Leon Symons's blog



Limmud 2009 - even more sessions

By Leon Symons, December 31, 2009

Day four was very varied. I heard Dr Efraim Zuroff talking about the new threat to the memory of the Holocaust coming from eastern Europe in a fascinating session from the director of the Israel office of the Simon Wiesethal Centre. He has written four books on the Holocaust and delivered six sessions, so he was a very busy man. I am writing a news story about his lecture so I won't go into too much detail here, but Dr Zuroff is a very determined man who will carry the fight to those he perceives to be those who would diminish the significance of the Holocaust.

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Limmud 2009 - Value Judgments: British and Jewish values

By Leon Symons, December 30, 2009

Sarah Kaiser and Abigail Morris are two rising names to watch out for in the community. Sarah is the director of the Rene Cassin human rights organisation, while Abigail runs ResponsAbility, a cross-communal organisation that provides a bridge between the Jewish and secular worlds. They have already collaborated to publish a Jewish response to the government's proposed Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.

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Limmud 2009 - the third day - should Jews fly to israel?

By Leon Symons, December 30, 2009

There are just so many sessions, it is quite difficult at times to know quite where to go. But I changed the habit of a lifetime and made a decision: Should Jews fly to Israel?

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Limmud 2009 - the busiest day

By Leon Symons, December 29, 2009

What a busy Monday that was. It seems the pattern here is very long days and short nights - especially as I've woken up this morning (Tuesday) to find I have no heating in my room. The Bar is humming until the wee small hours as the central meeting place and really is the crossroads of Limmud.

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Limmud 2009 - the first day

By Leon Symons, December 28, 2009

We're up and running. Limmud Day One was long and very interesting. There is a rhythm to the day with a constant flow of people to the different venues around the University of Warwick campus.

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It's the big one - Limmud 2009

By Leon Symons, December 27, 2009

Good morning Limmud 2009. This is my first time at Limmud and already I can feel the buzz. I am the JC's resident reporter here and I will be giving you the colour and the atmosphere and the fun every day from now until Thursday, as well as news stories in the JC this week and next. My daughter Gabi and I arrived at about nine o'clock on Saturday evening to avoid the rush and it was a very wise decision as there was absolutely no-one in registration. We were through in minutes and into our rooms, which are on the University of Warwick campus and are clean and functional.

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