Educational festival Limmud held in Chisinau

The international conference Limmund took place in Chisinau for the first time, on the occasion of 20 years of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Moldova. The head of the organizational committee Itana Zilbermint said that Limmud started to be held over 30 years ago and covered meanwhile the territory between Alaska and Australia. In 2006, it was organized for the fist time in the Commonwealth of Independent States, Info-Prim Neo reports. Itana Zilbermint said that Limmud offers equal participation chances, regardless of race, origin or religion. Being an educative-cultural festival, it includes a large number of seminars. Within the festival held in Chisinau on June 10, every participant was able to choose the seminar they wanted to attend. The seminars centered on Jewish philosophy, yoga, political culture and even the secrets of Jewish cuisine. They were taught by volunteers from a number of countries in Russian. Businessman Matthew Bronfman, who heads the International Steering Committee of Limmud FSU, said the conference was held in Chisinau not accidentally. Matthew Bronfman, who is the owner of the companies Israel IKEA and Israel Discount Bank, said that he has his origins in Moldova as his grandfather was born in Otaci town, Ocnita. He was accompanied to the event by the founder of Limmud FSU Chaim Chesler, adviser to the Israeli President Zoram Dori, and the deputy secretary general of the World Jewish Congress Maram Stern. Attending the event, Prime Minister Filat Vlad reiterated the importance of strengthening the Moldovan-Israeli relations. He said that his visit to Israel and other events organized in this respect will continue to improve the bilateral cooperation and the reciprocal support on the international arena. “It’s now time to shift to a new stage of the bilateral relations, based on more intense cooperation, mainly in the economic sphere,” he stated. He also said that the Government of Moldova is open for cooperation and voiced hope that the participants in the conference Limmud FSU will strengthen the contacts established within this event. The conference Limmud FSU in Chisinau brought together 400 Israeli young persons from Moldova, Ukraine and other states. The event represents an educational festival that includes numerous lectures, workshops, concerts, trips and cultural events.