Limmud: a great Jewish alternative to Christmas

Limmud: a great Jewish alternative to Christmas
Somewhere between a retreat and a festival, the Limmud conference shows how Judaism can remain creative and vibrant

Keith Kahn-Harris
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday 29 December 2010 16.56 GMT

For the diaspora Jew, what to do over Christmas can be a taxing question. It's almost impossible to ignore the festival completely and it's a wonderful opportunity for rest and relaxation with family and friends. But how to avoid being compromised by the Christian connotations?

For a truly Jewish alternative to Christmas, the Limmud conference is as good as it gets. Taking place every year between Christmas and new year, this year's festive season sees Limmud's 30th anniversary conference, held at the University of Warwick. As much of UK stumbles tipsily between leftover turkey and the sales, 2,500 Jews of all ages from the UK and throughout the Jewish world will gather for a frenetic five-day festival of learning and playing.