Limmud has decided to revert to a digital-only format for this year’s festival in the interests of Covid safety.

Organisers had hoped to combine online sessions with in-person day programmes in London and Manchester.

But the numbers of Covid cases in the country, along with warnings of a winter flu outbreak, persuaded them it would be safer to remain virtual for a second year.

Limmud’s deputy director Jon Freedman said, “We don’t want to bring together a large number of people who might be vulnerable in an indoor space.”

Festival chair Ben Combe said, “We want to build on what we did last year. It was something really special.”

Some 5,000 viewers, including many from overseas, tuned into the online lectures, workshops, discussions and cultural performances.

And while it might not have been possible to gather at the bar for a drink, participants continued to talk virtually in chatrooms after sessions had ended.

For a number of years, the event – which will run from Friday December 24 to Tuesday 28 this year – has taken place in Birmingham.

But going online last year had made it more accessible for some people. “My mum had never been to an in-person festival but came last year,” Mr Combe said.