.
Premised on the principles of the values of celebrating diversity and choice, Limmud creates a space for people from across the religious and political spectrum to come together around the one thing they have in common: their Jewishness. As one presenter from Limmud 2023 said, “Limmud South Africa demonstrated that unity does not mean that we agree with one another. It doesn’t mean that we are all on the exact same page and live similar lifestyles. Rather, it means that we accept and even embrace each other’s differences.”
“We spend many months preparing for our annual Limmud event,” explains Sarit Swisa, the National Co-Chair of Limmud, who also takes on the role of Conference Chair for Cape Town. “Working with numerous volunteers, the time is spent on confirming the date for the event, identifying presenters and topics, making arrangements with the presenters, securing the venues, organising refreshments for the days when the event runs, marketing the event, promoting ticket sales, dealing with security arrangements, and lots more too. And, when the event goes live, there are plenty of tasks, too, such as checking that the seating is all as it should be, checking that presenters are present and arrive on time, ensuring that everyone knows which venue they should be in, and dealing with myriad questions from participants.”
For Sarit and her Limmud colleague, Limmud Executive Team Member, Gill Saks, Limmud has been a life-changing experience. Both volunteered to help many years ago and, once they had had their first taste of the Limmud experience, they were hooked. Gill finds the opportunity to engage with people from varied backgrounds and holding differing beliefs and views particularly appealing. “Here you mix with people you’re otherwise unlikely to engage with, and it’s refreshing to work together on the common goal of educating our Jewish community about what it means to be Jewish. While for some people, it’s about attending shul regularly, there are many whose Jewish identity is quite different – and there’s so much we can learn from one another.”
Viv Anstey, currently the Director of the Eliot Osrin Leadership Institute, recalls being one of the original drivers to bring Limmud to South Africa after she first heard about the UK programme. “The whole idea of Limmud appealed to me because it acknowledged the existence of the many Jewish people who had not until then participated formally within the community. Limmud SA offered an inclusive platform to introduce a wider set of conversations within the Jewish community of South Africa, embracing the Jewish value of arguments for the sake of heaven. In many ways, it was a disrupter, pushing the boundaries of what the community had until then been exposed to.”
Two other important further elements of this volunteer-driven initiative that Viv highlights are to unearth the gems in our community to share their talents and knowledge, and also the creation of inter-generational spaces, both unique and important features to this day.
Since at the core Limmud is about volunteers collaborating to produce an event that’s intellectually stimulating, entertaining and enjoyable, volunteers learn many new skills. For instance, Sarit is a psychologist in her professional life but has become a skilled event organiser. “It’s something I never imagined I’d end up getting involved in, but I’ve really learned a huge amount from my Limmud experience,” she says.
So, if you’d like to widen your experience and engage with a range of Cape Town’s Jewish people, get involved with Limmud 2025! Contact Sarit and discuss which elements of the organising you’re keen to work on.
• Read the October 2024 issue in magazine format here.
• To advertise in the Cape Jewish Chronicle and on this website – kindly contact Lynette Roodt on 021 464 6736 or email advertising@ctjc.co.za. For more information and advertising rate card click here.
• Email us to sign up for our newsletter and never miss another issue.
• Please support the Cape Jewish Chronicle with a voluntary Subscription for 2024. For payment info click here.
• Visit our Portal to the Jewish Community to see a list of Jewish organisations in Cape Town with links to their websites.
Follow the Cape Jewish Chronicle: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
