The volunteers’ chair of this year’s festival, Jacob Smith, reflects Limmud’s high level of youthful involvement.

Having attended regularly as a youngster, he appreciates its “unique atmosphere, not something you get anywhere else”. He recalled the 2019 event as “two to three thousand Jews coming together, all interested in learning about Judaism and about Jewish topics. I had a great time and became keen to get more involved.”

With volunteering “at Limmud’s core, it’s great to see so many people still eager to volunteer and to get back together in person after the pandemic. It’s really exciting”.

The festival’s young and teen chair, Joshua Maurice, has been heavily involved in designing and leading programmes for Noam, Masorti’s youth movement. “Now as we transition to young adults, we are taking on the responsibility of giving back to the Jewish world,” he told the JC. “Limmud is a fantastic way to do that and I get a lot out of it personally.”

He added that the return to an in-person Limmud was “a really big deal. The primary challenge is that a lot of people are new to organising. But that’s got its advantages. It’s a restart and a fresh perspective.”