Limmud NY 2009 - a heartwarming (though chilly!) experience

Submitted by: Beth Steinhorn on 01/20/2009
Beth Steinhorn's picture
How many people does it take to warm up a subfreezing Havdalah Service? And Other Lessons from Limmud NY 2009
 
I always knew that the spirit of a Limmud conference was something special – but this year the 900+ participants at Limmud NY have had a unique chance to experience it. Thanks to some emails and automated messages on my cell phone informing me of problems with the heat and hot water at the hotel, I boarded my flight on Friday, January 16 not knowing whether I’d be attending Limmud NY '09 or spending an unexpected weekend with relatives in NJ. By the time I landed, the organizers had decided to go through with it. The boiler was working and they were confident that the buildings would heat up and the conference could go on.
 
 
So after a few days at LimmudNY, here are the Top Ten things I learned at LimmudNY 09:
 
  1. It takes days to heat up a large hotel that hasn’t had heat for a while, especially during the coldest snap this winter.
  2.  Limmud participants are, by and large, good sports about wearing coats indoors.
  3. It is possible to eat matzah ball soup with gloves on!
  4. Studying an interesting passage of text can make you forget you’re cold  - at least for a short while.
  5. Musician Josh Nelson can rock a havdalah and get 500+ people dancing and singing hard enough that they can actually take their coats off!
  6. No one works harder in challenging situations than volunteers.
  7. One advantage of having to move sessions around to different rooms is that people stumble upon sessions they hadn't planned to attend - and that can be really fun! Example: our grey-haired friend Annette, a serious academic, who ended up in a session she didn't intend and stayed, which meant she got to learn and perform Bible rap at the Sunday evening variety show.
  8. Dancing is a great way to keep warm.
  9. Laughing is just as great a way to keep warm!
  10. Limmud is a great place to dance, learn, laugh, and warm up a Jewish soul.
So, save the date May 22-25. A springtime Limmud Colorado conference - it'll be warm outside and oh-so-cool inside!

 
Terms:

Limmud Colorado 2012
was a whole new adventure.
Part Conference, Part Festival
All Worthwhile

Join us in planning Limmud Colorado's other programs, including Taste of Limmud events and our 2013 conference. Sign up to volunteer and help continue the spirit of Limmud all year round.

Want to keep up with the Limmud Blog? Use our RSS Feed to keep up.

If you don't know what RSS is or you want more information check out this easy to understand explanation