The Movement for Reform Judaism

Learning, Leyning, Laughing: come and meet like-minded Reform Jews from across the country.

Conference 2008 at Leicester University 4-6 July 2008.

Special rates for families and a FREE new Siddur for all first-timers!

Learning, Leyning, Laughing @ Leicester

It is more than just great alliteration. The title that is. The title of our 2008 Reform Movement Conference.You know what 'Learning and Laughing' are, but you are not sure about Leyning?  You know that Leyning is what we do when we chant from the Torah, but when was the last time you had a good laugh at a 'conference' and a 'conference' of a Religious organisation to boot? 

OK, so here is the challenge we are happy to meet: Come for the weekend to Leicester, July 4th to 6th, join around 250-300 folks, young ones, old ones, involved ones, just on the edges ones, knowledgeable ones, ones who don't know the difference between a kipper and a Kippah

(so what is your favourite Jewish joke, mine is the following: Waiter goes over to the table where the four Jews are eating and says to them "Excuse me, is anything OK" and then there is the advanced knowledge level one: "What is the difference between a Challah and a Kallah? On Friday night you can enjoy two Challahs but only one Kallah")

and you will a) meet great people, interesting people, people with something to say, people you can sing with, study with, dance with, drink with (and you will be able to do all of the above); b) Be able to choose the way you want to pray (if you do) on Shabbat and all from our new siddur, really a siddur to meet the challenges of life in the 21st Century (stay serious for a moment please, this is really an important addition to Jewish prayer in the modern world); c) be involved with some great teachers, our Rabbis, guests from Israel and elsewhere, looking at the crucial questions we face as members of the human community and as Jews, issues of great ethical concern, Israel as we turn 60 (no opinion will be outside of the scope of discussion here)  

And, did I mention that this will be a conference filled with music, serious film, dance, study, wine tasting. And of course, we will eat. Not only the three meals a day you are used to, but also a reception for first and old timers (an excuse to eat and have a drink to get things rolling), a Kiddush after a long post breakfast morning (all of three hours really and just before lunch), and on Shabbat the traditional third meal, Seudah shlishit (funny but I always count four meals on Shabbat), and late at night after you might have popped in to the Wine tasting, the bar will be open.

 
Come if you are a family, we really want to make this possible for families so we are offering special prices for families (and we have a special programme for young people, from crèche upwards); come if you are a young adult, special prices here too (help us if you have a bob or two by adding on to your conference fee a donation so we can make these places available to young adults and young families).
 
Learning, Leyning, Laughing is more than a conference, it is a Reform Glastonbury without the mud (and lower volume level), it is a Reform Little Britain (but kinder), it is a Reform Installation (without the dirty beds in the public spaces), it is a Reform party (and you can bring your own bottle, but there is a corkage fee), it is a Reform teach in (with no buts, ifs and ands).
 
Education, good education that is, is a three letter word beginning with 'f'. "I give you an 'f', 'f', I give you a 'u', 'u', I give you an ....'n','n'. What does that give you? What does that give you? Learning, Leyning, Laughing @ Leicester".

Please contact Saul Levitt for more information or complete the attached application form.

 application_form_-_final_low_res 434.22 Kb

Click on the icon below to see the draft programme for Conference 2008 

 conference_programme 337.00 Kb