February 2013

Shofarthe magazine of finchley progressive synagogue

פר שו

Friendship

This month Shofar is edited by Sarah Aldridge

Cover: Friends from FPS

Left: Dylan Lehner’s Bar Mitzvah (see page 15)

Copy deadline is the 10th of each month. Please email all content to shofar@fps.org

2

I’m writing this piece a few days after my son’s Bar

Mitzvah, surrounded by the usual debris that you find

after a big family party, and musing over the events of

the last week. Last Shabbat, watching Dylan reading

his portion, I suddenly found myself thinking of his

older brother’s Bar Mitzvah, and then of all the many

others who stood there before him over the last 60

years, and of all those still to come…

And I’m thinking of friendship, and how central it is to our society. After

all, our own FPS story starts with a small group of friends hatching a plan

for a new shul. For my own part, I’m overwhelmed with a deep sense of

gratitude for the friends in my family’s life, who made our recent simcha so

special. Friends who helped out, and came along to celebrate and eat and

dance. Friends who helped with the Kiddush. Friends, like Ofra, who is simply

the most outstanding Hebrew teacher I have ever met. Like Dean, whose

music was and is inspirational! And lastly, the wonderful Sarah Aldridge, who

offered to edit this edition of Shofar, so I could have a month off, clear the

house and put away a thousand balloons, bottles and spare beds.

From the Editorpat lehner

3

rabbi rebecca qassim birk

No one likes to work alone. No one likes the

ungratifying struggle of creating and building

things alone. Synagogues are not meant to

be places of lonely individual work. In the film

Field of Dreams we learnt: “If you build it, they

will come”. But only if they know about it!

Working in partnership is why I chose

congregational life and work. Nothing beats a

sense of shared investment and projects. Last

month we wrote about the synagogue, its

role in contemporary life and why people still

choose it to be part of their lives. A community

is a group of people gathered to share

something. And there is nothing more gratifying

than building projects and enterprises, classes

and clubs together, and the connections we

make.

Connections begin with our kids at Ivriah

through Rikkud, Youth Group, playing music

together at Shabbat Resouled to Book Group

and Rosh Chodesh. Café Thursday is successful

because of the folk who help Nicky Marzell

make a delicious lunch, and offer lifts to each

other. Adult Learning is thriving because I

now have a partner in Adrian Lister and we

are finding new supporters who are involved

in Lunch and Learn, Café Ivriah’s animated

discussions or the Beit Midrash Thursday

classes.

This year, our 60th, is the ideal time to join

me, if you don’t already, in sharing projects and

ideas. I hope this year we can push ourselves

to develop more in the synagogue. A dynamic

Nursery group is exploring plans to create a

financially independent Jewish nursery, let me

know if you want to make small steps in this

area.

I am looking for partners to join me and

David Aarons in establishing a well-peopled

welfare group. We’d like a group to arrange

afternoon teas in people’s homes. We are

hoping to expand our Shelter cooking group to

offer meals to those unwell, have had a baby

or suffered a bereavement. I’m looking for

partners in offering creative Family Education

programmes, and we will be launching our

Grandparents Project at the FPS weekend away

in March.

May we continue to be bound by good

connections and friendship. I noted that

Finchley Synagogue spoke of their soon to be

lost Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis as having “built a

situation where the community is full of lay

people empowered to do more”. May that be

said of us during this auspicious year.

From the Rabbi

connections

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2ND

HAVDALAH IN YOUR PYJAMAS!!!

[at 4.15PM] FOR ALL AGES 0—12

COME IN YOUR BEST PYJAMAS!

COME AND TAKE PART IN A SPECIAL FAMILY HAVDALAH WITH RABBI REBECCA AND YOUTH CLUB! A PYJAMAS THEMED YOUTH CLUB FOR YEARS 2—6 WITH PILLOW FIGHTS AND MIDNIGHT SNACKS TO FOLLOW STRAIGHT AFTERWARDS!

Saturday February 2 Come & take part in a special Family Havdalah with Rabbi Rebecca & Youth Club!

A pyjamas themed youth club for Years 2—6, with pillow fights & midnight snacks to follow straight afterwards!(at 4.15pm)For all ages 0—12 Come in your best pyjamas!

A member recently

suggested that

Council is not open

or accountable to

the membership.

While it is tempting

to be defensive,

on reflection it is better to recognise the

perception and address it.

Any member is welcome to observe Council

meetings, unless there is a confidential matter,

as well as request copies of the Minutes.

The AGM provides an annual opportunity for

Council to report to the membership, to answer

questions and to present proposals for any

constitutional changes. We previously wrote

Council Notes in Shofar and this has lapsed, so

is being remedied here.

The major activity of the moment is

changing the organisational structure so that

we have fewer large committees and more,

smaller working groups. In many ways, the

organisation had been based on a model set

up when the synagogue was begun in 1953.

Our founder members were all families where,

in the main, father went out to a 9-5 job and

mother stayed at home. There was plenty of

time for the pioneers to meet once the children

were in bed.

In 2013, our demographic is very different

with households (the unit of membership)

including mixed faith, single parents, and

many whose work extends into traditional

synagogue time. There are industries dedicated

to extra-curricular activity for children and

entertainment for adults. We live in a service

culture where everyone is viewed as a customer.

FPS can either increase subscriptions to pay for

more staff to improve ‘customer service’ or we

must restructure to facilitate manageable tasks

for volunteers. The Council opted for the latter,

and to create focused working groups.

The community is small enough for all

members to feel connected and large enough

for different friendship groups to develop.

Working on a task or project is an ideal way

for members to build relationships and have a

stake in the community. Being small, however,

much depends on the Rabbi and she needs

partners to maintain the provision across a

range of activity.

Currently, our three main committees are in

the process of delegating their responsibilities

to small groups of people who focus on one

aspect of synagogue life. The groups and

co-ordinators are listed on the back cover

of Shofar. There are also ad-hoc groups who

may gather for a one-off project. There will be

more opportunities for participation in leading

projects and, hopefully, a route through to

synagogue leadership and the Executive (Chair,

Vice Chair, Treasurer and Hon Sec) of the future.

We are working on job descriptions for these

roles as well so that the responsibilities and

expectations are clear and manageable.

The community is small enough for all members to feel connected

and large enough for different friendship groups to develop.

4

laura lassman

From the Chair

The Times circa 1953

5

Our daughter Alison was confirmed at Finchley

Progressive, as it had become in 1970, and our

son three years later.

My grasp of Progressive Judaism was

sketchy but I rather reluctantly took on the

editorship of Shofar from Sheila King Lassman

in 1996, soon after the assassination of Yitzhak

Rabin, and I continued in that position for

almost 12 years.

Shul membership was changeable, at

its lowest it dropped to 400. A quarter of

departures had moved away and nearly a third

had died.

Judging by the many activities,

opportunities for young members and new

members, nowadays Finchley Progressive

looks good. A few old survivors still turn up

for the Thursday lunches appetisingly (and

copiously) prepared by Nicola Marzell and

Corinne Oppenheimer in the presence of Lionel

Lassman.

Long may it remain so!

Kay Pilpel and I (My Kind of Judaism, December

Shofar) were members of Finchley Liberal, as

it then was, long before the tennis courts on

which it was later built changed hands. We had

married in March 1951, when spring weddings

ensured a welcome Government tax rebate.

In the summer of 1951 I joined The Times

as a junior sub-editor at £14 a week, having

previously worked on the Irish Times in Dublin

and taken a degree in English and French. We

had moved from Kay’s bachelor flat in Highgate

to Finchley and she saw to our joining the

synagogue.

My elder brother and I had learnt Hebrew

at my mother’s insistence when the family lived

opposite what became Eagle Lodge in Golders

Green Road, coached by a peripatetic Mr Cohen

once a week, but we gave it up after my father

sent us to a ‘progressive’ boarding school in

Devon. Kay never mastered it, and I am still far

from proficient.

Derrick Zimmerman, Life president of FPS,

called at our house and enrolled us, assisted by

Dick Levy and Jack Mundy, all from the Chandos

Tennis Club. Derrick’s name deservedly appears

four times on the synagogue’s memorial board.

As Kay wrote, Friday evening services

were held in each other’s homes, upstairs at

the North Finchley Library, or occasionally in

the hall at Christ Church. Rabbi Frank Hellner

presided and put in 33 years’ sterling service.

leon pilpel

FPS 60 Years On

Judging by the many activities, opportunities for young members

and new members, nowadays Finchley Progressive looks good.

 

6

sixtieth updaterosh chodesh group

The year of special events celebrating the 60th anniversary kicked off with the January

meeting of the Rosh Chodesh Group. We were considering our changing relationships

with and within the synagogue over the past decades. Younger and older women –

both in years and length of FPS involvement – discussed the growing role of women

in our community, sometimes wondering whether our male membership might feel

underrepresented and even dominated by the almost exclusively female leadership.

One of the members joined about forty years ago, went away for a number of years

and then, relatively recently, returned to FPS: what better vantage point to discuss

the changes that took place in the meantime. We also talked about changing

‘minhagim’ (customs) at FPS and the right balance between contributing to and

receiving from the community.

purim spiel saturday 23 february

Join us for a time travel extravaganza that

will have Einstein rewriting his Theory of

Relativity. An all-star cast spanning the

generations of our community will delight

and intrigue you. Fasten your seat belts and

be ready to enter the time warp.

5.15pm: Gregger Making and Purim activities

including Fancy Dress Parade

6.00pm Megillah in different tongues

followed by Spiel and Purim Feast

Please bring food for the feast according to

your surname:

A-J Savoury foods (vegetarian quiches,

salads, dips, crisps, crackers, pita

bread, cut vegetables)

J- Q Desserts (pies, cakes, chocolates,

sweets, biscuits, fruit)

Q-Z Drinks (lemonade or other fizzy, water, juices, squash)

60th Anniversary  

wika dorosz

7

planning aheadMany events will be taking place throughout the year and teams of volunteers have

been formed to work on specific projects. However, we still need help and what better

way to celebrate the anniversary than to participate in the planning.

archive and oral history project

We are gathering and sorting memorabilia over the decades and need your photos,

videos, press cuttings, stories and artefacts. Please help with the exhibition and let us

know if you can contribute to the Oral History Project, so contact Laura at

chair@fps.org. We need people to

• Film & script

• Interview

• Be interviewed

founders tea in may

Our May tea party will celebrate the founding members who built the congregation.

All current members are invited but we are

keen to welcome back relatives of the early

members. Lionel Lassman

lionel.lassman@gmail.com 020 8445 3284

is interested in photographs, articles or other

memorabilia connected with the early days of

the synagogue and the founding members, as

well as suggestions for guests.

generations day in october

Andrea Collett is co-ordinating a day of celebration with something for everyone. If

you have ideas, can help make the party something remarkable, have a bouncy castle,

chocolate fountain or champagne fountain you can offer, or a willing pair of hands,

please contact the office.

fund raising for fps@60

Would it be too great a target to aim for £60,000 to mark our sixtieth anniversary?

Council is identifying a wish list and over the next few weeks we will be publishing the

full shopping list.

60th Anniversary  

wika dorosz

b’nei mitzvah families friday night dinner

Friday 8 FebruaryFriday Night Dinner for B’nei Mitzvah Families with our guest Rabbi Roderick Young, speaking on Discovering You’re a Jew at 24. Please bring non-meat dishes and desserts to share for pot luck dinner and Kiddush.

8

Beit Tefillahservices at fps

Friday 1 February Shabbat Resouled Unplugged

Saturday 2 February Shabbat B’Yachad

Friday 8 February Kabbalat Shabbat with participation from

Kita Vav and Zain

Saturday 9 February Tziltzelai Shabbat

Friday 15 February Shabbat Resouled

Saturday 16 February Shabbat morning service including

Yonatan Wade Bar Mitzvah

Friday 22 February Kabbalat Shabbat

Saturday 23 February Shabbat service including Sam Levy

Bar Mitzvah

Purim service and spiel

two dinners, one speaker

shabbat services - february

young adults dinner

Friday 8 FebruaryYoung Adults Dinner following Kabbalat Shabbat service. Hosted by Daisy Goodman and Mike Daventry and Student Rabbi Rene Pfertzel. Please bring non-meat dish to share.Speaker: Rabbi Roderick Young - rabbi, writer and broadcaster on An Unusual Jewish Legacy.

9

Beit Knessetwhat’s happening at fps

breakfast shiur

Saturday 23 February @ 9.00am

with Rabbi Wittenberg

cafe thursday

Thursdays @12.30pm

yoga

Mondays @7.oopmTuesdays @7.30pm Contact Richard on 020 8349 9602

film club

Sunday 3 February @7.30pm, ‘The Browning

peoplecongratulations and mazal tov:

birth

Trish and Alan Banes on the birth of their

grandson, Brodie Joseph Nightingale Banes,

son of Robert and Katherineb’nei mitzvah

Yonatan Wade and family on his Bar Mitzvah

Sam Levy and family on his Bar Mitzvah birthday

Joan and Henry Bennett

celebrate their 90th birthdaysconversion

Michael Daventry on completing his

conversion and on his admission ceremony

in Januarymarriage

Alan Freeman and Anna Eisen, stepdaughter

of David Eisen who married in January

Sam Lassman Watts, son of Laura and

grandson of Sheila and Lionel, and Roberta

Robino who will be married in February

wedding anniversaries

Valerie and Howard Joseph on their Ruby

Anniversary, hosting Kiddush on 2 February;

Joan and Howard Shopper on their Golden

Wedding, hosting Kiddush on 9 February;

Linda and Leon Gevertz on their recent Ruby

Anniversary

Many members are celebrating important life

milestones by hosting and accepting a mitzvah

at a Shabbat service. If you have a celebration

you would like to share with the community

please contact the office

a warm welcome to new members

Alison Pilpel

Ariel and Deepti Armon with Maya and Amit

Brian Spencer Hershon and Ruth Hershon

winners of 50/50 january draw were:

1st Jordan Helfman £20

2nd John Norman £10

3rd Paul Lichtenstern £5

Version’. For details please see page 11.

curtain up!

Wednesday 13 February @7.30pmFor details please see page 11.

rosh chodesh

Celebration of the new moon by women

gathering for learning and spiritual exploration

(over a glass of wine).

Rosh Chodesh Adar: Monday 11 February -Jewish women in literatureRosh Chodesh Nissan: Tuesday 12 March -Lillith and Eve

Thursday evenings from 7.30pm | The Sermons and Intellectual Legacy of Rabbi John Rayner z’l, with Liberal rabbis and others that knew him well, Hebrew & Delving into Judaism: A Course to

Refresh and Illuminate Judaism. | £5 donation/session For more information, contact Adrian Lister

adrianlister@blueyonder.co.uk

28 February half term

10

Beit Midrashlearning at fps

feb

ru

ar

y 7

7.30pm 8.30pm

feb

ru

ar

y 14

feb

ru

ar

y 21

HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

Delving: Lifecycle Birth & Coming

of Age

Delving: Marriage & the Chuppah in

Jewish Tradition: New Ways of Partnership

Delving: Purim & the Power of Remembering

the universal and particular

Rayner - Integrity is not Cheap: Remaining a Minority

with Rabbi Pete Tobias

Rayner: Swimming Against the Stream: Vision for Liberal Judaism.

Has it stood the Test of Time? with Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk

Rayner: Whose God is it Anyway? Rabbi John Rayner’s Love of the Universal

with Rabbi Lea Muhlstein

ma

rch

7

7.30pm 8.30pm

ma

rch

14

ma

rch

21

HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

HebrewBeginners & Intermediate

Delving: Liberal Jewish Theology and

Recollections

Delving: Death & Mourning in Jewish

Tradition and the rhythm of customs

Delving: Seizing the Seder and understanding

the power of Pesach

Rayner - Radical or Rooted: His Relationship with Jewish Tradition & History

with Rabbi James Baaden & Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk

Rayner: The Acerbic Correspondent

with Rabbi Andrew Goldstein

Rayner: The Wider World and Us: ‘Jews and Non-Jews’

with Rabbi Danny Rich

11

Arts at FPS

This is the monthly theatre group that meet

to discuss an agreed play. Recently Curtain

Up! enjoyed a visit from a stage production

manager, illustrating what goes on behind the

scenes to make a play work.

In January the group read a play, Arthur Miller’s

All My Sons, rather than visit the theatre. FPS’s

Curtain Up! would be delighted to have new

people to join this interesting and informal

group. Contact Elaine.borish@btinternet.co.uk

for more information.

The Book Club in February are reading The

Europeans, by Henry James and in March: The

Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.

This book was first published in 1953, 60 years

ago, and the Book Club’s contribution to the

60th anniversary. Meetings are held in people’s

homes, 7.30pm on the second Wednesday of

each month. Contact sheilakl@waitrose.com if

you’d like to join.

3 February | The Browning VersionTerence Rattigan’s film version of his superb

play, The Browning Version. Unlike the original

play which was just one act in length, Rattigan

re-wrote the script and added additional

material to turn it into a full-length film. All

those who saw the recent production in the

West End will want to see how well Rattigan

adapted the original

3 March | Roman Holiday

Kicking off Screen on the Grove’s 1953 season,

Roman Holiday stars the academy award-

winners Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. This

is a perfect example of the kind of romantic film

that only Hollywood could do so well.

Screenings start at 7.30pm, recommended

donation £5 includes refreshments. Films

already shown may be borrowed for £2.50.

Contact Wika vdorosz@gmail.com.

curtain up!

the screen on the grove

cafe ivriahShabbat morningsfrom 9.30am

An informal, lively discussion over coffee, for Ivriah parents and others

lunch & learnWednesdays12.30pm-2.00pm

Hot learning topics with tea and cake - bring a sandwich!

Also in Beit Midrash...

book club

FPS weekends away of the past, with more hair

12

FPS Away Weekend

from south to north

In just a few weeks’ time, on Friday 1 March,

a large, very mixed group from our FPS

community will be trundling up the M1 for the

‘Away Weekend’: a group of babies, children,

teens and adults from 18 to over eighty. Some

could be described as regular worshippers,

maybe even observant, some rarely step foot

inside the synagogue and consider themselves

atheist. We have to ask ourselves why are we

going? We’ll all find out the answer by Sunday

afternoon. The weekend theme is loosely

based around story-telling, from biblical to

personal but in conversations I’ve had about

the weekend, the theme isn’t foremost on their

minds. Everyone is looking forward to spending

the weekend together at a beautiful country

hotel, getting away from work and stress,

maybe taking a couple of hours out on Shabbat

afternoon to visit the local area or just chilling

out with each other, in or out of the bar. Take

a look at the photos of past weekends to see if

you can recognise the faces?

It would be great to see you at Hothorpe

Hall this year and there are still a few spaces for

the weekend. If finances are a problem, please

speak privately to Rabbi Rebecca or to Alex

Kinchin-Smith who is leading the team. We’re

really looking forward to seeing you there.

If you are interested in coming along please

contact the office, or Josie at

jkinchin@yahoo.co.uk or Alex on

kinchinsmith@yahoo.co.uk for an application

form.

josie kinchin

13

FPS Communal Seder 2013

I am now 9 years old and this year will be my

fourth communal Seder at FPS which I am

really looking forward to.

When I think of FPS Communal Seder all

sorts of things come to my mind. It’s great fun

and very exciting, and I see lots of my friends

and their families. We tell the story together in

the Haggadah of Moses and how the children

of Israel left Egypt quickly. Along the way

there are lots of questions and if you answer

one correctly you get a sweet or chocolate.

Everyone takes part in the reading of the

Haggadah.

There is a meal which is always lovely food

that we eat together and of course lots of

matzo.

I really like Communal Seder as my Dad and

I enjoy it together with everyone at FPS - it is

very enjoyable for the whole group as we all

celebrate Passover as a community, the way

it should be marked. I am looking forward to

Seder, and hope many more people come this

year and enjoy it as much as I do.

Sam Conroy (9) with help from David Conroy (44)

fps Communal Seder 2013

Tuesday 26 March Starting At 6.00pm (Second Night Passover)This is a very popular event and numbers are

restricted so book early to avoid disappointment

Members: Non-Members:

£15 £18

Adults Adults

£10 £10

Children under 12 Children under 12

For seder tickets please contact the office on

admin@fps.org

COME AND HAVE YOUR SAY ABOUT THE

SYNAGOGUE AND TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOUNG

PEOPLE AT FPS

MARCH 9TH 4PM

SCHOOL YEARS 4 AND UP

COME AND HAVE YOUR SAY ABOUT THE

SYNAGOGUE AND TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOUNG

PEOPLE AT FPS

MARCH 9TH 4PM

SCHOOL YEARS 4 AND UP

come and have your say about the synagogue and talk about what you want

for young people at fps

march 9, 4.00pmschool years 4 and up

YOUTH COUNCIL WANTS YOU!

sam & david conroy

14

in my gap year I decided I’d prefer to work in the

Jewish world. Later, while at Kutz Camp in New

York, I met lots of young inspirational rabbis

who could relate to me as a young person. I

realised that it was something I could do too.

Did you then go on to study something related?I was already signed up to study Geography

at Birmingham. I was open to the idea that

I might still make my career about volcanos

and weather, but no – it is still rabbinic studies

for me. I’m now in my first year at Leo Baeck

College.

Will Geography be useful in any way to you, as a rabbi?There is a great link with Judaism and the

environment, healing the environment in the

way of Tikkun Olam. I will hopefully do my

thesis on Judaism and the environment.

It sets you out a bit from other rabbis, and other geography students?Well yes, although there is Rabbi Colin Eimer

from Southgate & District Reform who also

studied geography.

So what is your USP then?I’d like to become the all singing, dancing,

weather-forecasting rabbi of the future.

Interview: Sarah Aldridge

q&a with hannah kingstonWhat do you do at FPS?I teach at Ivriah, the class of 10 & 11 year

olds. I’m also involved in the Kabbalat Torah

Programme. I help with the Rikkud dance group

and was previously in the Shabbat Resouled

band.

What is Rikkud? Are you a dancer?Rikkud is an Israeli dance group for children

over 6. I was involved with Rikkud at our

previous shul and helped set it up when we

moved to FPS. It is run for the youth by the

youth. Now at 22, I am there to advise and help

the little ones with their routines. Rikkud is

currently looking for new recruits.

Does Rikkud ever perform their dances?Recently Rikkud performed at West London

Synagogue for Chanukah, during One World

Week and at the East Barnet Festival.

I understand you are now training to be a rabbi, what led to this?I’ve always been involved with the progressive

Jewish community. While working at Accenture

The FPS Israeli Dance Group Rikkud

Contact Al on 07968 869 388 or alexandraclyons@gmail.com

Thursdays, 10am FPS, 54 Hutton Grove, N12 Admission, £5 (including tea/coffee)

Music and movement classes for

0-3 year olds

Al’s Little Singers

Come early for chat and play!

Off-street parking!

15

my bar mitzvah by dylan lehnerI had my Bar Mitzvah on the 5 January. This

was a very special experience for me, and many

of my relatives came from all over the world.

My portion dealt with one of the defining

moments of our Torah, the encounter of Moses

and the burning bush. Here God gives Moses

the mission to lead his people out of Egypt,

away from slavery to the Promised Land. But

Moses is reluctant to accept this mission

because he doesn’t feel he is the right person.

He says to God “Who am I that I should go to

Pharaoh, that I should bring the Israelites out

of Egypt?” This links to my Haftarah portion:

Jeremiah is also reluctant to do God’s bidding.

Moses and Jeremiah are two completely

different people, and they live in different

times. But they both do not feel ready or right

to do the job. These two famous prophets both

began as reluctant men who weren’t sure if

they were ready for these amazing missions.

They only really became ready by stepping up

and taking on these challenges.

In a way that made me feel a bit like what

this Bar Mitzvah has been like for me. There

was so much to learn and I wasn’t sure if I could

do it and now suddenly I’m here, although I’m

still not quite sure if I’m ready. When I talked

about this with my parents and with Ofra, my

Hebrew teacher, we thought it was quite nice

that these men felt the same way. They were

not ready. Who am I, they ask themselves, to do

this task and to think that I can do it?

My mum and Ofra said “That’s the point,

in the big moments of your life you don’t feel

ready”. Maybe you don’t feel ready when you

start a job, get married or have children. My

mum said to me “you don’t ever feel ready for

those things”. What makes you ready is being

there, stepping up, doing it even though you

don’t feel ready for it. It’s when you close your

eyes and step off, that’s when it begins.

In a way this portion is like a manual. God

chose Moses because he saw the miracle of

the burning bush, and was curious about it.

He went to find out like a scientist would. First

comes curiosity then comes courage. So when

there’s a miracle: go and investigate, don’t be

reckless but don’t ignore it or be scared.

When life presents you with an opportunity,

take it and step up to it, even if you’re not

feeling ready, you need to put in the work, but

it will only pay off if you take the opportunity.

16

Contactsfps who’s who

finchley progressive synagogue

54 Hutton Grove N12 8DR

www.fps.org

020 8446 4063

Charity Number: 1071040

Rabbi: Rebecca Qassim Birk

rabbi@fps.org / 07939 227480

Emeritus Rabbi: Dr Frank Hellner

Synagogue Manager: Pauline Gusack

pauline@fps.org

Community Manager: Angela Wharton

angela@fps.org

executive

Chair: Laura Lassman

chair@fps.org / 07957 545 569

Vice-Chair: Joan Shopper & David Aarons

01582 792 959

Treasurer: Richard Kravetz

020 8349 9602

Honorary Secretary: David Pelham

020 8445 8111

synagogue committees & groups:

Beit Tefillah, Contact, Education, Membership,

Events Plus, Babies & Toddlers, B’nei Mitzvah,

Hospitality Group, Security.

We are represented on the Board of Deputies

and Liberal Judaism. For further information,

please call the office.

shofar editor

Pat Lehner

shofar@fps.org

Editorial assistant Sarah Aldridge

FPS is a constituent of Liberal Judaism

21 Maple Street W1T 4BE

020 7580 1663

LJY Netzer (youth dept) 020 7631 0584

ashley pageinsurance brokers

Commerce House2a Litchfield Grove

London N3 2TN

Tel. 020 8349 5100

janet tresmanmediator & collaborative

family law solicitor

consultant now at hoffman-bokaei.co.uk

Lithos House307 Finchley RoadLondon NW3 6EH

Tel. 020 7433 2380

jlt@hoffman-bokaei.co.uk