LimmudFest NOLA, cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally rolled on Sunday, March 14, 2021 as a virtual event composed of four segments held over a five-hour period. The schedule of speakers and topics under the “big tent of Jewish education” kicked off  at 11:20 a.m. as the Panorama Jazz Band, Steve Pastorius and Benny Amón and others performed via several recordings intended to make the opening  ceremonies musically festive. 

The first of the scheduled series of sessions followed at noon and ran until 4:20 p.m. including a half-hour break for lunch.  Musician performers were enjoyed prior to each session.

For the first time,  this year’s Limmudfest NOLA extended  beyond New Orleans and covered some of the tradition and religious expressions across the state of Louisiana and throughout communities along the Gulf South. The Crescent City Jewish News was one of Limmudfest NOLA 2021’s major sponsors.

Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation Rabbi Deborah Silver, one of the crowd favorites of past Limmudfests, combined with her interim education director Meryl Zimmerman to help spontaneously compose a “Jazz Amidah.”

Other sessions included Councilman Joseph Giarusso moderating a session on Leadership in Trying Times with Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans CEO Arnie Fielkow and Anti-Defamation South Central Region director Aaron Ahlquist recounting their successful rescinding of a pro-BDS resolution by the New Orleans City Council in 2018.

The event also drew national speakers such as Rabbi Raphael Zarum, Jewish feminist leader Hadar Cohen and interpretive baker Vanessa Harper. George Dankser, whose annual lecture series is held at Touro Synagogue, was also on the program.

Tulane University assistant professor of Jewish Studies and Catherine and Henry J. Gaisman Faculty Fellow Golan Moskowitz examined the life of illustrator and author Maurice Sendak through a set of Jewish and queer lenses. Moskowitz based the talk on his book “Wild Visionary.”

Sessions covered the length and breadth of the Jewish experience and included a range of topics such as Jewish ethics, Jewish cooking, Jewish art and the study of Jewish texts. .

For all session and presenter details at emamo.com/event/limmudfest-2021

In addition to the four hours of learning every ticket purchaser will be entitled to access to all the sessions, including those which conflicted with the ones they attended. This constitutes over 20 hours of video recordings, which will be available within two weeks.

Limmud NOLA’s mission is to celebrate Jewish life and learning in all of its diversity and to strengthen the Jewish community of New Orleans by bringing together Jews of all backgrounds and ages for learning experiences guided by the values of learning, choice, diversity, and volunteerism.

In addition to the CCJN, Limmud NOLA’s community sponsors were the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, the New Orleans JCC, Limmud North America, and Southern Jewish Life magazine.