sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

[wrote this on Monday afternoon, but it's been hanging out in the ether...]

OK (so, as all Americans start sentences) I'm sitting in the closing gala of the Limmud NY inaugaural conference. As you know, I've had a great time, but let's face it, there's been a lot of swaying and quite a lot of sharing.

That said, there's something ineffably exciting about passing on the baton: I feel honoured to have been here. The Limmud the NYers created reflects US Jewry and the US community, and that's the way it should be. Some journalist whose name I've forgotten, said about Limmud a couple of years ago, "in every country where there are Jews, there should be a Limmud."

We're lighting candles now, btw.

What's been interesting for me, is the emphasis on different Limmud principles. So for me, before I came, the emphasis was on voluteerism, and that was what I talked to people here about. Now I've been here, I think the work for the NY Limmud community is about creating a truly multi-denominational community, while letting go of some of the strong desires for existing "turf". Pluralism is a word that has a genuine meaning here in the US, and I think it gets in the way.

We've just been asked to turn to the person next to us, and say what we've gifted ourselves with. New friends, a new hairdresser, the study of Torah, writing connections. Not necessarily in that order.

I'll definitely be back next year. Not least because I'll need new contact lenses.