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LIMMUD FSU CANADA
ANNUAL REPORT
2014
Canada
Canada
Limmud FSU International
Limmud FSU Canada
Limmud FSU was founded in 2006 by Chaim Chesler and
Sandra Cahn. Matthew Bronfman joined shortly after as
Chairman of the International Steering Committee,
followed by Aron Frenkel as President of Limmud FSU
International. Together, they have brought Limmud FSU
conferences to Russia, Ukraine, and other countries of
the Former Soviet Union (FSU), as well as to Israel, the
USA, and now, Canada. All around the globe, Limmud FSU
brings together and empowers young Jewish adults, who
are revitalizing Jewish communities and culture. This
successful model and continuing efforts will ensure a
vibrant and sustainable Jewish future for young
Russian-speaking adults in the FSU, in Israel, in America,
in Australia and throughout the world.
Canada has been one of the most active centres of
Soviet/Russian-Jewish immigration over the past four
decades. Today, among young Russian-speaking Jewish
adults in Canada, there is a growing interest and
involvement in Jewish life, activism, volunteering in the
community, and an expression of Jewish identity.
Curiosity, social reasons, and a desire to reconnect with
their roots appear to be driving this aspiration to
become more involved in Jewish communal life.
Built on the experience of an international group of
Jewish leaders, working in close partnership with Limmud
FSU volunteers, Limmud FSU provides a rich educational
and cultural experience — for the community, to the
community and by the community. Limmud FSU shares in
the core goals of diversity, learning, community and
volunteerism with the other Limmud conferences
throughout the world.
www.limmudfsu.org
With the support of Limmud FSU International and local
community leaders, we were happy to host the first
Limmud FSU Canada in October 2014 - a conference ,
which focuses on restoring the tradition of life-long
Jewish learning and strengthening Jewish identity
through its educational opportunities and leadership
training.
www.limmudfsucanada.org
Limmud FSU Canada – Organizing
Committee 2014
Prof. Irwin Colter
Honorary Chair
Leon Martynenko
Co-Chair, Limmud FSU
Canada
Galina Sandler
Chair, Governing Council
Karina Rondberg
Co-Chair, Limmud FSU
Canada
Dina Dryden
Chair, Programming
Mila Voihanski
Country Director, Limmud
FSU Canada
Natalia Perchenok
Chair, PR & Marketing
Kate Noam
Emissary for Russian-speaking community
Inna Kravitz
Chair, Logistics &
Volunteers
The Limmud FSU Canada 2014 KULTURA Conference could only have taken place thanks to our amazing team of
volunteers who put their time and energy into making it a reality. Their hard work, commitment and enthusiasm,
was exemplary.
Over 35 organizing committee members listed below took part in putting together this amazing event. An additional
70 volunteers joined the effort on the day of the event, making it a real success.
Dahlia Levitin, Ksenia Kuzmin, Renat Mataev, Roman Rubin, Ilia Dobkin, Eithan Dudnik, Natalia Storozhilov, Natalia
Feldman, Alexander Curlat- Rozenberg, Anna Curlat-Rozenberg, Natalia Brodsky, Vadim Brodsky, Oren Kats, Anton
Perchenok, Alex Zveiris, Rachel Zveiris, Alina Shteiman-Kotler, Zarina Aksmanov, Jenia Founk, Irene Vaksman, Gloria
Kats, Israel Kochas, Natalia Kogan, Irina Levitt, Elena Mazour, Alexander Tarasov, Lea Zeltserman, Svetlana Untershats, Inna Uretzki
Thanks to our partners and colleagues from Limmud FSU International:
Chaim Chesler – Founder and Chair, Executive Commmittee, Sandra Cahn – Co-founder and Chair, FRD Committee, Roman Kogan – Executive Director, Chaim Nagus – Financial and Management Consultant, Yan
Birbraer – Logistics Director, Olga Noa Lavie – PR in Russian, Social Media and Administartion of Limmud FSU
central website and Asher Weill – English Editor
Dahlia Levitin
Dahlia Levitin served as the volunteer coordinator for the 1ST Limmud FSU Canada conference. The committee selected her as the star volunteer for the event. Dahlia was born in 1985 in Toronto, to parents from the Former Soviet
Union. Her parents arrived separately in Canada and were welcomed in Toronto and London, Ontario by the Jewish
community. When Dahlia was born, her parents deliberately chose a name for her that had a Hebrew origin. She was
raised in a household with a strong sense of Jewish identity and attended a Jewish day school. However, as a teenager
she didn’t identify with her Jewish roots and was inclined to assimilate. Two years ago she decided to become more
involved and started attending events in the community: fundraisers, volunteer events and Jewish lectures. She is a
Human Resource manager at Amazon Canada and is part of the core establishing group of JAM- Jewish and Modern,
an organization that reaches out to Russian-speaking Jewish young professionals living in the GTA.
Limmud FSU Canada Timeline
January
Organizing committee retreat – Learning, teambuilding, setting
milestones
March
Website launch
May
eeting
al M
bration and Gener
le
Ce
t
au
zm
At
a’
H
Yom
June
Limmud FSU Global Leadership Summit in Israel
8 participants from Canada team
June
Limmud FSU Cana
da Fundraising dinn
er featuring Matthe
w Bronfman and Pr
ofessor Irwin Cotle
r
August
tion opens
Conference registra
July – August
Community information sessions
October 24-26
Limmud FSU Cana
da Inaugural Confer
ence
Menachem Begin exhibition opening at Schwartz/Reisman Centre
Limmud FSU
The Limmud FSU 2014 Kultura Conference program featured
over 100 lectures, workshops, panel discussions, interviews,
and testimonials, with more than 60 speakers from all over the
world. Speakers brought their expertise, experience and
passion.
The conference program was broken down into 5 sub-streams:
Art and Culture
A great way to appreciate the art and culture that surrounds us:
Jewish humor, famous cultural icons, our languages, music, poetry,
and sports.
History and Heritage
The major historical events that effected us: our family stories that
when put together become world events; the wars, revolutions and
great stories of survival.
Jewish values, philosophy and social justice
From spiritual connections to current events; the beliefs and interactions formed within our core values.
Entrepreneurship
Current ideas, trends and topics that influence and enhance our daily
lives.
Lifestyle
Hands-on experiences; sculpting, sushi making, meditation, salsa
classes, chess tournaments, table manners workshop, and much
more!
Kultura 2014
Irwin Cotler
Irwin Cotler served as the Honorary Chairman for the
Limmud FSU conference.
Irwin Cotler is a Law Professor, Constitutional and Comparative
Law Scholar, International Human Rights Lawyer, Counsel to prisoners of
conscience, NGO Head, Public Intellectual, Peace Activist, Member of Parliament, and former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada – Irwin
Cotler has been variously described in these roles and responsibilities as being
“at the forefront of the struggle for justice, peace and human rights.”
Anna Shternshis
Anna Shternshis, Al and Malka Green Associate Professor
of Yiddish, received her doctoral degree (D.Phil) in Modern
Languages and Literatures from Oxford University in 2001. She received a
post-doctoral position at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. She joined the
University of Toronto in 2001. Since 2007, she was cross-appointed between
the German Department and the Center for Diaspora and Transnational
Studies at the University of Toronto. Shternshis works in the field of Soviet
Jewish history and culture, Yiddish popular culture, and post-Soviet Jewish
Diaspora.
Special Features: Chess parallel, wine tasting, olive oil workshop
Children programming: 75 kids and teens enjoyed a variety of activities including
cooking, theatre, music, rock climbing, magic and a nature hike.
- 450 participants
- 100 different sessions
- 60 featured speakers
- 75 kids in children’s programming
- 70 volunteers
Survey demonstrated that 93% of those who participated rated the event as
exceeding their expectations
Testimonials
“Limmud promotes learning, it pro
motes intersections, it promotes mor
als, and
Jewish values.”
Matthew Bronfman, Chairman of
Limmud FSU International Steering
Committee
there is no
of our moral code is learning and
“One of the highest values as part
d much to learn.
the millennia our people sacrifice
greater Mizva than learning. Over
FSU Canada is
ple under the auspices of Limmud
The fact that we have over 400 peo
magnificent and wonderful”
Federation of Greater Toronto
Morris Zbar, CEO and President, UJA
“We were tremendously excited to
be holding the first Limmud FSU festi
val in Canada,
with its rich Jewish history and grow
ing Russian-speaking population.
Limmud FSU
Canada provided an important and
historic opportunity to offer program
s that
address and engage this emerging
community for generations to com
e"
Chaim Chesler, Limmud FSU Founde
r
r
t voluntee
rgy, groups of people learning, grea
“Limmud to me is excitement, ene
driven atmosphere”
FSU International
Sandra Cahn, Co-Founder of Limmud
“Limmud FSU Canada was a great
highlight of my Jewish journey. Dur
ing the Limmud
weekend I learned a lot at the lect
ures and met so many amazing peo
ple! Everyone
comes from a different background
and has different affiliation with Jud
aism but
everyone shares a sense of pride
of being Jewish and a desire to help
the Jewish
community grow ”
Polina Moskvina, University student
erience where you get to be with
“Limmud for me is an awesome exp
the world united over Shabbat”
Russian-speaking Jews from across
nteer
Gal Fridman, Young Limmudnik volu
“Limmud for me is a gathering with
like-minded people, celebrating my
Russian-Jewish
identity and building life long con
nections in the community in Toro
nto”
Kate Noam, Emissary for the Russian
speaking Jewish Community in Toro
nto
that it is
mud, particularly Limmud FSU, is
"The real key to the success of Lim
ed by the
to be created, managed and promot
owned by the participants. It has
ada and we're so proud of this"
participants. It all happened in Can
ve Director
Roman Kogan, Limmud FSU Executi
“Limmud is a gathering of Jewish
people that care about each other
and care about
learning together”
Julia Smirnova, Limmud FSU particip
ant from New York
Limmud FSU Sponsors and Funders
Limmud FSU gratefully acknowledges the support of our donors. Without their backing our events could not take place.
Limmud FSU Canada Supporters:
Grantors: Limmud FSU International Foundation, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, The Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal
Donors:
Limmud FSU Canada Partners and Sponsors:
Gold Level - $10,000
Apotex Foundation - Honey & Barry Sherman
Israel Koschitzky Family Charitable Foundation
Nathan and Lily Silver Family Foundation
The Leboff Family Charitable Foundation
The Warren and Debbie Kimel Family Foundation
Silver Level - $2,500-$5,000
Paul Bronfman
Bronze Level - $1,000-$2,500
AJGL Group
Mishay Solutions Inc.
Kenny & Madlene Bodenstein
Saul and Toby Feldberg
State of Israel Bonds Canada
Friends of Limmud FSU Canada - up to $1,000
Aron Davidson
Dr. Lew Pliamm
Elena Belovich
ICM Consulting Group
Irina Petrini
Acheinu Organization, Ottawa
Centre for Jewish Studies at University of Toronto
Congregation Darchei Noam, Toronto
Coppa's
EMETemployment - JVS Toronto
Ethnic Channels Group Inc.
Hillel of Greater Toronto Area
Ida Tilis
JAM - Jewish and Modern
J. Projects - Russian-Jewish Community Initiatives at the UJA
J. Roots - Hebrew Supplementary School
Limmud FSU International
Maon Noam Congregation Canada
RAJET Ameinu Organization - Russian Adult Jewish Education of Toronto
Russian Express - Canadian Russian Press Inc.
Schwartz-Reisman Community Centre
The Ashkenaz Foundation
Toronto Jewish Film Festival
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
U.M.C.A. Rich Tree Academy
United Community of Russian-Speaking Jews of Quebec
YEDi - York Entrepreneurship Development Institute
YYZ Travel Group
Limmud FSU Canada Governing Council:
Alexandra Pelts
Anna Shternshis
Ida Tilis
Igor Sorokin
Jane Katkova - Brown
Julia Koschitzky
Lorne Goldstein
Rabbi Tina Grimberg
Shoel Silver
Limmud FSU International Sponsors and Funders:
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Matthew Bronfman
Aaron Frenkel
Conference for Jewish Material Claims against Germany
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Diane Wohl
Israel Ministry of Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Jewish National Fund (KKL)
Jewish Agency for Israel
Cahn Family Foundation
Chester Foundation
David Kislin
Dr. Nona International
Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund
Eugene Grant
Edward Mermelstein
Feliks Frenkel
IKEA Israel
Israel Bonds
Israel Discount Bank
Israel Ministry of Immigrant Absorption
Jerry Levin
Joe Cooper
L. A. Pincus Fund for Jewish Education in
the Diaspora
Joe Cooper
L. A. Pincus Fund for Jewish Education
in the Diaspora
Mark Wilf
Menachem Begin Heritage Center,
Jerusalem
Michael Zurakhinsky
Prime Minister’s Office – Nativ
Richard Maidman
Ruben Landsberger
Ruth Salomy
Salarc Foundation
Samuel Bronfman Foundation
Shulem Fisher
UJA – Federation of New York
World Zionist Organization
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT7C39SF6
88acn1SLUuMgI
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT7C39SF688acn1SLUuMgIQ
Want to be involved / contribute / present - get in touch with us:
9600 Bathurst St., Maple, ON L6A3Z8
[email protected]
Tel. 416-618-0278
See you on November 20-22, 2015!