It will involve 2,500 people from at least 20 countries, 1,000 separate events and over 30,000 kosher meals.

These are just some of the daunting numbers that Limmud organisers faced as they made final preparations for the gathering at Warwick University that starts on Friday.

It is widely considered the biggest Jewish event of the year and the conference’s organisers are confident that the five-day festival will be the best yet.

“Everything is going incredibly smoothly, thank the Lord!”, Limmud’s executive director Shelley Marsh said on Wednesday.

There will be 350 volunteers coordinating more than 1,000 events, which encompass topics from the Chief Rabbi’s “Torah guide to conflict resolution” to Rick Brody’s “The teshuvah of the Jedi: timeless Jewish themes in the Star Wars saga”. Participants and speakers from the 20 international branches of Limmud are due to attend.

Ms Marsh said: “It’s been a fantastic year of preparation and now it’s finally here. It’s a combination of excitement and awe.”