Annual Review 2018 Chair’S the Year Message in Statistics
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ANNUAL REVIEW 2018 CHAIR’S THE YEAR MESSAGE IN STATISTICS Dear friends. It is a great pleasure to be able to share with you this year’s report of Limmud’s activities round the world. We In ... have had another strong year and continue to grow and develop worldwide. 2018 In 2018 we held our first global volunteer forum, Limmud Connect, in Israel; ran a very successful Training on Tour in Warsaw and held regional leadership gatherings in Berlin and Sydney. Limmud NA has had a very productive board retreat and we have launched Limmud Israel, our amuta (charitable entity), with an After there Limmud Dark event in Tel Aviv. were 116 events I’d like to take this chance to thank some of our volunteers in the leadership and organisation of Limmud, particularly my colleagues on the board of trustees: David Bilchitz, Shoshana Bloom, Miriam Edelman, attended participants, Robert Owen, Shep Rosenman, Danielle Nagler, Shana Boltin, Debbie Staniland, Yszi Hawkings and by Mike Gladstone. Thanks also to the various teams of volunteers who support our events, the Connections 41,000 Team who support volunteers round the world, and all our teams of volunteers who work behind the scenes to support everything that Limmud does: too many to list them all here. run by volunteers. I’d also like to thank our hard-working, dedicated and enthusiastic office team, Chief Executive Eli Ovits, 4,800 Jon Freedman (our new Deputy Director), Alanna Lewis, Suzy Margulies, Max Naar, Magda Rubenfeld- Koralewska and Péter Neumann, as well as all those who work for us in other ways, especially Sara Averick, Renanit Levy, Ruth Rotenberg, Michael Frankfurt, and Rebecca Lewis. An especial thanks to Clive Lawton, Limmud who is retiring as Limmud’s Senior Consultant after many years. Clive’s contribution to Limmud has of course There been so much more than this and I am quite sure will continue; but this has been a notable chapter and Clive are now 91 communities takes with him our profound thanks. The work of Limmud is also made possible by the generous support of many organisations and individuals – in countries. who are listed elsewhere further in our review. We would also like to thank the individuals and organisations 42 that have helped us this year and in particular allowed us to pilot our programme ‘Something for Everyone’ to increase accessibility for families and young adults. We are looking forward to discussing with you how to partner with us over the year ahead. A total Limmud And of course, all of this only happens because of the hard work and dedication of all the many thousands of NEW people around the world who generate Limmud communities and create Limmud events. To all of you, my of 9 communities thanks, and congratulations on all the plentiful and various results of your labours. Do get in touch if you’d like to know more about volunteering for Limmud or getting more involved in our organisation. held As I head towards the end of my term as chair, I am extremely proud of all that events in 2018 we have achieved together in the last few years. I am also very pleased that Shoshana Bloom will be taking over from me as chair of Limmud. I am sure that under her leadership, and with the continuing support of the board, Limmud will keep growing from strength to strength. Thank you all for your support. , B shalom David Hoffman, Chair of Limmund 2 3 “It was my first experience in such a seminar. I feel more confident in what we are doing now. I found a lot of answers to my questions, a lot of inspiration and power” Irina Shlik, Limmud Baltics “There were numerous opportunities for me to discuss leadership issues. Meeting other Limmud coordinators from around the globe provided me with a sense of collective responsibility. To have been together with like-minded people was truly inspirational.” Jenny Roberge, Limmud Ottawa “It was a stimulating, exciting and dynamic experience. Wonderful LIMMUD CONNECT opportunity to connect with people from all over the world, and understand their Global Volunteer Forum cultures, backgrounds and experiences both within and outside of Limmud.” In May 2018, Limmud successfully launched its first ever Global Volunteer Forum – “Limmud Connect”. 150 Gabriella Saven, Limmud Cape Town participants from 50 Limmud communities spanning 25 countries came together in Israel for four days of learning, community building, visioning and networking. The global gathering, predominantly planned and executed by an international volunteer team, inspired people to continue their communal leadership journeys and return home with new skills, networks and knowledge for the future. The programme launched at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was filled with leading Jewish voices and thought leaders. Highlights included a workshop facilitated by the Global Leadership Institute Adaptive Leadership Lab, the future of experiential education taught via robots, intergenerational Chavruta text study and intimate working groups that pitched new innovations and infrastructure for Limmud communities around the world. Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs also conducted a focus group with a selection of participants to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing world Jewry and how Limmud can play a unique role in bringing people – of all ages and backgrounds – together to learn. The event attracted local and global interest, including messages from the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin, the Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat and former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, Rabbi Lord “There is an unbeatable sense of being part of a global Jewish people when we Jonathan Sacks. The international and Israeli media also captured the remarkable diversity of participants, the all come together from so many places volunteering spirit across Israel and diaspora communities, and significance of this global gathering. to work on global vision and share so Limmud looks forward to planning the next Global Volunteer Forum in 2020 and implementing legacy projects. many common issues.” Faye Rosenberg Cohen, 4 Limmud Winnipeg 5 LIMMUD ELEMENTS Training on Tour Europe This was our sixth Limmud Elements seminar in Europe, taking place for the first time in Warsaw. The weekend-long residential development and networking programme was again a great success, with 32 volunteers representing 17 Limmud communities. “It was a very important and valuable experience for me. I really took one more step in my Jewish journey. I felt like part of a huge Limmud family. I was We taught a spectrum of tangible skills which were key to helping participants develop as organisers and recharged with the idea and values of the Limmud and I am proud of the leaders. These included fundraising, inclusivity, building a programme and volunteer development. opportunity to carry it on. Again, all new connections, the diversity of the Limmud This year we created more opportunity for participants to explore the city space and local Jewish history and that you showed us – all this is difficult to overestimate.” heritage. Programming at the POLIN (Poland Jewish) museum followed by tours of historical Jewish sites Paulina Sokolova, allowed for meaningful learning experiences that employed a variety of learning methodologies. We were Limmud FSU Moscow based at JCC Warsaw which was open for normal activity, so that participants could also interact with local community members in addition to the large cohort of Limmud Poland volunteers that took part. A second improved feature was a conscious effort to encourage as much participant-driven content as possible. There were slots with a choice of sessions, as well as other Jewish learning sessions and Shabbat rituals which were led by participants. A number of participants also delivered three minute presentations thematically connected to the sessions they preceded and drawing from their personal experience and the expertise of the other participants. As a result, more than 80% of participants, and every Limmud group represented, had an opportunity to contribute something to the programme. “It was an extremely inspiring and uplifting weekend. I feel that I learned so much about everyone and their unique communities, while bonding over common challenges.” Yochi Simon, Limmud Mallorca “I joined a community of amazing Limmudniks, made connections and discussed common questions. I feel that I have now a better understanding of Limmud’s scope and structure and know where to turn with a problem.” Izzy Posen, Limmud Bristol 6 7 REGIONAL LIMMUD IMPACT STUDY LEADERSHIP GATHERINGS June 2018 saw the release of the results of our Global Impact Study. Carried out by independent professional researchers, the Some highlights of our 2018 regional leadership gatherings, which fostered deeper study aimed to investigate the impact of Limmud on the lives of the volunteers within the organisation, surveying ten Limmud connections between volunteers and sowed the seeds of cross-group collaboration. communities in eight countries, together with focus groups conducted with Limmud volunteers from around the world. 504 responses were collected from the survey representing a 23% response rate. The results provided clear evidence that Limmud advances the majority SYDNEY of its volunteers on their Jewish journeys, and, for a significant proportion, it LIMMUD ADVANCES takes them ‘further’ towards greater interest in and commitment to Jewish life JEWISH LEARNING AND CURIOSITY • Volunteers from eight Limmud groups in Africa, Asia BERLIN and Jewish communal involvement. of respondents agreed that and Australasia travelled to Sydney in March Here are some of the key findings: Limmud increased their Jewish • Exploring funding opportunities, programmes for • Leaders from 17 European Limmud groups gathered 89% knowledge young adults and families, volunteer retention and in November agreed it exposed them to a development. • Opening address from Israeli Ambassador to Germany LIMMUD EMPOWERS wider variety of Jewish • Presentations from the Jewish Funders Network and H.E.