March/April 2007

VOL. XXXIV No. 2 ljtoday

Three new staff

Birmingham Progressive Synagogue’s dream of a new home is becoming a reality, with work having begun on the foundations of a building in Bishopsgate Street.

BPS erected its first synagogue building in 1938, in Sheepcote Street, which was demolished last year. The new building, designed to meet the needs of the expanding community, is on a site not far from Sheepcote Street.

The building will be much more than just a synagogue: it will also house the Midlands Centre for Liberal Judaism, where Jews of all backgrounds, from

across the region and beyond, can share common ground. It is hoped that the centre will be a hub of artistic and cultural events and a place for interfaith dialogue and activities.

Plans drawn by the BPS chairman, Keith Reynolds, an architect, were used as a basis for the finished designs. The building will have a fully equipped function room and areas for both cheder and adult education. In addition to a large sanctuary, there will be a second, adaptable area for smaller services.

Invitations to tender for the design of a new ark and bimah are opening exciting

Rabbi Danny Rich, right, with BPS chairman Keith Reynolds at the Bishopsgate Street site in January

New Midlands Centre for Liberal Judaism

Liberal Judaism welcomes three new members of staff to work in newly created posts. Student rabbi Richard Jacobi joins as social action co-ordina-tor, Josh Watts-Lassman is youth clubs outreach fieldworker and Anwen Grant is administrator, chief executive’s office.

All three posts have been funded from outside of congregation affiliation fees. The youth club post is part-funded by the Jewish Youth Trust, which acknowledged the work Liberal Judaism is doing with young people excluded by halachah or geography. The rest of the post and the other two posts are funded by the Council of Patrons.

Rabbi Danny Rich said: ‘The appointment of Richard Jacobi is significant in that, if the movement is to fulfil its commitment to prophetic Judaism, it needed to expand its work in bringing the Liberal Jewish voice to the problems of the world.’

possibilities to create a truly beautiful space. The community hopes to move in by mid-2008.Spotlight on Birmingham, page 9

Lucy Tobias reports on Birmingham’s building project

Six years of joint remembrance Sixteen survivors gave talks during the sixth annual Holocaust Memorial Day Event run jointly by Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue and Northwood Synagogue.

One of the survivors, Josef Perl, 76 – who was in eight camps – said: ‘Today we hand over the future of the world to you young people. You can do what you like with it – we beg you not to make the mistakes of the past, but to make the world a better place in which all people can live in freedom and without fear.’

The four-day event was set up by the rabbis of the two synagogues, Dr Andrew Goldstein and Dr Naftali Brawer. This year, Kingston Liberal Synagogue also ran an event jointly with a United synagogue. Telling the children, page 6

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Pupils light memorial candles at the opening of the four-day Northwood HMD Event

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Page 2 LJ Today March/April 2007

The Exodus shows us how few things we really need

Tent is pitched in BrightonLiberal Judaism’s ‘tent’ services have started up in Brighton, with a good attendance at the first service in February. This was held at Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue and led by the movement’s young adults workers, Anna Gerrard and Avivit Katzil.

May launch for 21st-century bookLiberal Judaism is publishing a new book in May. Liberal Judaism: A Judaism for the Twenty-First Century, by Rabbi Pete Tobias, of The Liberal Synagogue Elstree, explores how Judaism has always sought to address the fundamental questions that have faced humankind for thousands of years: the origins and purpose of human life, the existence of God, and the need for rituals and practices to encourage respect for creation and justice for its inhabitants.

Liberal Judaism’s unique ability to meet the challenges of the 21st century, with its combination of ancient wisdom and modern awareness, is detailed in this book.

George Garai diesDr George Garai, editor of ULPS News (later LJ Today) from 1993 to 2004, died on 5 February. George, who was born in Budapest in 1926, combined in his career his interest in both journalism and Jewish affairs. He was editor of the Australian Jewish Times from 1960 to 1966, then, coming to Britain, was on the editorial staff of the Jewish Chronicle from 1966 to 1975. He then became director of public relations for the Zionist Federation and, in 1982, was appointed its general secretary, a post from which he retired in 1992.

In his work for Liberal Judaism, he will be remembered for his efficiency and journalistic skills, and as the most courteous of people. He was a member of Harrow and Wembley Progressive Synagogue. Our sincere condolences go to his wife, Ann, and to his daughters and grandchildren, of whom he was so proud.

Harrow turns 60 Harrow and Wembley Progressive Synagogue is holding a civic service on 2 June to mark its 60th anniversary.

As a resident of central London, I often feel that I miss the sight of trees and open skies. But I am also very lucky. Our beautiful river, the Thames, is 10 minutes from my door. The wide open skies and the quietness of her vast open space is a soothing consolation for all of us who are forced to live with miles of concrete and the roar of traffic.

I’m often amazed by the changing of the tides. You could scarcely believe the way this giant river rises and falls within the course of a day, revealing her shore in the morning and lapping just yards below our feet at night.

This enormous tidal power, the sheer unbounded energy of this immeasurable water, brought life to the heart of the city. Yet all around the world we are waking up to the terrifying risk that our sea levels are rising. We imagine that human ingenuity will turn back the tide; that we can keep consuming energy. We imagine that we can get into cars or jump on planes without having to pay the price – of flooding, drought, hunger and thirst. Who knows where our descendants will live ... and what life will be for them?

We are coming closer to spring. And spring is a time for birth. How natural then that the watery birth of the Children of Israel is celebrated at Passover. This birth, like any other, was fraught with danger. The wind blows and the sea is split. The Israelites walk on dry land between towering walls of water. It seems as though this fragile moment freezes water in time, that nature is suspended. Yet only briefly for, as we know, as soon as the Egyptians enter, it all comes crashing down.

The worldly, rational and scientific thinkers of the Middle Ages had a lot to say about the splitting of the Sea of Reeds.

Ibn Ezra* believed that the cold east wind made the waters freeze, and that after the Israelites crossed, the two walls of water melted. Chizkuni** combined the freezing of water and the division of the frozen mass, resulting in the creation of a plateau for the Israelites to walk across. And from the great commentator Rashi***, a more spiritual response: at the moment of the splitting of the sea, all the waters of the world were divided.

While Ibn Ezra and Chizkuni find a

scientific basis for this ‘miracle’, Rashi’s breaking of the waters is a disruption of nature; a sympathetic response to the birthing of our people, perhaps, as all the waters of creation are divided.

It seems as though we build our lives on land, the solid ground beneath our feet, but perhaps we should understand that we build our worlds on water. Clean water.

Perhaps the waters of the Sea of Reeds really froze. We can never know. Yet what do we do with the knowledge that the vast frozen masses of polar ice are melting, that the glaciers have shortened year by year, that in many places snow did not fall this winter? These melting masses of snow and ice will have an awesome impact on our rivers and seas.

The story of Passover, and the rituals of the Seder, teach us that in moments of crisis complete change is necessary. The Children of Israel, and the people who went with them, threw off their slavery-induced lethargy, and walked out with only the things they could physically carry.

And though we often forget it (because we can so easily become consumed in a frenzy of Passover shopping) this should be a time of absolute and conscious, wilful simplicity.

When the sea levels rise they will not split for us. And they will not freeze into convenient walls on either side for people to walk through.

Can we re-learn the lesson of the Exodus? Can we take, and use, what is only strictly necessary? Can we choose simplicity, we who have grown so unsustainably wealthy?

And when we walk, at times, along the banks of our rivers, will they be, for us, still a source of life?

Shulamit Ambalu is the rabbi of North London Progressive Jewish Community and of Milton Keynes Reform Synagogue

* The scholar Abraham Ibn Ezra was born in around 1092 and lived in Cordova.

** Rabbi Chizkiyah ben Manoach Chizkuni was active in around 1250 in Provence.

*** The great biblical commentator Rashi, full name Rabbi Shimon Ben Yisrael, was born in the French town of Troyes in 1040.

Shulamit Ambalu interprets the crisis of the first Pesach

March/April 2007 LJ Today Page 3

Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein conducted the chuppah of Maros and Linda Borsky in Bratislava in January. The civil ceremony had taken place earlier, but there was no rabbi for a religious service.

Dr Borsky, curator of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Centre in the capital, heads a project to document all synagogues in Slovakia and post information about them on an online

database. A former student at Leo Baeck College, he is also working to set up a Progressive Jewish community in his native country.

Rabbi Goldstein, of Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue, said: ‘I have known Maros for some 14 years – we first met when he came to a Liberal service in Prague.

‘The wedding was a super occasion,

As you read this you may have just joined your children or grandchildren in the celebration of Purim and the reading of Megillat Esther. You will recall the beautiful princesses, the friendly Uncle Mordechais and the noise of booing and greggars to drown out the name of Haman.

I am less confident that your local Liberal rabbi will have taken you to Esther Chapter 9, verses 5-16: ‘The Jews struck at all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, slaughtering and annihilating; they treated their enemies as they pleased. In Shushan, the capital, the Jews slew and annihilated 500 men...

and my wife Sharon was the chazan.’ In response to the service in January, two more couples came forward to ask if Rabbi Goldstein would conduct their weddings, and the leadership of the community was encouraged to consider embracing Progressive Judaism. Rabbi Goldstein takes over in March as chairman of the European region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism.

The rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces assembled and defended themselves. They gained relief from their foes, slaying 75,000 of their enemies, but they did not lay their hand on the spoils on the 13th day of the month of Adar. And they gained relief on its 14th day, making it a day of feasting and gladness.’

Were the Jews celebrating relief from the fear of their own imminent destruction or were they rejoicing at the downfall of a famous and hated enemy, including Haman and his 10 sons, who were hanged on the gallows purportedly prepared for Mordechai? It was this unresolved dilemma in the Book of Esther – as well as the absence of God, the story’s clear legendary basis and the absence of anything of perceived moral value in it – which made Purim the Cinderella of Jewish festivals in the early years of Liberal Judaism.

In 1899, Lily Montagu wrote a questionnaire including: ‘What forms of ceremonies should be retained on account of their historic or ethical or sanitary value?’ Claude Montefiore responded in an 18-page typed letter, advocating ‘keeping all the festivals apart from Purim’. Purim’s rehabilitation was aided by an article by Liberal Judaism’s late honorary life president, Rabbi John Rayner, who called for Liberal Jews to understand Purim as a hyperbolic legend of good and evil.

The recent execution of the former Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, raised in my mind two issues: the death penalty and whether one ought to celebrate one’s enemy’s downfall. Capital punishment is perhaps the easier of the two. The arguments for and against are well rehearsed. In religious terms, while the Hebrew Bible advocates capital punishment for many offences, it is equally correct to say that in rabbinic tradition capital punishment, even where the rabbis might have had the power to

A wedding in Bratislava – with two more to come

Unravelling Israel Tour29 April to 7 May 2007

£799 (including flights and half board)

What does it really mean to be a Zionist Liberal Jew? This study tour offers the opportunity to view Israel through the eyes of Liberal Judaism and trace the country’s complex history through diaspora, early Zionism, the separation wall and the recent war in Lebanon. You will get a glimpse of Israeli progressive society and meet representatives of Israeli minorities, including a group advocating Arab rights.

The tour will also take in the Hugo Gryn Experience, a weekend encounter with the ‘real Israel ’ at the Leo Baeck Education Centre in Haifa.

For a brochure and to book, contact Liberal Judaism’s shlicha, Noa Marom: shlicha@liberaljudaism.org or 07931 592 562.

From Saddam comes a lesson in dignityimplement it, was rejected on the basis of a statement in the Mishnah: ‘A Sanhedrin that executes a criminal once in seven years is known as destructive. Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah says “once in 70 years”. Rabbis Tarfon and Akiva say: “If we had been members of the Sanhedrin no man would ever have been executed.” ’

When one has been involved in a long struggle it is right and proper to celebrate one’s victory and it is hard at the same time not to celebrate the downfall of one’s enemy. A warning is given in the Book of Proverbs, ‘Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,’ and in the same book but more well known in Exodus 23:24 is the obligation to assist your enemy: ‘If you meet your enemy’s ox or ass going astray you shall certainly take it back to him.’

What are the aspects of rejoicing in the downfall of one’s enemy which might cause a religious Jew to hesitate for a moment? At its simplest, of course, one is required to give a wrongdoer the opportunity to repent: to apologise sincerely, to make restitution and to show commitment not to repeat the offence. In such a case the victim is under an obligation to forgive. The further problem of celebrating the downfall of one’s enemies is brought home on Yom Kippur when we read the Holiness Code from Leviticus 19. It says we may not bear a grudge or take vengeance. It is not easy for us – even were it desirable – to distinguish between these two and celebrating the enemy’s downfall.

Few of us can have been anything but discomforted by the execution of Saddam Hussein. The taking of photographs and barracking of him was in contrast to his defiant but dignified end. He may not have repented but in his death he reminded us of the dangers of rejoicing when one’s enemies fall.

Danny Rich

Page 4 LJ Today March/April 2007

CORINNE OPPENHEIMERconverted in 1972

‘I converted about six years after my marriage, by which time I had had all my children [two boys and a girl]. I didn’t convert earlier because I hadn’t found a rabbi I was comfortable with. I enjoyed the course very much, especially the history.

‘What I wasn’t comfortable with in the Baptist world – which is where I come from – I was more comfortable with in Judaism. I went to an orthodox synagogue but it didn’t mean much to me as it was all in Hebrew and was very fast. I was very comfortable in the Progressive movement.

‘My husband, Paul, is a Holocaust survivor. In a way his past has made me more committed to Judaism, and my conversion helps him through life. I knew his history but he didn’t talk about it for 40 years. He has become more religious in following me.’

Corinne is vice-president of Birmingham Progressive Synagogue and an honorary vice-president of Liberal Judaism

Conversion to Judaism and the role of Liberal Judaism’s Rabbinic Board oversees conversion to Judaism and the confirmation of Jewish status. It consists of three rabbis, chaired by Thomas Salomon, rabbi of Westminster Synagogue, with other members of the Rabbinic Conference taking turns to serve. Here, Pete Tobias talks to Rabbi Salomon and Monique Blake, the proselyte administrator, about the conversion process

Pete Tobias: What does the Rabbinic Board do?

Thomas Salomon: The Rabbinic Board’s role is to interpret our madrich, which deals with the laws and regulations in relation to Liberal Judaism and Liberal rabbis. I coordinate and bring together another two rabbis at each session of our board, which meets once a month at least.

One of our major roles is to receive and deal with people who wish to convert to Judaism or people who believe that

they are Jews already but haven’t got any paperwork to prove the same except their own belief, upbringing and knowledge of their family background. Then it is my role, together with my two colleagues, to make a decision. If it’s a very special and difficult case I call on the entire Rabbinic Conference to advise and help me to reach a decision.

If someone comes to us and says I know from my family background that I am Jewish and I would like to confirm that I am Jewish, then we explain that Liberal Judaism considers someone a Jew if either of the parents is Jewish, provided that person receives Jewish education.

Subject to that criterion, we then examine the situation – any paperwork, any witnesses they have – and then initially it’s the chairman of the Rabbinic Board who looks at all the paperwork and if necessary consults colleagues. Then the Rabbinic Board meets to make a final decision. The person claiming Jewish status is invited to that meeting for an interview.

PT: If there was someone who thought they might be Jewish but couldn’t identify the paperwork to prove it, neither did they have the upbringing to prove it to themselves, what process would they go through?

TS: Where there is no proof whatsoever and there are no witnesses to tell us that one of the parents was Jewish or that they had any Jewish education then possibly the best journey would be for them to convert formally.

The conversion process involves learning about Judaism, Hebrew, Jewish studies and gaining Jewish background. That process requires a minimum of one year, so that each candidate can experi-ence the Jewish festivals and customs that pertain throughout the year.

PT: What sort of things are you looking for when a candidate comes before the Rabbinic Board, and what sort of questions do you ask?

TS: Each candidate is required not only

Jewish status

‘I didn’t enter into this commitment lightly’PETER WEIRconverted in 2006

‘I was married [to a Jew] 13 years ago. We have three children and are expecting another in April. They are all being brought up as Jewish. I resisted conversion and always said I’d convert only if I felt a need. Evenutally I discovered God and it really was a spiritual conversion rather than a pragmatic one. I’ve changed from being a non-believer to believing there’s a divine authority leading us.

‘I wrote two or three essays on why I wanted to become a Jew and on Jewish approaches to God, humanity and the afterlife. Going in front of the [Rabbinic] Board was an intensely moving and personal experience. I hadn’t expected it to be quite like that. But you don’t enter into that kind of commitment lightly.

‘My oldest child is six. She says to me: “You weren’t born Jewish were you but now you are.” ’

Peter and his wife, Abigail, have been active members of Kingston Liberal Synagogue for many years

KATHY BERRYconverted in 1984

‘I was brought up in the Church of England and was a church-goer. I was divorced and had two children when, in my late twenties, I felt I wasn’t sure I believed in the virgin birth and walking through walls and so forth. But I hung on to my belief in God and it was at this stage that I met my future husband, Ron.

‘We started finding out together [about Judaism] and eventually he went to Leo Baeck College [to train as a rabbi] and I became Jewish. We travelled the road together, which was very nice. When it came to the conversion, I asked myself: would I still want to be Jewish if Ron was no longer around? The answer came straight up – yes. I wasn’t doing it for him.

‘We were married in the garden. My friends from the church all came to the wedding – they decorated the chuppah poles.’

Kathy is married to Ron Berry, rabbi of Bristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation

Page 4 LJ Today November/December 2006March/April 2007 LJ Today Page 5

Jewish status

to go through the process of learning but then to write some essays. One of my colleagues reads the essays and leads the candidate through, or questions, the essays or any of the points made in them.

We are looking for integrity and honesty. It’s not a PhD examination and it’s not a cross-examination. We hope to be able to elicit from the report of the sponsoring rabbi confirmation of the individual’s integrity and honesty in the way that he or she wants to be part of the Jewish community.

Next, to find out what someone needs to do to start the conversion process, Pete Tobias spoke to Monique Blake, the administrator at the Montagu Centre who deals with anything relating to matters that come before the Rabbinic Board.

PT: What happens once someone has seen a rabbi?

Monique Blake: The rabbi interviews the proselyte and, when satisfied that he or she is sincere about conversion, the

rabbi will enrol them on a course of tuition. Then some forms are filled out and sent to me and I register them and keep the central records here. There is a small fee to pay at this stage and I will help them with queries or direct them to whoever they need to ask.

PT: Then comes the big day itself. You liaise over the appointment with the Rabbinic Board, but what is your role on the day? Do you find people are nervous?

MB: Yes, people are sometimes very nervous, often asking questions before the day. Once they come we make them feel welcome as much as possible and I sit with them and calm them. Sometimes they bring supporters. The person waits till they’re called in. They go in for a quarter of an hour. The rabbis interview them – it’s not an exam. They allow for nerves and are very understanding.

Pete Tobias is rabbi of The Liberal Synagogue Elstree. This interview was originally broadcast on Shalom FM

Liberal Judaism’s Rabbinic Board

‘But of course you aren’t actually Jewish’

A nucleus of members of Beit Klal Yisrael first met about 10 years ago because we had all experienced anger and frustration at the lack of understanding of the position of patrilineal Jews, not only by the Jewish community but by non-Jews as well. At the time, BKY was associated with the Reform movement; even founding members of the community were denied voting membership because they did not have Jewish mothers, only Jewish fathers. We started as a group of four or five and have hovered around the seven or eight mark. Most of our members are women, partly because, for men, the issues around patrlineality can be different. We aim to meet four times a year.

All of us have found different ways of dealing with Jewish institutions. But we have in common a strong belief that our identity should not be dependent on rabbinical approval, and that we cannot be made Jewish, because our identity already includes Jewishness among

other elements. Our group really got going after a BKY Identity Panel event involving patrilineals talking to the community about their sense of identity. Among those present, as an observer, was freelance writer Emma Klein, in the process of writing her book Lost Jews.

We have to find a way of living with our Jewish and non-Jewish connections that does not involve betrayal of either. Knowing ourselves by sharing our family stories and experiences with others like us is sometimes a painful and difficult process. Some very private things are said and for this reason our group does not advertise or hold public meetings. We are open to new members but it takes time to settle in and establish trust.

We have gained strength from finding similarities in our circumstances. Several of our number are children of Holocaust survivors and for them the lack of acceptance by the Jewish community at large can feel very harsh. We enjoy our meetings and often lighten

the difficult things with laughter and fun. We organise an annual Kabbalat Shabbat service on a theme that suggests itself during the meetings.

Organising the Shabbat services gives a practical outlet for our energy and allows us to share our insights – and some astonishing family histories – with the rest of the community, whether they are single matrilineal, both parents Jewish, secular Jewish or Jew by choice. We hope to open minds to the consequences of halachic interpretation for people they know to be part of their own Jewish community, and to move away from accepting unthinking assumptions about status. We want to open a debate that does not see us as anomalous beings, to be corrected by institutional means.

We are also seeking a response to our struggle that does not ask us to put aside our non-Jewishness as the price of belonging.

The author has requested anonymity

For us, conversion is not the answer, says a member of the patrilineality group at BKY

Liberal Judaism has always welcomed sincere applicants for conversion. New converts have an Admittance Ceremony in their new community at which they affirm their status as a Jew. Liberal conversions are accepted by the Reform movement – and vice versa. All converts are advised to perform the ritual of tevilah (ritual immersion in a mikveh) as a valuable and experiential way to confirm their change in status. Liberal Judaism strongly recommends circumcision for male converts. The method of accepting proselytes was revised during the 1960s: the instruction process was standardised – with a set of agreed essays – the fee system was centralised and candidates appeared before a board of three rabbis. The term Rabbinic Board was chosen in 1969 to avoid any implication that the movement operated a traditional Beth Din. The board’s first chairman was Rabbi Jakob Kokotek, of the New Liberal Congregation (later Belsize Square). His successors were Rabbi John Rayner, Rabbi Curtis Cassell and Rabbi Harry Jacobi.

Becoming Jewish

Page 6 LJ Today March/April 2007

Northwood tells the childrenIt is not every day you can find a room of a hundred teenagers quietly listening for nearly an hour to a woman in her seventies. Mala Tribich, a Polish Jew who addressed the pupils attending the Northwood Holocaust Memorial Day Event, spoke clearly and without any display of emotion. But her words made a deep impression on the children, their teachers and observers.

As a young child, Mala survived Ravensbruck concentration camp and Bergen-Belsen. She told us about the Ukrainian guards who would shoot through the windows of the synagogue – sometimes wounding or killing people inside – just to amuse themselves; about life in the ghetto; about her female cousin who was taken away.

Mala told her audience that her mother and sister were killed by death squads. And she told them that being liberated from Belsen was not a cause for celebration, because she had no real life, and no idea what the future held.

Some 2,000 children from 28 schools, in years 9 and 10 (ages 13 to 15), attended Northwood’s HMD event over the four days of sessions.

Each school group heard a Holocaust survivor speak about his or her experiences. Following a question and answer session, the pupils watched a film, Honour or Treason, which told three stories of Germans who took in Jewish families to protect them from Nazi persecution. The children then took part in a workshop at which, for the first year, pupils were separated from their teachers so that they could talk more openly. In workshop groups of 15-20, they were encouraged to give their reaction to what they had heard and talk

about how they might initiate a change for themselves, for someone else or for the world around them through a compassionate act.

At the opening ceremony of the four-day event, Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer said the conference was about ‘seeing behind the face of the other’, and seeing humanity there. Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, assistant rabbi at NPLS, related the Northwood event to recent headlines about so-called reality TV. Unlike reality

TV, all the stories that were being heard at the event were real.

Mala Tribich’s aunt also survived, and the two women kept in touch. The aunt spoke of the little daughter she lost only two or three times after the war, on one occasion saying: ’She had no one to hold her hand as she went into the gas chambers.’ Following a civic service at Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue on 3 February, the Mayor of Hillingdon, Councillor David Routledge MBE, planted a laurel bush in the synagogue grounds as a celebration of Tu B’Shvat. Brian Sass, chairman of NPLS, presented the mayor with a leather-bound copy of Siddur Lev Chadash, of which Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein was joint editor.

Above: Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer of Northwood Synagogue, left, and Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, assistant rabbi at Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue, flank David Routledge, the Mayor of Hillingdon, at the memorial event’s opening ceremony; left: Mala Tribich

Holocaust Memorial Day events

In their own words: what the pupils saidAfter hearing a survivor speak, each child was asked to fill out two parts of a card. One part, to be given to the survivor, was a chance for the children to say what the talk had meant to them.

The other half was given to the synagogue. The children wrote under the heading ‘What I take away for the

future’. Here are some of the things they wrote:

A different perspective, having met and heard the story of somebody who has seen humanity at its worst, yet stays positive

That it is important to try and touch the lives of as many as

you can, as you will always be remembered

To try to be nice to everyone and to always learn and accept everyone

That no one should be killed for what they believe in and even though it is bad it happens

The importance of hope, respect, love and understanding

The ability to understand what people went through. A want to help them

One trivial act can be worth so much – it could save someone’s life

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Holocaust Memorial Day events

Kingston shuls draw on six years of expertise

Liberal Jews take part in events across the UKLiberal synagogues and community members took part in events across Britain and Ireland as part of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Members of Bet Tikvah Synagogue, Barkingside, attended a service in the Holocaust Memorial Garden in Ilford. Stan Baker, of

Brighton and Hove, gave a talk, ‘What Holocaust Memorial Day Means To Me’, as part of a day of events at the University of Brighton.

Members of the Dublin congregation were among some 700 people attending a public interfaith event at the city’s Mansion House. The

East Anglia community was well represented at a service, organised by the Council of Christians and Jews, at a church in Norwich.

Rabbi Stephen Howard, of Southgate, together with a United synagogue rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, spoke at an event at Enfield Civic

Centre. At a South London service at which a member of the local Hindu community did one of the readings, Rabbi James Baaden drew attention to the huge support received from other faith groups following the desecration of the synagogue on the anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Kingston Liberal Synagogue also organised a Holocaust Memorial Day event jointly with the local United synagogue. About 200 children came to the day event, held at KLS, which used the model developed by Northwood.

Two people gave talks during the day of workshops: Martin Bennett, 81, a survivor of Auschwitz and member of Kingston Synagogue, and Annemarie Seelig, 85, who came to Britain with her mother and brother shortly before the war broke out. She is a member of KLS.

Judy Thwaites, education consultant for Liberal Judaism, was one of the main organisers of the event. ‘It’s been so rewarding on so many levels,’ she said. ‘Hearing people’s stories, getting other people involved and working with the orthodox community as one, as well as reaching out to students and their teachers.’

The children were all in Year 8 (age 12-13) at Tolworth Girls’ School, a local comprehensive. Teachers at the school ‘grabbed the idea with both hands’, according to Fleur Standring, a KLS member on the Kingston HMD committee.In their talks, both speakers were recalling experiences they had when they were the same age as the students.

Rabbi David Mason, of Kingston Synagogue, said the event went well: ‘It really was successfully organised and was a good way for us to work together.’ He said his own synagogue did a lot of outreach work, showing groups of children round the shul.

Charley Baginsky, student rabbi at KLS, commenting on the United synagogue’s involvement said: ‘This is Reports by Beatrice Sayers

definitely the beginning of a closer working relationship.’

She added that for the girls who heard the survivors talk, the day ‘made history alive’. The Holocaust stopped being just a statistic of Jews; and the girls took away a responsiblity to ensure that others knew about the experiences of Jews before and during the Second World War.

Facilitators at the Kingston event came from both the Liberal and United synagogues, and received training from organisers at Northwood.

This was the second time the Liberal and United synagogues in Kingston had taken part in a joint project. In 2005, they organised a service for Yom Hashoah, held at KLS, and Fleur set up an exhibition of poems and pictures made by children in Theresienstadt, which was visited by local schoolchildren. The Yom Hashoah service was led by Rabbi Danny Rich, at that time rabbi of KLS and now chief executive of Liberal Judaism.

Meanwhile, plans are being made for a second joint HMD event next year. ‘We’re already talking about making it a two-day event,’ said Judy. In a sermon at a civic service for Holocaust Memorial Day at Kingston Liberal Synagogue, Rabbi Danny Rich criticised the decision of the Muslim Council of Great Britain to boycott National Holocaust Memorial Day.

The service was the first of three civic services – with the following two at a local mosque and a local church – announced by the mayor of Kingston, Councillor Mary Reid.

If your synagogue is thinking of organising an HMD event for next year, now is the time to start planning.

Having been involved in the planning and running of the Kingston synagogues’ Holocaust Memorial Day Event, I realise how important it is to inform the next generation – and remind community members – of this period in history.

KLS, together with Kingston, Surbiton and District (United) Synagogue, spent several months planning their HMD event and developed closes ties with each other. As we go to press, I am looking at ways of commemorating Yom Hashoah, which this year falls on 16 April.

The day after the event I visited the Wiener Library in London. It is the world’s oldest Holocaust memorial institution, with more than 50,000 searchable items online and housing books photographs and artefacts, as well as a collection of eye-witness accounts, original pre-war and post-war documents related to the Holocaust and anti-semitism. The Wiener Library’s education department is particularly interested in reaching the younger generation and can host visits to the library or visit communities to run workshops or advise teachers on educational progammes at a minimal cost. Some materials are accessible online.

Help is also available from Act for Change, which supports the Act for Change Workshops run by NHMDE, the Northwood Holocaust Memorial Day Event, and Lessons from the Past Ltd: enquiries@actforchange.org.uk.

Alternatively, or as well, do email me and I will help in any way I can: j.thwaites@liberaljudaism.org.

Judy Thwaites

Looking ahead

Page 8 LJ Today March/April 2007

Brit Milah: circumcision from all angles

The Association of Reform and Liberal Mohalim together with the Rabbinic Conference and Assembly of Rabbis are holding a conference for mohalim, rabbis, communal leaders and educators on Wednesday 25 April, 6–9pm, at the Montagu Centre, London W1. The conference begins at 6.45 pm, preceded by a buffet.

The aims of the conference will be: to explore the perception of Brit Milah from the medical, religious and communal perspectives; to understand the tradition and the mitzvah of Brit Milah; and to find an opportunity to recruit mohalim to the association. Congegants are asked to invite any practising doctors in their community who might be interested in training as mohalim. Details: 020 7580 1663.

Liberally SpeakingOur movement’s efforts to be inclusive and demonstrate sex equality result in my daughter’s children being excluded, says Peter Phillips. Liberal rabbis don’t recognise them as being Jewish whereas traditional Judaism does

There are certain aspects of Liberal Judaism that are illogical. Six of my grandchildren, born to my two daughters who have married out, are accepted as Jews by the United, Masorti and Reform synagogues but not by synagogues affiliated to Liberal Judaism. We are, supposedly, the caring face of Judaism but because my grandchildren are not being brought up ‘Jewish’, do not attend cheder nor, indeed, shul, they are not automatically considered Jews as they are by the other movements in our religion.

Ask all six of my grandchildren which is their religion and they will all tell you that they are Jewish. On their school entrance forms ‘Jewish’ has been put down as their religion, not only at the request of my daughters and husbands, but at the request of my grandchildren. But, no, they do not go to shul, nor belong to one. Occasionally, they come with us to a service, whether a Sabbath one or a High Holy Day one, but they do not ‘do’ religion. ‘The services are too long, Grandpa’ is the main excuse if, indeed, they need an excuse. Isn’t it ironic, therefore, that we Liberals are so quick to boast that we are the only sector of Judaism that is willing to accept as Jews the offsprings of Jewish fathers?

So what? How does this help me? My sons have also married out. Their boys were circumcised but they too don’t ‘do’ religion, and are not being brought up ‘Jewish’. Therefore, according to Liberal Judaism, they are not properly Jewish either. What is the difference between this attitude and that of the others? At least, with the others, my daughters’ children are Jewish – come what may.

Okay, so we Liberals are not hypocritical. We only accept children as being Jewish whose parents bring them up ‘Jewish’ by, for instance, keeping the Sabbath, belonging to a shul and having lessons from a rabbi. But how many Jews do we lose this way?

My grandchildren say they are Jewish, but Liberal Judaism does not necessarily accept them simply because of their upbringing.

The Liberally Speaking column is an opportunity for a Liberal Jew to air a view, take a stand or share ideas about one or more aspects of Jewish life. If you want to write for this column, email the editor: ljtodayeditor@liberaljudaism.org

I don’t agree with this rationale. Once upon a time, we Liberals were liberals. If you wanted to wear a yarmulka you did, if you didn’t, you didn’t. The same was true about the wearing of a tallit. (I’ve noticed that, recently, the norm is to wear both.)

Barmitzvahs and batmitzvahs have been introduced, as has the parading of the scrolls. I don’t like the latter but if the majority of the congregation do, good for them.

I love Liberal Judaism because nearly always I can make my own decisions. The same is true about the kashrut laws. I am allowed to decide what I should eat and what I shouldn’t, without anyone tut-tutting. As far as Israel is concerned, we have the conflicting views of Rabbi Dr Sidney Brichto and those of Rabbi Dr David Goldberg. I agree with the former but I will fight for the right of the latter to express freely what he thinks.

So, please, let my grandchildren make their own decisions, too, on how Jewish they want to be, without being excluded from our movement. Halachically, the children of my daughters are Jewish, the children of my sons, are, perhaps, not. We are in danger of turning both lots away.

Peter is a member of Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue

Peter Phillips: ‘My grandchildren should be allowed to decide how Jewish they want to be’

LJStudents join EuroJews in DublinEuroJews, a group of young adults, and LJStudents are to visit Dublin from 9 to 12 March for a post-Purim celebration. The event will be hosted by the Dublin Jewish Progressive Synagogue and the Trinity College Jewish Society. Contact Jake Welford, Liberal Judaism’s young student fieldworker co-ordinator: 07877 287514.

Dublin says thanks The Dublin Jewish Progressive Synagogue has unveiled a plaque in honour of past presidents Joan and John Finkel. As well as marking the couple’s golden wedding, it records their dedication to the congregation and tireless work serving on council. The only other similar plaque in the building is in honour of Joan’s parents, founder members of the congregation; that plaque, too, marks the couple’s golden wedding anniversary.

New LBC chairmanMiriam Kramer is the new chairman of the governors of Leo Baeck College. Mrs Kramer chaired the committee that organised events to mark the 50th anniversary, in 2006, of the founding of the college. She is a freelance journalist.

LJ Today Page 9March/April 2007

away, 10-pin bowling, cricket matches, barbeques and much more.

A Leamington-based group, which was established more than 40 years ago, holds monthly meetings in members’ houses. There is also a group in mid-Wales.

Tell us about the community’s involvement in outreach workMany individuals play an important part in reaching out to different sectors of the local and national communities. The synagogue’s president, David Blain, has given talks to visiting schools as well as promoting the formation of an Anglo-Indian association. The annual High Holy Day appeal always includes non-Jewish as well as Jewish charities.

Paul Oppenheimer, a survivor of Belsen, has spoken to many groups across the country on the Holocaust.

The rabbi has strengthened links with the orthodox Jewish community, as well as with non-Jewish groups, and broadcasts on Radio West Midlands.

Elsbeth Mendes da Costa has been prominent in the Make Poverty History and Fair Trade campaigns.

The synagogue works closely with Birmingham University to welcome new students and inform them of what the community has to offer.

What burial facilities are there?Birmingham Hebrew Congregation, known as Singers Hill, and BPS have shared use of one of the major Jewish cemeteries in the city.

How do I find out more?Telephone 0121 446 5273 or email bps@liberaljudaism.org.

Spotlight on BirminghamWhen was the synagogue founded?In 1934, when a small group of enthusiasts met to discuss establishing a ‘Liberal Jewish congregation in Birmingham’. The first service was held in December of that year, and was conducted by Dr Israel Mattuck, Lily Montagu and George Joseph.

Discussions had taken place as early as 1910 about the establishment of a Reform congregation in the city but, more than 20 years later, it was a Liberal rather than a Reform synagogue that came into existence.

The Rev Dr A Cohen, minister of the Birmingham Hebrew Congregation, known as Singers Hill, devoted his Yom Kippur sermon of 1935 to the evils of Liberal Judaism. His intolerance drove some of his members to join the new synagogue.

Where does the community meet?For nearly 70 years it has met in a synagogue building in Sheepcote Street, erected in 1938 on land purchased the previous year. Last year, the building was demolished to make way for a new development.

At the moment, the community is in temporary accommodation at the Friends’ Meeting House, where all its activities are flourishing while a new synagogue is built. Congregants are enjoying the cosy atmosphere of the Friends’ Meeting House, and tea, cake and a chat have become the norm after the Shabbat service.

How big is the congregation?Currently it has some 320 members. About a third are classed as ‘country members’, who live some distance from the synagogue, though many of these are among our most active members.

The synagogue has recently benefited from an influx of new, younger members, many of whom have already begun to play a leading part in the life of the synagogue.

Who is the rabbi?Dr Margaret Jacobi, the synagogue’s first female rabbi, who was appointed in 1994. She joins a distinguished line of rabbis who succeeded the synagogue’s first minister, Rabbi David Seligson, appointed in 1935. Rabbi Jacobi is joint chair of the Rabbinic Conference of Liberal Judaism.

When are services held?Every Friday evening and Shabbat

morning, and every festival. There are bar/bat mitzvah and Kabbalat Torah services as well as locally based services in members’ homes.

An annual service is held to commemorate the introduction into the synagogue of its Czech scroll. The community also holds well-attended Tu B’Shvat and Pesach sedarim and builds its own succah.

What are services like?The synagogue uses more Hebrew and more traditional prayers in its services than in the past, and processes the Sefer Torah around the congregation. Most men, and some women, wear a tallit.

The services are complemented by the synagogue choir, which receives much acclaim, especially from visitors to the community.

Once a month the children from the Tefilat Taf group join in the Shabbat morning service; once a term the children from the cheder lead the service.

Is there a cheder and adult education?Yes, the flourishing cheder has about 45 pupils between the ages of four and 16, and six assistant teachers, aged 16 to 18. Sunday mornings come to life with exciting projects like Mitzvah Day.

For adults, study groups meet in a member’s home and the rabbi holds classes in Hebrew and midrash as well as an Introduction to Judaism course. There is also a well-stocked library.

What is on offer socially?The synagogue has held French, Scottish and Russian evenings, Supper Quizzes and Family Shabbat Meals. The Community Group organises weekends

Some of the cheder children at a picnic; inset, the community’s rabbi, Margaret Jacobi, a former GP. Rabbi Jacobi’s father, Harry, is also a Liberal rabbi

Page 10 LJ Today March/April 2007

Who is the Israeli and who is the Palestinian?’ was the opening question posed to the mixed audience who gathered to hear the personal stories of Ali Abu Awwad and Robi Damelin. It wasn’t obvious. Both had olive skin, black hair and dark intense eyes.

Both have paid the highest price for the right to be heard: the loss of a loved one; a son and a brother. Their messages were simple: look at us and face your prejudices; listen to our stories and discover the person behind the symbol; our lives are intertwined.

Robi, a Jewish Israeli, lost her 28-year-old son when he was shot by a sniper. She read aloud the letter she wrote to the family of her son’s killer. They have promised that they will answer her. ‘I understand that he didn’t kill David, he killed the soldier. If he’d known David they would have sat down and talked together because David was a peace supporter… No revenge or hatred can ever bring my son back. A non-violent solution is the only way for our people to live in peace.’ She lived in South Africa, working for co-existence. She immigrated to Israel, thinking apartheid would never end. But it did, and the truth and reconciliation work which followed has greatly influenced her. ‘The only way is for people to sit down and talk.’

Ali is from a Palestinian refugee family who fled their village in 1948. His mother, a member of Fatah, was arrested many times whilst he was growing up. Ali became active during the first intifada and spent four years in prison. He, along with so many others, thought Oslo would be the answer. As the hopes faded, the second intifada started. It was even more bloody than the first: more than 5,000 people died. Ali’s brother, Yusuf, was killed by an Israeli soldier. Yusuf was more than a brother – he was his closest friend. Ali was full of pain and anger. The only contact Ali had was with settlers and soldiers. He thought all Jews were like this. Five years ago he went to a meeting of the Bereaved Parents Circle. He met a Jewish woman who had lost her son. He saw her cry and understood for the first time.

Ali said: ‘We are not equal in life, only in death… there are no winners, only losers. Peace is not something to wait for, but to work for. That’s why peace education is so important. Peace for Palestinians means to start living. It is much easier to kill

someone you don’t know, from “the other side”. You need to see the other side as human, to consider each other’s pain and each other’s rights. It’s easy to be right but difficult to be honest; to see the history, the pain, the humanity in the settler, in the soldier.’

Ali is the same height and build as Roni’s son, David. She couldn’t throw away his jacket, so she gave it to Ali. As she started to share this story, her voice broke. She carried on speaking through her tears and Ali reached out, took his hand in hers, and also cried. The bond that exists between them is indescribable.

The Bereaved Families Forum arranges for individuals to tour in pairs and tell their stories. In Israel and Palestine, they visit 17-year-olds in high schools. Eighty per cent of the 17-year-old students want to talk to the other side, so they have classroom dialogues.

Recently the Bereaved Families Forum received funding to make a 10-episode fiction drama series, to be broadcasted on TV in Hebrew and Arabic. It will be the personal narratives of two families. At the end of the series viewers will learn that the stories are true.

Sadly the forum, which includes ‘the Parents’ Circle’, is growing. At present the circle consists of 500 families, with slightly more Palestinians than Israelis. But the circle of awareness is also widening.

Ali says: ‘Politicians are using us…We have to trust each other. We have to stop the cycle. We have to wake up, not because of who’s right and who’s wrong but because it’s not our destiny to die.’

To find out more visit: www.theparentscircle.com; www.familiesforum.co.uk; www.justvision.org

A version of this article first appeared in Haz’manim, the magazine of Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation, which contributed to the cost of funding the tour by Ali and Robi

‘Which is the Israeli and which is the Palestinian?’

Pro Zion gains Liberal strengthI am delighted to have taken over as one of the new co-chairs of Pro Zion, the first Liberal chair since Lionel King Lassman in the 1980s. Sharing the chairmanship with me is Charlie Gluckman, also in his twenties, who works for Reform Judaism.

Pro Zion was founded nearly 25 years ago to give an official voice to Progressive Jews in the world Zionist movement. It was largely the brainchild of Rabbi Dow Marmur. From humble beginnings, where it struggled to gain acceptance as a constituent of the Zionist Federation, it has since provided many longstanding chairmen and officers of ZF as well as obtaining record results in the first poll for delegates to the World Zionist Congress.

Affiliated to both the Liberal and Reform Judaism movements, Pro Zion has more than 1,000 members. Its basic aims are: to support Progressive Judaism and communities in Israel and help them in their fight for plurality and democracy; and to support and promote Israel and Israel-related activities in UK Liberal and Reform synagogues.

Through affiliation with ZF, in Britain, and with Arzenu, the World Progressive Zionist Organisation, Pro Zion gains a voice in Israel, putting its views forward in campaigns such as civil marriage, equal funding for progressive communities and conversion issues.

In Britain, Pro Zion hosts speakers from its own, the American or Israeli Progressive communities.

Pro Zion is excited that Rabbi Danny Rich has agreed to take up a post on the executive. Rabbi Rich and I were among Pro Zion’s four delegates to the World Zionist Congress last May. Liberal Judaism supported our election campaign, helping us to gain more places than we had ever achieved in previous campaigns.

If you are running or are trying to run Israel-related activities in your congregations, Pro Zion would love to hear what you are doing and if possible offer support. We would also be delighted to hear from any Liberal Judaism congregants who would like to join Pro Zion or simply request information. All our activities are run by volunteers and we welcome new people and fresh ideas. Our website is www.prozion.org.uk and you can e-mail us at: info@prozion.org.uk or telephone 020 8346 0403.

Daniel Needlestone

The author is a member of The Liberal Synagogue Elstree

Michele Benn reports on the Bereaved Families Forum

March/April 2007

LJY-NetzerThe youth movement of Liberal Judaism

Contact Jenny Walton or Jordan Helfman at The Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street, London W1T 4BE. Check out our website: www.ljynetzer.org

T: 020 7631 0584F: 020 7631 9838E: j.walton@liberaljudaism.org or j.helfman@liberaljudaism.org

LJ Today Page 11

Jenny Walton, Jordan Helfman and Noa Marom embarked on the first ever Bog Tour UK in January, visiting bogrim (graduates) of LJY-Netzer on their campuses.

They each picked one region – south, north and Midlands – and between them visited more than 12 universities over four days. The bogrim gave the visitors tours of their campus and an impression of their new life. This was a wonderful chance for LJY-Netzer to show its appreciation of the bogrim and their continued involvement in the movement.

One of the bogrim, James Dobias, a student at Oxford University, writes: ‘A 12th-century pub was the setting as Jordan came to meet two Oxford students and scare the locals by discussing the movement, Zionism and everything in between.

‘Whereas, with the pressures at

uni, it can be difficult to keep practising Judaism (neither of us has yet joined J-Soc), Bog Tour brought the two worlds together. We spoke about how LJY-Netzer was influencing our time in Oxford, whether directly through tikkun olam or through using the skills we have gained leading on camp. But perhaps the most rewarding thing was for us to feel that even though bogrim, we could still be participants in events; not so much graduating from LJY-Netzer as ensuring that our experience of it evolves.’ Pictured: Noa visiting Dan Sofaer (centre) and Ben Baginsky in Leeds

What’s new

Two worlds collide – in the best possible way!

WE’RE GOING KOSHER...LJY-Netzer voted through a new policy on kashrut at its annual Veidah (decision-making conference) in January. The eight-point policy, which was heavily amended during a vigorous debate, says LJY-Netzer is ‘ideologically committed to kashrut’, that it ‘does not supply non-kosher meat or non-kosher fish for its events’ and that ‘milk and meat will not be served together at the same meal’.

The policy represents a departure for the youth movement, where, although most catering is vegetarian, when meat has been served it has not always been kosher. A kashrut committee spent a year doing research before coming up with the proposal to Veidah. The idea behind the policy is to ensure LJY-Netzer is as inclusive as it can be, enabling the fair number of traditional Jews who attend its events to feel comfortable.

At Veidah – at which Netzerniks aged 15-23 are entitled to vote – resolutions were passed to use more Hebrew but to ensure that the vocabulary is understood by everyone.

Two proposals originating from Mini-Veidah (for ages 8-14) were also passed: one stressing the importance of team-building, and one resolving to create a portable Tree of Life, with leaves dedicated to LJY-Netzer members and others. It was agreed that the first leaf would be one commemorating Lily Montagu, one of the founders of Liberal Judaism.

SAFETY FIRST ON THE INTERNETBecause of the threats to young people on the internet, LJY-Netzer’s democratic forum for graduates of the movement, Mazkirut, has passed a Responsible Internet Usage Policy.

Intended as a safeguard for both the younger participants in the movement and the older members who lead them, this policy forbids members 18 and over from seeing the intimate profiles of those below school year 13, and vice-versa. Education as to the dangers of posting personal information on public forums has been made a priority. As these issues become increasingly important, LJY-Netzer strives to be a dugma (example) to the community on dealing with them. Queries and requests for details of the policy to: j.helfman@liberaljudaism.org.

Netzer growing At Netzer Olami Veidah –the conference of the worldwide Netzer movement – I learnt about the exciting work being done to establish three new Netzer sniffim (branches) in Latvia, Brazil and Chile.

I felt privileged to be representing LJY-Netzer at the Veidah, held in Jerusalem in January, and to learn about Progressive communities around the world. LJY-Netzer is at present one of some 14 sniffim in 14 countries. Jenny Walton

LJY hits NottinghamLJY-Netzer brought some London Netzerniks into the wonderful world of Nottingham in January. It was lovely that many of the chanachim (participants) were not put off by the travelling.

NPJC were wowed by the Saturday morning service, so much so that their

children decided to stay and join in the fun. The chanachim played multiple games of Mafia and were told tales of wonderful times had in Israel. They also had a very energetic lesson in Israeli dancing.

It was a hugely enjoyable weekend and NPJC can’t wait for LJY-Netzer to hit our part of the world again. Anna Posner

Forms, please!Remember to send in your forms for Machaneh Aviv (Spring Camp) by 17 March. Machaneh Aviv is the ideal way to spend your school holidays with friends, outdoors in the countryside doing lots of arts, crafts, sports, drama and LJY-Netzer funducational sessions.

We need your Machaneh Kadimah form in by 15 May to reserve your place. Kadimah is Liberal Judaism’s two-week summer camp for 8- 15-year-olds and is the only way to spend your summer. Places are limited so book now!

Page 12 LJ Today March/April 2007

Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue (Rodef Shalom), 01234 218387, bedsps@liberaljudaism.org, www.bedfordshire-ps.org.ukBeit Klal Yisrael, PO Box 1828, London W10 5RT020 8960 5750, bky@liberaljudaism.org www.beit-klal-yisrael.org.ukBet Tikvah Synagogue, 129 Perrymans Farm Road, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex IG2 7LX, 020 8554 9682, bttkv@liberaljudaism.org, www.bettikvah.org.ukBirmingham Progressive SynagogueJericho House, 196-198 Edward Road, B12 9LX, 0121 446 5273, bps@liberaljudaism.org; branch: Leamington Spa, 01926 421300Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue 6 Lansdowne Road, Hove BN3 1FF01273 737223, bhps@liberaljudaism.orgwww.brightonandhoveprosynagogue.org.ukBristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation 43-45 Bannerman Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 0RR bwpjc@liberaljudaism.org, www.bwpjc.orgCrawley Jewish Community, 01293 534294Dublin Jewish Progressive Synagogue, PO Box 3059, Dublin 6, 00 3531 2856241, djpc@liberaljudaism.orgEaling Liberal Synagogue, Lynton Avenue, Drayton Green, W13 0EB, 020 8997 0528, els@liberaljudaism.org, www.ealingliberalsynagogue.org.ukEastbourne Progressive Jewish Congregation01323 725650, fax: 01323 417645epjc@liberaljudaism.org, www.epjcong.org.ukEdinburgh Liberal Jewish Community0131 777 8024, eljc@liberaljudaism.org, www.eljc.orgFinchley Progressive Synagogue Hutton Grove, N12 8DR, 020 8446 4063, fps@liberaljudaism.org, www.fps.orgHarrow and Wembley Progressive Synagogue 326 Preston Road, Harrow, Middx HA3 0QH, 020 8904 8581, hwps@liberaljudaism.orgwww.hwps.orgHerefordshire Jewish CommunityEnquiries: 07789 218823 Kent Liberal Jewish Community07952 242432, bulletin.kljc@liberaljudaism.org,www.jewishkent.org.uk/communities/KLJC/kljc.htmlKingston Liberal SynagogueRushett Road, Long Ditton, Surbiton, Surrey KT7 0UX, 020 8398 7400, kls@liberaljudaism.org Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation, The Synagogue, 24 Avenue Road, LE2 3EA, 07875 123744lpjc@liberaljudaism.orgThe Liberal Jewish Synagogue, 28 St John’s Wood Road, London NW8 7HA, 020 7286 5181, ljs@liberaljudaism.org, www.ljs.org

Liberal Judaism congregations

DIARY DATES ...........Liberal JudaismThe Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street, LondonW1T 4BE, 020 7580 1663 Fax: 020 7631 9838montagu@liberaljudaism.org, www.liberaljudaism.orgYouth Department 020 7631 0584 Fax: 020 7631 9838www.ljynetzer.org

President The Baroness Neuberger DBEChairman Nigel Cole Vice Chairman Joan ShopperJoint Treasurers Tony Kerron and David Pelham Hon. Officers Penny Beral (communications); Roz Bott (administration and logistics); William Glassman; Amanda Grant (youth); Paul Infield; Elsbeth Mendes da Costa (social action); Michael Romain (regions)Senior Vice-President Rabbi Dr Sidney BrichtoVice-Presidents Jeromé Freedman, Louise Freedman, Rabbi Dr David Goldberg, Jeremy Jessel, David Lipman, Rosita Rosenberg, Tony Sacker, Beverley TaylorHon. Vice-Presidents David Amstell, Geoffrey Davis, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, Willie Kessler, Corinne Oppenheimer, David Pick, Harold Sanderson, Clive WinstonJoint Chairs of the Rabbinic Conference Rabbi Rachel Benjamin and Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi Chief Executive Rabbi Danny Rich Chaplain Rabbi Melinda Michelson-CarrOutreach Director Rabbi Aaron GoldsteinCommunications and PR Executive Alexandra MankowitzShlicha Noa Marom Mazkira, LJY-Netzer Jenny WaltonOved Chinuch, LJY-Netzer Jordan HelfmanLiberal Judaism promotes the religious and cultural traditions of our faith within the framework of progressive thinking and ethics. Donations to support our work are always welcome. Liberal Judaism is a registered charity, number 256390

LJ Today is edited by Beatrice Sayers The deadline for the May/June issue is 5 April. Articles or letters for publication are welcome. Please send to: ljtodayeditor@liberaljudaism.org

Printed by Freedman Bros.

‘Zero air miles’ mealThe environmentally-aware North London Progressive Jewish Community community held a ‘zero air miles’ Tu B’Shvat chavurah lunch at which, instead of the well-travelled traditional fruits, members brought locally grown foods, or fruit of European origin – shipped rather than flown it, it was hoped.

Rabbi Shulamit Ambalu, of NLPJC, said the community had consciously sacrificed the use of dates and figs to raise awareness of the distance our food travels. ‘This was for me a painful but necessary choice,’ she added.

Ceremony at LBCTwenty-two graduands were honoured at a ceremony at Leo Baeck College in January. Certificates were awarded for masters’ degrees in Jewish Education as well as BA degrees in Hebrew and Jewish studies and an advanced diploma in Jewish education.

Also honoured was student rabbi Joshua Levy, the first recipient of the John Rayner Award.

Big Green launchRabbi Janet Burden, of Ealing and West Central Liberal synagogues, represented Liberal Judaism at the launch of The Big Green Jewish Website. David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, addressed a gathering, which included rabbis, environmental activists, representatives from the Board of Deputies and pupils from JFS and King Solomon.

The website is designed to promote environmentalism through an engagement with biblical, rabbinic and contemporary Jewish sources. Check it out at: www.biggreenjewish.org.

Baby girl for Gili Mazel tov to Gili Tzidkiyahu, Liberal Judaism’s former shlicha, on the safe arrival of baby Naomi, who was born in Haifa.

Something to say?LJ Today welcomes letters for publication on any subject. Email ljtodayeditor@liberaljudaism.org or write to: The Editor, LJ Today, The Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street, London, W1 4BE, giving a telephone number. Letters may be edited.

2 to 4 March (Friday to Sunday)tent Purim ‘getaway’ Weekend for young adults. Avivit: 020 7631 9833/a.katzil@liberaljudaism.org

9 to 12 March (Friday to Monday)LJStudents and EuroJews’ Post-Purim Celebration in Dublin. Details from Jake Welford: j.welford@liberaljudaism.org or 07877 287514

11 March (Sunday))‘Dangerous Living’ Screening by BKY at the Prince Charles Cinema, central London, 1pm. www.princecharlescinema.com

17 March (Saturday)Dance Marathon at the LJS For all ages; 7-11pm. Tickets £10/£5 under 21s. Susan: 07779 292682

10-15 April (Tuesday to Sunday)Machaneh Aviv (Spring Camp) For school years 3-10. Contact LJY-Netzer: 020 7631 0584

25 April (Wednesday)Brit Milah Conference at the Montagu Centre, 6.45pm: j.thwaites@liberaljudaism.org

10 to 20 May (Thursday to Sunday)Tour of Romania Details from 01923 822592

13 May (Sunday)Inter-synagogue quiz, at Harrow & Wembley

2 June (Saturday)60th Anniversary Civic Service Harrow & Wembley

4 to 6 April 2008Liberal Judaism Biennial Weekend in Bristol

The Liberal Synagogue Elstree, Elstree High Street, Elstree, Herts WD6 3BY, 020 8953 8889tlse@liberaljudaism.org, www.tlse.org.ukLincolnshire Jewish Community01427 628958, ljc@liberaljudaism.orgManchester Liberal Jewish Community, 08709 917327, mljc@liberaljudaism.org, www.mljc.org.uk North London Progressive Jewish Community020 7403 3779, nlpjc@liberaljudaism.orgwww.nlpjc.org.ukNorthwood and Pinner Liberal SynagogueOaklands Gate, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 3AA01923 822592, npls@liberaljudaism.orgwww.npls.org.ukNottingham Progressive Jewish Congregation Lloyd Street, Sherwood, Nottingham NG5 4BP0115 9624761, npjc@liberaljudaism.orgwww.npjc.org.ukOr Chadash Liberal Jewish Community of Luxembourg, 00 352 31 65 94 lljc@liberaljudaism.orgPeterborough Liberal Jewish CommunityEnquiries: 020 7631 9826The Progressive Jewish Community of East Anglia (based in Norwich), 01508 538666pjcea@liberaljudaism.org, www.pjcea.org.ukReading Liberal Jewish Community www.rljc.org0118-375 3422, rljc@liberaljudaism.orgSouth Bucks Jewish Community 0845 644 2370 sbjc@liberaljudaism.org, www.sbjc.org.ukSouth London Liberal SynagoguePO Box 14475, London SW16 1ZW, 020 8769 4787slls@liberaljudaism.org, www.southlondon.orgSouthgate Progressive Synagogue75 Chase Road, London N14 4QY, 020 8886 0977sps@liberaljudaism.org, www.sps.uk.comWest Central Liberal Synagogue21 Maple Street, London W1T 4BE, 020 7636 7627wcls@liberaljudaism.org, www.wcls.org.ukWoodford Progressive SynagogueMarlborough Road, George Lane, London E18 1AR 020 8989 7619, wps@liberaljudaism.orgwww.woodfordprogressive.org.uk

Associated congregationsOxford, for details of Liberal Jewish Services:01865 515584 or 01865 765197www.oxford-synagogue.org.uk

New communitiesThe Suffolk Jewish Community020 7631 9821, sjc@liberaljudaism.org