This year’s Limmud festival kicked off on Friday night, with the largest attendance since Covid.

Around 1,600 people have signed up for the five-day cross-communal educational and cultural festival in Birmingham and between mid-November until now saw the fastest ever ticket sales in the history of the event, organisers said.

“We believe this is linked to the desire of people to come together at this difficult time,” said Limmud chair Hannah Gaventa, telling the JC: “For five-and-a- half days, this completely volunteer-led community transforms a hotel into the global centre of Jewish thought, a testament to what makes British Jewry stand out across the diaspora and amongst other UK communities. It makes me incredibly proud to be a part of it.”

As well as record speed ticket sales, the intergenerational festival boasts an unprecedented age-range, with the oldest participant being 102 and the youngest just seven days old. The newborn daughter of former Limmud chair Anna Lawton and her husband Adam will be having her baby naming at the Shabbat morning service — another Limmud first.

Early learner: Anna and Adam Lawton and their newborn baby girl, who will be the youngest ever Limmud participant

Over 420 speakers are lined up, many flying in from overseas, ranging from Avielah Barclay, the first woman certified as a Soferet SeTaM (Torah scribe) and David Bilchitz, the lawyer at the heart of the campaign to bring marriage equality to South Africa to Pini Brown, ex-Chasidic Yiddish and blues singer and Anna Ciszewska, a leading Polish burlesque performer, known as Betty Q, also a well known feminist activist and TEDx speaker.

“With so many speakers coming from across the world, the real international spirit and camaraderie of the festival is something that all attendees will notice straight away,” said Gaventa.

Participants are able to join programmes from early morning until late at night, with this year’s Limmud seeing more live music performances than ever before, including a traditional Scottish Ceilidh.

This year’s festival, has tighter security in place due to an increase in antisemitism since October 7, has been dubbed EcoLimmud, with the aim of making it the first carbon neutral event of its kind.

To this end, the festival is meat-free for the first time, all décor on site has been made from recyclable and eco-friendly materials and Limmud has partnered with EcoJudaism and JTree to plant at least 37 trees this year, which will neutralise the carbon cost of the festival over the next 40 years.

“Attendees this year can expect to be part of the largest carbon neutral event to ever take place in the British Jewish community and should look forward to many fascinating climate-focused talks taking place,” said Gaventa.

Staying true to its grassroots ethos, Limmud is being led by a committee of volunteers, with the day-to-day running of the festival relying on the support of hundreds of participants, helping with tasks such as youth leadership, bar work and baby listening. In return, they can attend the festival at a reduced price.

Said Gaventa: “As I meet the hundreds of volunteers, I find it deeply humbling. It has been brilliant to see the team come together to make this Limmud something different, whilst holding onto the great elements of Limmud which keep people coming back year after year.”