For those with a rather narrow understanding of the Jewish world, the idea of Limmud China might come as a surprise. But those who know a bit about Limmud will probably be thinking it is about time.
Limmud is now a global phenomenon, bringing Jewish learning of every imaginable content and style to Jews of every stripe. Limmud started in 1980 in Britain and the latest addition to the Limmud International family, Limmud China, has already surpassed that first Limmud event.
In June, about a hundred people, mostly from Beijing and Shanghai gathered in the astonishing setting of the Huangya Villa, a complex of classical Chinese courtyards nestled into the Great Wall of China itself, for a day of Jewish learning.
Such things don’t happen by chance (alone!). The American Joint Distribution Committee, known affectionately as ‘the Joint’ has recognized that Limmud is a brilliant model for empowering ordinary Jews and, as elsewhere, they set about helping a Limmud team achieve great things in Asia.
It’s a tricky act. Both midwife and parent, the Joint has to help bring this thing into the world, while tactfully recognizing that most of the work is done by the mother. And then as parent, eventually they will aim for their child to leave home.
Meanwhile, Limmud International, based in the UK but working all over the world, is the family, helping this new young thing to feel befriended and secure. OK, I’ll probably break the back of this metaphor if I go on much longer, but you get the idea.
Anyone who’s been to Limmud anywhere in the world will know what I mean by ‘Limmud-y’. There’s a moderate franticness, needing to choose a session from the range on offer, coupled with a slight worry in case you’re missing something good in another session at the same time, coupled with a lovely feeling of fellowship and mutual help as the volunteers who have worked to make the event happen enlist the support of all those present to help make this truly something belonging to all the participants.
Leading educators help to stack chairs, little children make up registrations packs, young adults argue enthusiastically with elders, super-frum folk try and get their heads around what makes some secular guy tick.
The ‘pre-Shabbat’ retreat shared by the (Reform) Kehillat Beijing and the Limmud volunteers not only gave me a Limmud training opportunity with the group in more reflective mode before the reality of their event actually struck, but it also enabled Limmud to demonstrate its model of principled co-existence where Jews genuinely differ.
There was a very healthy Orthodox minyan on Friday night without any challenge to the Kehillat Beijing’s own retreat services held in the same complex. Limmudniks chose either.
Then, we all said Kiddush and havdala together. In the Limmud maxim, ‘the things we can do together, we’ll do together; the things we can’t do together, we’ll do separately’. Not exactly stunning you’d think, but a rare model for Jews behaving like grownups.
So Limmud China was very Limmud-y. But how was it Chinese?
Set aside that it was more or less on the Great Wall of China – contrast enough to the recent Limmud Jerusalem which had other walls on its horizon – and that several of those attending had Chinese features, along with the usual collection of Semitic and Eastern European types.
Being in Asia, it also attracted people from the Philippines, Singapore, India, Tokyo and Hong Kong, the first gathering of ordinary Jewish folk from across Asia ever. Almost all ‘ex-pats’. Like 1950s Israel, after asking someone where they were from, you then had to ask them ‘And where are you from originally?’
But for me the most Chinese aspect was a lecture given by a Chinese – non-Jewish – professor of Jewish Studies at Nanjing University. There is apparently a Chinese view that ‘if you don’t understand Jewish culture and its impact, you can’t understand the world’.
And if that wasn’t enough, he assured us all the Chinese people just think the Jews are marvelous. We are, it seems, the most successful people on the planet, punching far above our weight, making money beyond anyone’s wildest imagining, surviving and thriving against all the odds – and always winning! Music to my ears – utter astonishment to many others!
As so often happens after Limmud sessions, discussion spilled out after the session and continued in the queue for lunch. Fabulous kosher food provided by the Chabad of Beijing including, of course, hummus and sweet and sour fish.
Supplied by Clive A Lawton
Clive Lawton has best been described as Diaspora Jewish Educator of the Year by the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem. He was one of the founders of Limmud worldwide back in 1980 and now retained by Limmud International as its Senior Consultant, chair of development charity Tzedek and a former head teacher of King David high school in Liverpool. He is also a broadcaster and writer, and helped pioneer Holocaust studies for schoolchildren in several countries. He has served as the vice-chairman of the Anne Frank Educational Trust.
Jewish Times Asia – July-August 2012