Limmud is an international organization which was founded about 30 years ago in the United Kingdom in order to increase the scope of activities connected to Jewish identity and to address religious, secular and national issues. Limmud activities are currently held in 47 different communities around the world, and Limmud conferences are festivals of Jewish learning and culture, which include a wide range of activities in addition to the study groups that are held throughout the day.

The Limmud Arava project was initiated by members of the Jewish Agency's AAP (Arava-Australia Partnership) group of volunteer activists in Melbourne, who also participate in Limmud Oz. To this end Arava Partnership activists visited Limmud conferences in the UK, the Galilee and Australia, gaining significant insights which helped to establish the project in the Arava.

Beginning in January 2009 six meetings were held, each on a different settlement in the region, to familiarize Arava residents with Limmud and to create interest and understanding in the project. Participants studied texts from Jewish sources, the Bible, Talmud, Mishnah and legends, as well as literary and philosophical texts from around the world. Equally important was the establishment of groups committed to volunteerism and contribution to the community, which is a basic tenet of Limmud. In total some 90 people participated in these meetings, some of whom actually attended almost all of the meetings.

Eighteen meetings have been planned for the coming year, with the first meeting held on August 30th. The first subject that will be studied during this New Year will be new beginnings, for example: the high holidays, slichot, first women in the Bible, and more. As the year continues the group will learn about first families, such as Cain and Abel - the story of the first murder, the first Hebrew family, and mothers and daughters in the Book of Genesis, as well as continuing and evolving traditions, such as: personal understanding of the Hagaddah - creation of ethos and tradition; relations between women and their families - Hagar and Sarah; comparison between the Scroll of Independence and Jewish texts regarding the ingathering of the exiles; whether Jerusalem is truly a light unto the world; and much, much more.

In addition to the meetings, dates have been set for the two conferences which will be held in 2009 and 2010. The first will be a one-day conference immediately after Sukkot, on October 15th. In addition to residents of the central Arava we are also inviting the people of the Negev to this conference, particularly residents of our neighboring regions. On February 18th - 19th a two-day conference will be held to which the people of the region, Australian immigrants, Australians visiting Israel and the general Israeli public will be invited. The lecturers invited to give lectures at conferences are slated to volunteer their services, in the spirit of International Limmud. The Arava residents who run the project will also do so on a voluntary basis, in the spirit of contributing to the community.

Our hope is that the Limmud project will bring about welcome changes in the community, both in the Limmud learning experience itself and by broadening horizons, as well as in deepening our Jewish-Zionist identities and our community dialogues. Anyone desiring additional information on the conferences is invited to contact
Arava-Australia Partnership director Ms. Cochy Avny at CochavaA@jafi.org