There was a giddy excitement to the first LimmudLA that has steadily diminished the past two years.
That first year, we couldn’t believe what we had. We were just so happy to be together with Jews of all stripes. There was no kvetching, just joy.
The next two LimmudLAs probably ran smoother, but there wasn’t the same spirit.
I don’t think there can be. There’s an excitement from doing things for the first time, I hear.
Communal highs at LimmudLA are greatest on Friday nights. That’s when we all come together for Shabbat dinner. After this, it feels like we all go our separate ways and wall off into our separate cliques.
I wonder if there’s a way to recapture the communal feeling so dominant on Friday nights. Are there activities that can bring us all together again?
Hmm. The havdalah and closing ceremonies bring us together.
I wonder what else we could do to come together, to let down our defenses, and to rejoice with our fellow Jews, not just on the long annual weekend of LimmudLA but during the year as well.
Give a little bit… See the man with the lonely eyes. Take his hand. You’ll be surprised.
