The Weekend of Inspiration 2023

Rabbi Andrew Shaw Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK

It began in 2016, the vision of Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence of Kinloss. To create a day, during the three weeks between Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim where his community would learn from the best in the Religious Zionist world. With a mixture of local and international speakers (on skype) the idea of the Day of Inspiration was born.

In 2017 Mizrachi UK were asked to help to grow the concept and we created the Weekend of Inspiration and made sure all international speakers were live. In that year we brought over thirteen speakers and supported twenty-one communities in London and Manchester. The actual Day of Inspiration attracted over 400 people at Kinloss.

2018 saw an expansion of the idea as more and more communities asked to be included. Seventeen speakers visited thirty-one communities and Leeds were added to cities that we impacted. The Day of Inspiration grew to over 500 people.

By 2019 and our growth in Manchester led to the development of two separate Days of Inspiration in Kinloss, London

Be In Central Synagogue For Shabbat

and Stenecourt, Manchester as well as launches across the UK on Thursday night. Speakers travelled between the two venues on the Sunday and close to 1000 people attended in either London or Manchester. That year we brought our biggest contingent thus far from Israel –twenty-six outstanding educators who inspired forty-two communities across London, Leeds and Manchester. After two years away due the pandemic, we emerged last year in 2022 with, what was, up to then, our biggest and most ambitious Weekend of Inspiration yet. Part of the reason for the expansion was the fact that it was Shabbat UK and the Chief Rabbi encouraged us to bring even more speakers to enhance even more communities for Shabbat UK.

So last year we brought over thirty-two speakers, who spoke across five different cities – London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham – it was a remarkable achievement. We also had for the first time a Yom Iyun on Friday morning in five secondary schools for over 2500 students.

So, what does 2023 bring? Well, we have grown again, thirty-four speakers are joining us this year, who will be venturing all across the UK for Shabbat to over fifty communities as well as speaking on Friday to almost 3000 students across our Jewish secondary schools.

The Day of Inspiration is once again in our three locations – Kinloss, Stenecourt and South Hampstead – a central London venue to hopefully attract even more people to the day of learning. With 71 shiurim, 12 Keynotes, 25 hours and 35 educators it is a day not to be missed. Inside this special HaMizrachi - Weekend of Inspiration edition – you will find the full schedules of all three locations on Sunday.

I very much hope you are inspired by the Mizrachi educators over Shabbat and I hope to see you on Sunday!

It will be a day to remember!

Shabbat Shalom

Weekend of Inspiration, 2022 (PHOTOS: TAMARA KAY)