Limmud Hungary aims at an inclusive, colorful, resilient Hungarian Jewish community which cherishes diverse interpretations of Judaism. Its mission is to provide opportunities to all members of the Jewish community to make the next step in building their Jewish identity, to help them in the study of Jewish tradition and to seek solutions to current problems based on Jewish values, to facilitate access to Jewish learning for unaffiliated Jews, to promote cooperation and inclusiveness among Jewish NGOs and denominations, as well as opening its doors for non-Jewish citizens and promoting life-long learning, voluntary activism and active citizenship.
A successful endeavor going on for twelve years in the country, Limmud Hungary set out in to build capacity in 2018 to deliver an improved experience. Titled ‘Motion/Picture’, this year’s Limmud festival took place between 26-28 October 2018 with great success. With nearly 400 participants from Hungary and from Israel, USA, UK, and Poland, making it the biggest Jewish civic event of the year in the country.
Participants enjoyed more than 50 lectures both in English and Hungarian, as well as the screening of 6 films – including the first Hungarian performance of an award-winning movie – along with enthusiastic debates about cinema, history, religious reform, school reform, gender equality, and other highly relevant contemporary topics.
Participants observed Shabbat according to the reform and orthodox traditions, while Kiddush and Havdalah were performed together in a spirit of deep togetherness. Furthermore, Limmud Hungary organised a multiple-day field camp in November 2018. The event offers workshops and classes in four sessions: Judaism, social-, scientific- and art topics.
Through the EJF grant, Limmud was able to provide a safe and inclusive Jewish space for the community to come together, pray together, learn together, enjoy each other’s company and and debate important issues.
