Fest to proceed despite partnership split

Limmud Oz Sydney will go ahead on June 7 and 8, despite a late falling out between Limmud Oz’s 2026 event partners Shalom Collective and its Jewish community garden offshoot Adamama, who both announced last week that they would withdraw.

The disagreement is over the inclusion of a speaker in the festival’s program, Jewish comedian Jacob Sacher, who is affiliated with fringe antizionist group the Jewish Council of Australia, and has participated in anti-Israel protests.

But his festival segment – titled “Schlemiel, schlimazel: The Jewish loser in the 21st Century” – is slated to feature content unrelated to his antizionist stance.

In an announcement to the community, Limmud organisers said they were “very sorry” the collaboration had broken down because the groups “could not agree on the final program”.

Adamama’s contribution has been removed from the event, meaning the “Sustainable lifestyle” and “Families” streams have been cancelled.