The all-singing, all-dancing Limmud Festival 2025

Cohen is an award-winning vocalist, composer and arranger. She is the founder of BerKalit, a Jewish a cappella group, and the first female arranger for family-favourite Jewish bands The Maccabeats and Six13. In this beginner-friendly session – one of six which she is presenting – Cohen will lead participants in experimenting with vocal harmony to create melodies among themselves.

Mayta Cohen (Photo: Kehillath Israel)[Missing Credit]

​Aydin Mayers in concert – Aydin Mayers, House Band Limmud – Saturday 21.30

Mayers is an alternative wellness practitioner living in Manhattan, whose community wellness centre HaMakom NYC combines spirituality, music and integrative health. He is visiting England to lead five sessions at the festival. In this one, he will be supported by the house band as he blends music and Torah, demonstrating the relationship between American folk music and modern Jewish liturgical music.

​Heartbeats and hits: Israeli music in the first year of war – Josh Hartuv – Sunday 13.20

Hartuv is formerly a top-rated tour guide in Israel, where he developed his passion for Israeli music. In this session, he will investigate the Israeli pop music scene since October 7 and how it has captured the country’s emotions. This session is part one of two, focusing on the first year since the war; the second session, which will cover the second year, is on the Monday at 12:00.

​Blues for Jews – David Hoffman – Sunday 14.40

Hoffman is a Jewish songwriter and rock musician from Manchester. He is part of the tefillah band Shir Chadash, and he has released several albums under the name David Hoffman and the Magic If. This session is a blues jam for original material, where all are invited, with emphasis on the fact that enthusiasm is more important than talent.

​Joe Buchanan in concert – Joe Buchanan, House Band Limmud – Sunday 18.40

Buchanan converted to Judaism 11 years ago and believes that the energy contained within country music is similarly present in Hebrew prayer. He has toured widely around the US and is bringing his talents to England with this performance of his original Jewish country music, accompanied by the house band. Later in the programme, Buchanan is also running other sessions, including “Choosing to be chosen”, which details his conversion journey.​

Joe Buchanan (Photo: Facebook)[Missing Credit]

​Elana Arian in concert: “If we loved like that” – Elana Arian, House Band Limmud – Sunday 21.20

Arian is a composer, prayer leader and multi-instrumentalist. Like Buchanan, she has toured extensively in the US and is presenting several other sessions at the festival. This session will feature the house band alongside Arian’s award-winning original music, including her latest album (of five), which is the eponymous title of this show.

Elana Arian (Photo: Band Camp)[Missing Credit]

​Kleztronica: beatmaking as a form of Yiddish cultural practice – Chaia – Sunday 22.40

Chaia is a musician who composes at the little-visited intersection of Yiddish and techno music. Her music and performances weave archival Yiddish samples and electronic nightclub music, creating a unique sound which blends two very distinct eras of music into one. In this session, Chaia will guide attendees through making their very own Yiddish-infused techno beats.

Chaia (Photo: Workers Circle X)[Missing Credit]

​Sing-a-Long-a-Fiddler on the Roof – Rose Prevezer, Carys McQueen, Maya Kristal Tenenbaum, Brady Isaacs Pearce, Raphael Papo, Dan Turek, House Band Limmud – Monday 12.00

In what will surely be one of the most exciting sessions at the 2025 festival, actors, musicians, and directors from the Olivier Award-winning production of Fiddler on the Roof are coming together (with the house band) to lead a daytime sing-along of songs from the musical. If I were a rich man, I would buy a ticket to the festival so that I could be in attendance for what promises to be a special session.

​Exploring Ladino songs – Renato Huarte Cuéllar – Monday 13.20

Huarte Cuéllar is a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where his research includes Jewish studies. His involvement in cultural projects like the translations from Hebrew and Ladino to Spanish have brought him to the festival, and in this session, he will be teaching the audience about Ladino songs (“cantigas”).

​Daniel Cainer in concert! – Daniel Cainer, House Band Limmud – Monday 17.20

Cainer is an award-winning songwriter, storyteller and broadcaster, and has performed his Jewish-themed unique songs all over the world. He is bringing his flair to Limmud, where audience members will have the privilege of enjoying songs, which are bound to be moving, funny and intelligent, all in one go.

Daniel Cainer (Photio: Green Note)[Missing Credit]

The big gay and Jewish sing-along – Hannah Brady, House Band Limmud – Monday 18.40

In another one of the most feelgood sessions, the house band will serve as the backing for festivalgoers to belt out iconic hits from LGBT+ and Jewish musicians. Again, it is stressed that no talent is required – just bring energy and the willingness to switch between genres like pop, disco, and Broadway.

​Silent disco – Chlo Spinks – Monday 22.40

Spinks boasts an extremely cool occupation, that of question-writer on the BBC quiz show Only Connect, but she is turning her hand towards the Limmud Festival at the end of this year, as Limmud’s marketing manager. In her silent disco, attendees don headphones and choose one of three channels to listen to, allowing them to sing to their hearts’ content without worrying that their subpar singing will grate on fellow partygoers, who might be listening to entirely different songs.

​These musical talents are merely a snippet of what Limmud Festival 2025 has on offer. With countless sessions delivered by presenters of diverse backgrounds and niche interests, there really is something for everyone to enjoy.

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To book for Limmud and to see the full programme, go to limmud.org