As we celebrate the JC’s 175th anniversary year, this leader is a first for the paper. On Tuesday, our leader conference was held at Limmud, and its contents crowd-sourced. How appropriate that one of our community’s relative newcomers should collaborate with our oldest newspaper — both icons of British Jewry. This year, Limmud moved into a more upmarket venue. Some of the old informality has been lost but, uniquely perhaps for a Jewish audience, there seems to be near unanimous praise for the change — especially the accommodation. Since its founding in 1980, Limmud has been replicated worldwide. In a rational world, the mere fact that it is cross-communal might seem the least of its achievements; but rationality does not always prevail, so such a joint enterprise is one of its most significant elements. That said, the under-representation of mainstream Orthodoxy remains a problem. The Chief Rabbi’s presence in 2013 and 2014 was important, but there are still Orthodox rabbis who warn congregants against Limmud. In that context, the plea by some Limmudniks to retain its spirit for the other 51 weeks of the year may be a vain hope — but it is an important one.