The annual European Seminar of Beth Loubavitch is underway in Les 2 Alpes, France, continuing a summer tradition that has brought Jewish families together for fifty years.

Organized by Beth Loubavitch of Paris under the leadership of Rabbi Mendel Azimov, the three-week seminar offers separate programs for adults, bochurim and children, allowing entire families to spend their summer together in a setting centered around Torah and Chassidus.

The adult program, directed by Rabbi Levi Azimov, includes a full schedule of shiurim, sedarim and farbrengens. A Yeshivas Kayitz for yeshiva students is directed by Rabbi Shmuel Lubetzky, with the bochurim following their own structured schedule of learning and activities.

For the younger children, Gan Yisrael is directed by Hatomim Levi Laskar and R’ Levi Maimon, with a packed program of learning, trips, games and activities throughout the day.

This year’s seminar is being held from August 2 through August 23 at the Hôtel Panorama in Les 2 Alpes, a resort town set high in the French Alps. Surrounded by towering mountain peaks and wide Alpine valleys, the location provides plenty of opportunities for hiking, excursions and outdoor activities alongside the daily learning schedule.

The seminar also provides the practical needs of the families spending several weeks away from home. A kosher grocery is available at the site, with food and prepared Shabbos meals available for purchase.

Around 2,000 Jewish families are staying at the seminar this year, with participants coming from France and elsewhere in Europe. For many, the gathering has become an annual tradition, bringing parents, children and bochurim together in the same summer program while providing each age group with its own schedule.

Now in its fiftieth year, the European Seminar continues the formula that has sustained it for generations: serious Torah learning and a warm Chassidishe atmosphere, combined with the opportunity for families to enjoy the summer together.

Photos: David Karsenti