Record turnout at Limmud-Oz
 
A RECORD turnout of more than 1100 participants attended Limmud-Oz 2009, held last weekend at The University of NSW. ¬†”We are absolutely thrilled with the turnout,” Shalom Institute’s education director Peta Jones Pellach said. “We had dozens of people coming back and signing up for more. They just couldn’t get enough.”
This year’s festival offered more than 200 sessions over 250 hours, with 180 international, local and interstate speakers.
Up to 14 sessions were offered every hour.¬†”The atmosphere was electric, with people going from session-to-session still engaged in their last stimulating discussion, enjoying the live music and art exhibition, stocking up their personal Jewish library at the bookstall, or shmoozing with friends, presenters and even with strangers until late into the night,” Pellach said.
Popular presenters included Israeli journalist and commentator Ehud Ya’ari, StandWithUs advocate Michelle Rojas, filmmaker and educator Channa Pinchasi, African-American hip-hop artist Y-Love, The Great Synagogue’s Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence, Emanuel Synagogue’s Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins and psychologist Bettina Arndt. “The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” Limmud-Oz coordinator Michael Misrachi said.¬†
“People are saying that this was the best Limmud-Oz ever. Limmud-Oz represents many of the great things about the Sydney Jewish community. Unity, volunteerism, spirited discussion and commitment to learning are some of the many things that make Limmud-Oz the jewel in the crown of our Jewish community.”¬†Limmud-Oz, which was launched in 1999, is a community-wide festival celebrating Jewish learning and creativity.
 
Photo:¬†African-American Chassidic hip-hop artist Y-Love presented a session asking: “If it’s Hebrew, is it Jewish¬†
Photo by: Giselle Haber