http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/wheres-the-follow-up/ Haviv Reteg Gur, in a recent Jerusalem Post Op-ed, wants more Birthright Israel follow-up. Birthright NEXT says its there, you just may not know about it yet. en-us jberkman@jta.org Copyright 2010 2010-01-07T;00:59:00-05:00 krad212@aol.com One of the reasons Birthright Israel is so successful is that it takes young people out of their day-to-day environments and puts them together with their peers in a Jewish ‘bubble’ for 10 days. You just can’t achieve the same impact with a 2-3 hour Shabbat dinner.  While one size can’t possibly fit all, it seems to me that Limmud would be an ideal partner to provide post-Birthright (NEXT) experiences. Limmud is a worldwide phenomenon which started in Britain 29 years ago, and has already spread to 46 communities on 5 continents around the globe (including 8 locations in North America).  Like Birthright Israel, Limmud is a multi-day immersion experience, and open to Jews of all backgrounds. Its goal is simply to take each participant one step further on their Jewish journey.  Limmud participants create their own programs of Jewish learning and culture, choosing among hundreds of sessions, in a range of formats, including discussions, film, hands-on arts projects, lectures, music, text study and more. Unlike most organizational structures, each Limmud event is created and run entirely by volunteers. While not geared solely to young people, most of Limmud’s leaders are in their 20s and 30s.  So, rather than a one-shot program, Limmud would provide Birthright Israel alums with an outlet for the ongoing involvement, leadership development and community. Further information about Limmud is available at http://www.limmudinternational.org. One of the reasons Birthright Israel is so successful is that it takes young people out of their day-to-day environments and puts them together with their peers in a Jewish ‘bubble’ for 10 days. You just can’t achieve the same impact with a 2-3 hour Shabbat dinner. 
While one size can’t possibly fit all, it seems to me that Limmud would be an ideal partner to provide post-Birthright (NEXT) experiences. Limmud is a worldwide phenomenon which started in Britain 29 years ago, and has already spread to 46 communities on 5 continents around the globe (including 8 locations in North America). 
Like Birthright Israel, Limmud is a multi-day immersion experience, and open to Jews of all backgrounds. Its goal is simply to take each participant one step further on their Jewish journey.  Limmud participants create their own programs of Jewish learning and culture, choosing among hundreds of sessions, in a range of formats, including discussions, film, hands-on arts projects, lectures, music, text study and more.
Unlike most organizational structures, each Limmud event is created and run entirely by volunteers. While not geared solely to young people, most of Limmud’s leaders are in their 20s and 30s.  So, rather than a one-shot program, Limmud would provide Birthright Israel alums with an outlet for the ongoing involvement, leadership development and community. Further information about Limmud is available at http://www.limmudinternational.org.

]]> 2011-02-25T;01:28:00-05:00