August 15, 2010 / 5 Elul 5770 

Westhampton Beach NY -- A record 800 young Russian-speaking Jewish Americans gathered in force on Sunday at Limmud FSU New York to collectively explore their Jewish identities, renew friendships, form connections, develop leadership skills and enhance community engagement. The Jewish Agency for Israel served as a resource for the event.

The event was the second Limmud FSU gathering ever in the United States, and participants from throughout the New York area and beyond exchanged ideas, thoughts and perspectives with more than 100 educators, lecturers and expert panelists at nearly 65 sessions covering a wide variety of subjects, from the movement to delegitimize Israel to American-Israeli relations, and from Jewish cooking and Russian-Jewish poetry, to Muslim-Jewish relations and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Among the presenters were prominent philanthropists, Russian, American and Israeli scholars and educators, communal leaders, American officials and high-ranking Israeli ministers and government representatives who joined participants at formal panels and informal gatherings as they explored their backgrounds and futures as engaged and active members and leaders in the Jewish community.

(From Left): Philantropist Matthew Bronfman, Chairman of the International Steering Committee of Limmud FSU, Garrett Reisman, Jewish Astronaut who spent several months on the Space Station sharing the space with Russian crew members, Chaim Chesler, Founder and Co-Chairman of Limmud FSU and Dr. Rabbi Daniel Hershkowitz, Minister of Science and Technology in the Israeli government.

Photo Credit : David Karp