JGSGB-Announce Mailing List: Limmud Comes to Boston, October 30-31, 2010

[JGSGB Announcements List (jgsgb-announce]

Limmud Comes to Boston, October 30-31, 2010

SHORT VERSION:

Limmud, the international sensation of Jewish experiential learning for the past 30 years, is coming to New England. A celebration of all things Jewish, annual Limmud conferences can be found in over 46 cities. The first LimmudBoston takes place October 30-31, 2010, at Temple Israel of Boston.

LimmudBoston is a communiversity, a happening, a Jewish learningfest of culture and identity. From storytelling, music, and meditation to Torah and Talmud, LimmudBoston offers inspiration and education -- a great event for beginners and scholars alike. Discuss, experience, listen, watch, wonder -- in workshops that explore lifecycle, Israel, spirituality, and identity. Dance and clap; sing and shop; bake and taste!

At 7:30 pm Saturday, October 30th, LimmudBoston kicks off with Havdalah and a concert featuring musical sensation Julie Silver. After the concert will be a plethora of performance options, followed by a musical "kumsitz" sharing session.

On Sunday, October 31st, from 9 am to 6:30 pm, there are presentations for all generations (including some by JGSGB). This volunteer-driven extravaganza welcomes singles and families, seasoned seekers and the casually curious. Your LimmudBoston ticket costs only $36 to attend and covers admission for both days.

Everyone is invited to get involved in LimmudBoston. To register for the conference, to volunteer, to join in the fun, go to www.LimmudBoston.com.

LONG VERSION:

Limmud, the international sensation of Jewish experiential learning for the past 30 years, is coming to New England. A celebration of all things Jewish, annual Limmud conferences can be found in over 46 cities. The first LimmudBoston takes place October 30-31, 2010, at Temple Israel of Boston.

LimmudBoston is a communiversity, a happening, a Jewish learningfest of culture and identity. From storytelling, music, and meditation to Torah and Talmud, LimmudBoston offers inspiration and education -- a great event for beginners and scholars alike. Discuss, experience, listen, watch, wonder -- in workshops that explore lifecycle, Israel, spirituality, and identity. Dance and clap; sing and shop; bake and taste!

At 7:30 pm Saturday, October 30th, LimmudBoston kicks off with Havdalah and a concert featuring musical sensation Julie Silver. After the concert will be a plethora of performance options, followed by a musical "kumsitz" sharing session.

On Sunday, October 31st, from 9 am to 6:30 pm, there are presentations for all generations. This volunteer-driven extravaganza includes singles and families, seasoned seekers and the casually curious. Your LimmudBoston ticket costs only $36 to attend and covers admission for both days.  Visit www.limmudboston.org to join all the fun.

LimmudBoston offers over 120 sessions. Some of the well-known presenters include Ruth Messinger of the American Jewish World Service discussing true tikkun olam and best-selling author Harold Kushner will discuss the healing magic of the 23rd Psalm. There will be storytelling for all ages. Feed Me Bubbe, and others, will provide food demonstrations -- and offer tastes. Speakers from all over will impart their wisdom. Musicians perform throughout the two-day event.

Over 60 area organizations, including Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Hebrew College, Synagogue Council of Massachusetts, JGSGB, and many congregations, are Organizational co-sponsors of LimmudBoston. Many representatives from these organizations volunteer to offer presentations at LimmudBoston, and many others volunteer for the many program teams that run LimmudBoston.

LimmudBoston is one of 46 Limmud conferences that take place annually throughout the world. The Limmud philosophy is that at Limmud everyone is a learner and everyone can be a presenter. At Limmud, no titles are used. Everyone is on a first-name basis.

In order to strengthen the learning at LimmudBoston, the program guide includes suggestions from each presenter on where to continue following each topic.

LimmudBoston is thrilled that musician Julie Silver will open the conference on Saturday evening at 7:30pm. Raised in Newton, Julie says, "I try to enhance the way people experience Judaism by adding my own take on our sacred texts. I also want people who have historically been marginalized to feel included in the Jewish community or in any community. Our tradition compels us to express ourselves…our joys, our hopes, our faith and our fears."

Also bringing words of greetings are visiting scholar Goldie Milgram from www.ReclaimingJudaism.org; Barry Shrage of Combined Jewish Philanthropies; Ronne Friedman, the Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel; and LimmudBoston founder Steffi Aronson Karp.

After the opening program there will be a plethora of performances, including the film "Making Trouble," a film on the history of famous funny Jewish women, and storytelling from the New England Storytelling Coalition. The music continues with recording artists Larry Karol, Ellen & Peter Allard, Jeff Klepper, Paul Levenson, and others.

On Sunday, there are over 120 different sessions, between 9 am and 6:30 pm. Sessions on text and thought, politics, lifecycle, movement and meditation take place all over the building. Most sessions are one-hour long. There are courses for everyone, a track for family educators. The music never stops; many of Saturday night’s performers and others will be providing musical entertainment all day.

CHAVRUTA at LimmudBoston

Through an anonymous grant, LimmudBoston will be the first one-day Limmud in the world to offer the unique, cool chavruta sessions, with partners doing guided text study from an internationally-created, collaborative study guide. The text of "One" includes commentary from both traditional texts and contemporary references on one language, one God, one people, and one world.

Congregations and other groups are welcome to join with the continued study of "One" after LimmudBoston. Students from the Hebrew College Rabbinical School in Newton Centre will be facilitating these sessions -- and are available to help congregations and other study communities complete the other three chapters in the coming months.

There will be several panel discussions, as well as over 110 different individually-run sessions where volunteer presenters motivate, illuminate, and educate participants of all ages. Sessions are offered on the topics of art and culture, Torah, Israel, lifecycle events, and personal development.

LOCATION:

Recognizing the uniting and inspiring spirit of the international Limmud movement, Temple Israel of Boston has generously offered its building for the first year of what is projected to be an annual Jewish education extravaganza. Three of the Temple Israel clergy -- Ronne Friedman, Jeremy Morrison, and Matt Sofer -- are each offering sessions at LimmudBoston.

In the spirit of being a "green" organization, LimmudBoston encourages participants to take the T to Temple Israel, conveniently located on the Green Line at Longwood. There is paid parking across the street from the synagogue, as well as at other area parking garages.

VOLUNTICIPATE

LimmudBoston -- like all Limmud conferences -- encourages the spirit of volunteerism. In fact, participants are often "volunticipants," in that everyone is asked to pitch in to help make this conference happen. Whether posting fliers or directing people traffic, offering a session, or collecting evaluation sheets, everyone helps with LimmudBoston. This volunteer involvement keeps conference fees low and helps everyone feel ownership of the success of LimmudBoston. Volunteer today, to help during LimmudBoston, at www.LimmudBoston.org.

Steffi Aronson Karp, conference chair -- and a volunticipant herself -- says, "I am bringing Limmud to this area to create the Jewish community I’ve always wanted -- for myself and others. With over 60 organizational co-sponsors and over 120 different sessions, it is so exciting to see the fruits of this labor of love."

A Jewish conference enthusiast, Steffi attended LimmudSE in Atlanta in February of 2008. She was invited to attend Limmud UK, the original Limmud conference, which has run for nearly 30 years, after expressing her interest in bringing Limmud to New England.

Over the past year, Steffi has used her skills learned as manager of Public Relations for a technology firm to create the infrastructure for LimmudBoston. She has designed automated programs that make it possible for LimmudBoston to be a volunteer-run effort.

In addition to reaching out to the many organizational co-sponsors, Steffi has created teams of volunteers responsible for program, site management, music, food, and other areas of conference coordination. More volunteers are welcome -- and necessary to -- make this conference happen. Those interested in volunteering should go to www.LimmudBoston.org website and click on the "Volunticipate" tab.

Everyone is invited to get involved in LimmudBoston. To register for the conference, to volunteer, to join in the fun, go to www.LimmudBoston.com.

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