Every year, Limmud participants old and new come together for an enriching Shabbat to kick off Festival.
Shabbat at Festival is always a more relaxed affair. It’s a fabulous chance to get settled in, meet people and ease yourself into the programme.
So what actually happens on Shabbat at Limmud Festival?
From the moment you arrive there’ll be plenty to do, whether you want to go to sessions, get to know the site, find a quiet corner, catch up with friends or make new ones.
Shabbat meals are a wonderful and rare opportunity for our whole community to come together. Delicious food is available to meet all dietary requirements and it’s the perfect chance to talk to someone new.
For those who want to participate in prayer, there will be a variety of prayer services organised by participants from a range of religious denominations. This will include Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday evening and Shacharit and Mussaf (morning/additional service), Mincha (afternoon service), and Maariv (evening service) on Saturday.
On Friday night, many people engage in a celebration called Oneg Shabbat, meaning the ‘Joy of Shabbat’. There’ll be several options including singing, storytelling, almost certainly chatting and quite possibly a Shabbat tipple.
What about Shabbat observance?
People who attend Shabbat at Limmud come from a variety of backgrounds and observe Shabbat in different ways. We ask you to be respectful of how each participant chooses to observe Shabbat.
Please be aware that all the hotel bedrooms require the use of electronic keycards and manual keys are not available. However, so participants might wish to leave their doors open throughout Shabbat. Each room is equipped with a safe to store high value items, and facilities will be available to store larger items safely if necessary. Please note it is the responsibility of all participants to ensure their items are secure in their room, if they choose to leave their door open over Shabbat. Limmud takes no responsibility for any damages or loss of items.
Those who do not use lifts on Shabbat will be able to access their rooms via the stairs. If you have indicated on your application form that you do not use electricity on Shabbat e will endeavour to give you bedrooms on the lower floors.
There will not be an Eruv (ritual boundary) installed outside as all accommodation and programming for Shabbat will be inside the Hilton.
I’d love to come. Can I bring the kids too?
We love welcoming families on Shabbat at Limmud Festival, and we’re very excited to see more young participants join us this year. There will be programming to suit all ages and interests throughout Shabbat and the entire Festival.
Chanukah
We are excited to be together in person this year to also celebrate the last days of Chanukah. Join us for for our Chanukah programme including candle lighting, fun games, yummy doughnuts and so much more, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening of Festival.
Don’t forget to bring your Chanukah Jumpers!
That all sounds great, but I still have questions! Who do I get in touch with?
If you have any questions about Shabbat or Chanukah at Festival, please click here to contact our Limmud Office.