Gathering draws 1,000 Russian-speaking Jews for lectures on subjects ranging from anti-Semitism to minority rights.
By GIL STERN STERN SHEFLERRussian-speaking Jew dances at Limmud confab_370(photo credit: Courtesy Limmud )
Russia and the changes the world's largest country is undergoing was the central theme of the Limmud gathering in Moscow that came to a close on Sunday.Some 1,000 Russian Jews turned up for the annual Jewish educational confab to hear lectures on a range of issues including the alleged anti-Semitism of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, minority group rights in Israel and the poetry of the late Israeli poet Yedhuda Amichai.“Our dream was to present to the new generation of young Russian-speaking Jews throughout the world, topics which are close to their hearts and excite their imagination, such as Jewish history and culture, Jewish roots and issues of identity, the Holocaust, and subjects relating to achieving success in life both in economic and cultural terms," said Chaim Chesler, who founded the former Soviet Union branch of the loosely affiliated international Limmud network seven years ago.The event in Moscow was the first of six that Limmud FSU is organizing this year. The next will take place in Princeton, New Jersey.
