2017
2018
2012
2016

OUR TIMELINE: 2006 - TODAY

The following timeline contains different milestones from Limmud FSU history during the years!
We are happy to have had the opportunity to develop and implement Limmud conferences in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus, as well as in Israel, the USA, Canada and Australia. We believe our educational model and continuing efforts will ensure a vibrant and sustainable Jewish future for young Russian-speaking adults in the FSU, in Israel, in America and throughout the world.
Limmud FSU was founded by Chaim Chesler (Israel) and Sandra Cahn (USA) in 2006. Matthew Bronfman joined shortly afterwards as Chairman of Limmud FSU International Steering Committee and Aaron G. Frenkel as its President in 2013.
2006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
JUN
2006

June 2006

THE BIRTH OF LIMMUD FSU

The very first Limmud FSU took place in 2006, in “Dom Uchenih” (“House of Scientists”) in Moscow. Hundreds of community activists, age 18 - 45 years old, from throughout the former Soviet Union and the Russian capital participated at the opening ceremony of the one-day event. On that day, Limmud FSU was launched.

October 2007

GETTING BIGGER IN MOSCOW

The second Limmud FSU took place in October in Moscow, with more than 700 participants.
The pluralistic, volunteer-based gathering of Jewish learning focused on bringing together and empowering young Jewish adults who are reviving and revitalizing the Jewish communities and cultures of their respective countries.
OCT
2007
SEP
2008

September 2008

HOLY LAND ARRIVAL

Limmud FSU held a conference for the first time in Israel with more than 1,200 participants. Gathering for an innovative festival of Jewish learning, at Ashkelon College, Limmud FSU launched its first program for Russian-speaking Israelis. A kaleidoscope of programs with 160 outstanding presenters and over 130 lectures, panels, performances, and discussions, all with Jewish themes, framed the content the for the two-day event. Many of the sessions were broadcast live over the web.

October 2008

FROM UKRAINE WITH LOVE

The first ever Limmud FSU in Ukraine took place in Yalta in October. Arriving full of anticipation, over 1,000 Russian-speaking Jews and presenters were ready to experience the 2nd mega-Limmud FSU Conference. The choices – 171 sessions and panels with roughly 150 presenters offered over the four days of intense programming. Also, over the four days of the Limmud FSU conference, over 13,000 kosher meals were served, 8,000 sausages eaten and 24,000 bottles of mineral water consumed.
OCT
2008
OCT
2008

July 2009

FIRST TIME IN JERUSALEM

The Limmud FSU Jerusalem 2009 conference and festival began with a burst of excitement and energy yesterday, as 750 Russian-Israeli young adults gathered in the heart of the Jewish capital for three days of educational sessions, dialogue, entertainment and social events Taking place at Beit Avi Chai, the event marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of famed Jewish and Yiddish author, Sholem Aleichem. 

August 2009

PARTY IN THE USA

In 2009 Limmud FSU had its first conference in the United States, and it took place at Westhampton Beach NY with more than 500 people. The participants from throughout the New York area exchanged ideas, thoughts and perspectives with more than 80 educators, lecturers and expert panelists at 35 sessions covering a wide variety of subjects, from anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, to Russian-Jewish cooking and dance, to Muslim-Jewish relations and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
AUG
2009
SEP
2009

September 2009

FAR EAST – HERE WE GO!

First ever Limmud FSU in Far East of Russia took place in September in Birobidzhan.  Over 300 young Russian Jews gathered in the capital city of Birobidzhan for four days of seminars, workshops, entertainment and just plain fun at the first ever Limmud in Russia’s Far East.Planned to coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Oblast’s founding, the attendees were provided a window not only to their own heritage but an opportunity to connect to the global Jewish community.

March 2010

ITS TRUSKAVETS TIME

In the city of Truskavets, Limmud FSU opened its first conference targeted specifically to the Ukrainian Jewish community. Drawing a cross-section of participants of all ages, 550 individuals gathered for an intensive three days of what Limmud does best: providing a pluralistic ground-up learning experience for the community, by the community. In total, almost 80 presenters kept the program moving daily from 7:30 am until way past midnight. 
SEP
2009
OCT
2010

October 2010

ODESSA TALES

In 2010 Limmud FSU was held for the first time in Odessa in October with 500 participants. Over 500 young Russian-speaking adults from all over Ukraine and some from Russia, Moldova and Belarus, together with 50 presenters from Ukraine, Russia, Israel and the US took part. Odessa, with its remarkable role in Jewish cultural and literary life prior to the Second World War, was undoubtedly the star of the event, featuring its own special brand of Odessian language, literature and humor.

May 2011

CONQUERING THE CAPITAL OF CULTURE

In 2011 Limmud FSU held its first conference in the cultural capital of Russia, Saint Petersburg. The organizers had reserved hotel space for 400 participants. Registration filled up within ten days and many people were turned away for lack of space. There were more than 50 separate sessions, covering such topics as conversion and its problems, new initiatives for Jewish charities, and even a session on Kabbalah.
SEP
2011
SEP
2011

July 2011

TEKUMAH IN VINNITSA

“Limmud FSU Tekumah” took place in the town of Vinnitsa, Ukraine, some 150 kms. south-west of Kiev, on June 17-19, 2011. Limmud Tekuma (Tekuma in English is “revival” or “rebirth,”) marked the 70th anniversary of “Operation Barbarossa”. Almost 400 participants took part in the event. Also, the foundation stone for a memorial to the Jewish victims at the site in the city where most of the Jews of Vinnitsa were massacred was unveiled. 

September 2011

WHEN NEGEV CAPITAL MEETS LIMMUD

Also in 2011, Limmud FSU Israel took place in the capital of Negev Beer Sheva with 800 participants. The program was devoted to the topic Space, Science and Technology, which was especially chosen to mark the 50th anniversary of the first flight in space by the Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. Among the guests at Limmud were the cosmonaut Alexei Leonov who was the first man to actually make a space walk. 
SEP
2011
MAY
2011

December 2011

GLOBAL SUMMIT IN JERUSALEM

More than 40 Russian-speaking leaders of Limmud FSU coming from Russia, Ukraine, the U.S., Belarus, Moldova and Israel participated in an intensive four-day conference in Jerusalem.A series of professional training master-classes and workshops were held on various aspects of topics such as the use of the Internet for organizational purposes, data base and client management, public relations and publicity, quality as the cornerstone of Limmud FSU events, fundraising and volunteer engagement.

May 2012

NEW JERSEY IS OURS!

In May Limmud FSU US held its first conference in New Jersey with more than 500 people. It offered classes and workshops on Jewish life, culture and arts, Torah, and Israel, often through the lens of those whose perspective had been shaped under oppressive communist regimes.The event also represented a coming-out party of sorts for the young members of the first- and second-generation immigrant community from the FSU. It drew an array of notables involved in Limmud from around the world.
MAY
2012
JUN
2012

June 2012

LET THE MOLDOVA GAMES BEGIN!

In 2012 the very first Limmud FSU Moldova was held, as a one-day conference with more than 400 participants. Also during the conference, an emotional event took place when Matthew Bronfman, Limmud FSU International Steering Committee chair, visited the town of Ataki, Moldova, where his family legacy began. This was the first time a member of the Bronfman family has visited Ataki since Matthew’s grandfather, Samuel Bronfman, immigrated to Canada.

August 2012

OLYMPICS IN NAZARETH ILLIT

A central square in the capital of the Galilee, Upper Nazareth, was dedicated in the name of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. The event, marking 40 years since the tragedy, launched Limmud FSU “Olympics,” an educational program for Russian speakers taking place in Upper Nazareth. Nearly 1,000 participants are registered, including 150 Jewish young people from the FSU who are currently in Israel on a Masa program run by the Jewish Agency. 
JUN
2012
NOV
2012

November 2012

THE TALE OF UZHGOROD

2012 marked also the first time that Limmud FSU Ukraine was held in Uzhgorod. The conference was dedicated to the themes of tolerance and pluralism. Highlights of the opening night also included performances by internationally celebrated Jewish singer Iryna Rozenfeld of Kiev, an Uzhgorod folk-ethnographic ensemble, and an excerpt from My Fair Lady, performed by the Transcarpathian Regional Music and Drama Theater. Among the speakers were world renowned academics and journalists.

June 2013

LIMMUD COLORS WHITE RUSSIA

2013 was the year the first Limmud FSU Belarus was launched, in the city of Vitebsk, in June. The Conference was an intensive celebration of Jewish culture and identity. More than 100 presenters, panelists, and moderators included prominent journalists, artists, educators, and philanthropists. The conference included a number of special events, including the opening of a permanent photo exhibition to mark the 90th birthday of President Shimon Peres, who was born in Vishnyeva.
JUN
2013
OCT
2014

October 2014

THE CANADIAN START

In 2014 the very first Limmud FSU was held in Canada near Toronto, with more than 400 participants. The event was launched in collaboration with UJA-Federation of Greater Toronto and the Jewish Agency for Israel. As in other international Limmud conferences, the whole family was invited and at the picturesque Canadian resort, nature walks, theater and programs for children were also on offer.

November 2014

LVIV WELCOMES LIMMUD

This year was the first time Limmud has come to Lviv, the cultural center of today’s Western Ukraine and the former center of Jewish life in this region. Limmud came to Lviv at the suggestion of its participants. A new city, with new presenters, and new topics to discuss. The event welcomed more than 500 participants. One of the highlights of Limmud was hearing the dramatic story of Holocaust survivor Kristina Chiger, who had been hiding in the sewage of Lviv after the destruction of the ghetto. 
OCT
2014
DEC
2014

December 2014

ON THE SHORES OF KINNERET

Limmud FSU Israel was held on the Kinneret in 2014. The festival of the Sea of Galilee, which included many first-time participants, celebrated the Zionist poet Rachel Bluwstein, known as Rachel the Poetess (Rachel HaMeshosheret in Hebrew). Rachel was born in Saratov, Russia, then lived and worked in the Galilee. She is considered the founding mother of modern Hebrew poetry by women. The opening event was an original musical based on Rachel’s songs and produced by the Acting School “Beit Zvi”.

March 2015

FOURTH CONTINENT-CHECKED!

In 2015 Limmud FSU arrived for the first time to the continent of Australia, in Melbourne. It featured a total of 45 presenters from Australia itself and beyond, including the jazz virtuoso Leon Ptashka from Israel, and Gil Hovav. A special event at the festival was an exhibit of paintings by the distinguished Israeli artist, Yosl Bergner, “A Land for the Jews.”
SEP
2015
MAR
2015

September 2015

MAKING PEACE IN KAZAN

First ever Limmud FSU Volga-Urals regions of the Russian Federation took place in the city of Kazan in September. The conference featured a series of exceptional events among them the “Interfaith Dialogue – Islam, Judaism, Christianity”, a conversation between religious leaders in the region with the participation of the Chief Rabbi of Russia, the Chief Rabbi of Tatarstan, the head of the local Russian-Orthodox church, the Grand Mufti of Tatarstan, senior Islamic clerics and two prominent rabbis from Israel.

January 2016

IT’S WEST COAST, BABY!

A new West Coast Limmud FSU conference took place in the Los Angeles area in January. The 3-day conference drew major figures including hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons, who joined Rabbi Marc Schneier to discuss the Jewish response to Islamophobia; Jewish Agency Chair Natan Sharansky; Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner; Israeli film star Tamara Klingon;The conference featured over 100 sessions.
JAN
2016
MAY
2016

May 2016

MINSK IS OURS

Limmud FSU Belarus was held in May for the first time in the capital of the country- Minsk. It included about 150 trainings, workshops, concerts, tours and exhibitions. Among top speakers at the conference was former Israel Defense Forces Gen. Uzi Dayan, whose family roots trace back to Belarus. Other guest speakers included descendants of Abba Ahimeir, a right-wing Zionist activist, and Berl Katznelson, a socialist founder of Israel, both of whom hail from Belarus.

December 2016

LIMMUD BY THE RED SEA

Limmud FSU marked the end of 2016 with a three-day Jewish festival of learning in Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat. The weekend celebrated a decade of educational work with young Russian-speaking Jews worldwide. The dynamic volunteer-driver and pluralistic event gathered more than 2,000 participants, and featured some 250 lectures, workshops, presentations and discussions by leading figures.
MAY
2016
FEB
2017

February 2017

MULTI-NATIONAL JOURNEY IS ON

The first multi-national Limmud FSU conference for West European countries was held near London with more than 750 people. The conference included more than 100 activities by leading figures including members of Knesset Merav Michaeli and David Bitan; French, Russian and American presenters. Ambassador of Israel to the U.K. Mark Regev; former Ambassador of Israel to the U.N. Ron Prosor; American historian Deborah Lipstadt; Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar and many more.

November 2017

LIMMUD COMES TO BAY AREA

Some 800 people came together for the first ever Limmud FSU West Coast conference in the San Francisco Bay Area, the largest event geared towards the Russian-speaking community in the region. The participants – mostly the children, and grandchildren of Soviet-era Jews – included over 120 elementary school age children and teenagers. Most of those attending were previously unaffilaited with the Jewish community. 
MAY
2016

June 2006

THE BIRTH OF LIMMUD FSU

The very first Limmud FSU took place in 2006, in “Dom Uchenih” (“House of Scientists”) in Moscow. Hundreds of community activists, age 18 - 45 years old, from throughout the former Soviet Union and the Russian capital participated at the opening ceremony of the one-day event. On that day, Limmud FSU was launched.

October 2007

GETTING BIGGER IN MOSCOW

The second Limmud FSU took place in October in Moscow, with more than 700 participants. The pluralistic, volunteer-based gathering of Jewish learning focused on bringing together and empowering young Jewish adults who are reviving and revitalizing the Jewish communities and cultures of their respective countries.

September 2008

HOLY LAND ARRIVAL

Limmud FSU held a conference for the first time in Israel with more than 1,200 participants. Gathering for an innovative festival of Jewish learning, at Ashkelon College, Limmud FSU launched its first program for Russian-speaking Israelis. A kaleidoscope of programs with 160 outstanding presenters and over 130 lectures, panels, performances, and discussions, all with Jewish themes, framed the content the for the two-day event. Many of the sessions were broadcast live over the web.

October 2008

FROM UKRAINE WITH LOVE

The first ever Limmud FSU in Ukraine took place in Yalta in October. Arriving full of anticipation, over 1,000 Russian-speaking Jews and presenters were ready to experience the 2nd mega-Limmud FSU Conference. The choices – 171 sessions and panels with roughly 150 presenters offered over the four days of intense programming. Also, over the four days of the Limmud FSU conference, over 13,000 kosher meals were served, 8,000 sausages eaten and 24,000 bottles of mineral water consumed.

August 2009

PARTY IN THE USA

In 2009 Limmud FSU had its first conference in the United States, and it took place at Westhampton Beach NY with more than 500 people. The participants from throughout the New York area exchanged ideas, thoughts and perspectives with more than 80 educators, lecturers and expert panelists at 35 sessions covering a wide variety of subjects, from anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, to Russian-Jewish cooking and dance, to Muslim-Jewish relations and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

September 2009

FAR EAST – HERE WE GO!

First ever Limmud FSU in Far East of Russia took place in September in Birobidzhan.  Over 300 young Russian Jews gathered in the capital city of Birobidzhan for four days of seminars, workshops, entertainment and just plain fun at the first ever Limmud in Russia’s Far East.Planned to coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Oblast’s founding, the attendees were provided a window not only to their own heritage but an opportunity to connect to the global Jewish community.

October 2010

ODESSA TALES

In 2010 Limmud FSU was held for the first time in Odessa in October with 500 participants. Over 500 young Russian-speaking adults from all over Ukraine and some from Russia, Moldova and Belarus, together with 50 presenters from Ukraine, Russia, Israel and the US took part. Odessa, with its remarkable role in Jewish cultural and literary life prior to the Second World War, was undoubtedly the star of the event, featuring its own special brand of Odessian language, literature and humor.

May 2011

CONQUERING THE CAPITAL OF CULTURE

In 2011 Limmud FSU held its first conference in the cultural capital of Russia, Saint Petersburg. The organizers had reserved hotel space for 400 participants. Registration filled up within ten days and many people were turned away for lack of space. There were more than 50 separate sessions, covering such topics as conversion and its problems, new initiatives for Jewish charities, and even a session on Kabbalah.

September 2011

WHEN NEGEV CAPITAL MEETS LIMMUD

Also in 2011, Limmud FSU Israel took place in the capital of Negev Beer Sheva with 800 participants. The program was devoted to the topic Space, Science and Technology, which was especially chosen to mark the 50th anniversary of the first flight in space by the Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. Among the guests at Limmud were the cosmonaut Alexei Leonov who was the first man to actually make a space walk. 

May 2012

NEW JERSEY IS OURS!

In May Limmud FSU US held its first conference in New Jersey with more than 500 people. It offered classes and workshops on Jewish life, culture and arts, Torah, and Israel, often through the lens of those whose perspective had been shaped under oppressive communist regimes.The event also represented a coming-out party of sorts for the young members of the first- and second-generation immigrant community from the FSU. It drew an array of notables involved in Limmud from around the world.

Juny 2012

LET THE MOLDOVA GAMES BEGIN!

In 2012 the very first Limmud FSU Moldova was held, as a one-day conference with more than 400 participants. Also during the conference, an emotional event took place when Matthew Bronfman, Limmud FSU International Steering Committee chair, visited the town of Ataki, Moldova, where his family legacy began. This was the first time a member of the Bronfman family has visited Ataki since Matthew’s grandfather, Samuel Bronfman, immigrated to Canada.

November 2012

THE TALE OF UZHGOROD

2012 marked also the first time that Limmud FSU Ukraine was held in Uzhgorod. The conference was dedicated to the themes of tolerance and pluralism. Highlights of the opening night also included performances by internationally celebrated Jewish singer Iryna Rozenfeld of Kiev, an Uzhgorod folk-ethnographic ensemble, and an excerpt from My Fair Lady, performed by the Transcarpathian Regional Music and Drama Theater. Among the speakers were world renowned academics and journalists.

Juny 2013

LIMMUD COLORS WHITE RUSSIA

2013 was the year the first Limmud FSU Belarus was launched, in the city of Vitebsk, in June. The Conference was an intensive celebration of Jewish culture and identity. More than 100 presenters, panelists, and moderators included prominent journalists, artists, educators, and philanthropists from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and the United States. The conference included a number of special events, including the opening of a permanent photo exhibition to mark the 90th birthday of President Shimon Peres, who was born in Vishnyeva.

October 2014

THE CANADIAN START

In 2014 the very first Limmud FSU was held in Canada near Toronto, with more than 400 participants. The event was launched in collaboration with UJA-Federation of Greater Toronto and the Jewish Agency for Israel. As in other international Limmud conferences, the whole family was invited and at the picturesque Canadian resort, nature walks, theater and programs for children were also on offer.

December 2014

ON THE SHORES OF KINNERET

Limmud FSU Israel was held on the Kinneret in 2014. The festival of the Sea of Galilee, which included many first-time participants, celebrated the Zionist poet Rachel Bluwstein, known as Rachel the Poetess (Rachel HaMeshosheret in Hebrew). Rachel was born in Saratov, Russia, then lived and worked in the Galilee. She is considered the founding mother of modern Hebrew poetry by women. The opening event wsd an original musical based on Rachel’s songs and produced by the Acting School “Beit Zvi”.

September 2015

MAKING PEACE IN KAZAN

First ever Limmud FSU Volga-Urals regions of the Russian Federation took place in the city of Kazan in September. The conference featured a series of exceptional events among them the “Interfaith Dialogue – Islam, Judaism, Christianity”, a conversation between religious leaders in the region with the participation of the Chief Rabbi of Russia, the Chief Rabbi of Tatarstan, the head of the local Russian-Orthodox church, the Grand Mufti of Tatarstan, senior Islamic clerics and two prominent rabbis from Israel.

March 2015

FOURTH CONTINENT-CHECKED!

In 2015 Limmud FSU arrived for the first time to the continent of Australia, in Melbourne. It featured a total of 45 presenters from Australia itself and beyond, including the jazz virtuoso Leon Ptashka from Israel, and Gil Hovav. A special event at the festival was an exhibit of paintings by the distinguished Israeli artist, Yosl Bergner, “A Land for the Jews.”

January 2016

IT’S WEST COAST, BABY!

A new West Coast Limmud FSU conference took place in the Los Angeles area in January. The 3-day conference drew major figures including hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons, who joined Rabbi Marc Schneier to discuss the Jewish response to Islamophobia; Jewish Agency Chair Natan Sharansky; Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner; Israeli film star Tamara Klingon;The conference featured over 100 sessions on such issues as Russian-Jewish identity, the Russian-Jewish community in LA and Jewish perspectives on relationships.

May 2016

MINSK IS OURS

Limmud FSU Belarus was held in May for the first time in the capital of the country- Minsk. It included about 150 trainings, workshops, concerts, tours and exhibitions. Among top speakers at the conference was former Israel Defense Forces Gen. Uzi Dayan, whose family roots trace back to Belarus. Other guest speakers included descendants of Abba Ahimeir, a right-wing Zionist activist, and Berl Katznelson, a socialist founder of Israel, both of whom hail from Belarus.

February 2017

MULTI-NATIONAL JOURNEY IS ON

The first multi-national Limmud FSU conference for West European countries was held near London with more than 750 people. The conference included more than 100 activities by leading figures including members of Knesset Merav Michaeli and David Bitan; French, Russian and American presenters. Ambassador of Israel to the U.K. Mark Regev; former Ambassador of Israel to the U.N. Ron Prosor; American historian Deborah Lipstadt; Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar and many more.