April 2022
Rejuvenation & New Beginnings
From the Editor... I
t’s that time of year - the days have been getting longer, the blossoms are in bloom, and the tiny buds on the trees have begun to take form. A growing sense of seasonal optimism has arrived, particularly with the proliferation of sunlight we’ve been gifted with recently. Now, since Purim has come and gone and fears of Covid have subsided, we’re on the road towards Pesach, a truly spring festival of redemption and renewal and one that we get to share with family, friends, and community again - after two years - in person. But, not all has been positively renewing in the world around us. As war rages on in Ukraine, we see the resumption of tyranny and barbarism, death and destruction. We’re reminded that not all is well or healing on our planet. But with those dark forces, we have also seen a surge of incredible unity and fortitude amongst Ukranians, along with generosity and humanitarian aid from Ukraine’s neighbours and around the globe. As Jews, we know all too well about the devastations of totalitarianism, war, and displacement, and as a community, we are in a perpetual cycle of countering that through tzedakah, education, and engagement. Cover: Jemma and baby Zevi as Yoda at FPS Purim festivities
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monica rabinowitz
But this past month, in Britain alone, over 100,000 offers of accommodation for refugees have been made and over £100 million in cash and countless provisions have been donated by ordinary people, which are continually being delivered to the borders and shelters in Ukraine and the frontline. This spring, the sum of our humanity is being called to attention, and as a human race, we have been responding. In Shofar this month, we welcome Pesach words of greetings from Marie van der Zyl, President of Board of Deputies of British Jews, along with the Community Security Trust (CST), thoughts on springtime renewal and the rejuvenation of arriving in a new home, photos from the Community Purim Car Rally, Tea, and Spiel, and a fresh, easy, and sweet Pesach dessert recipe that delightfully does not involve matzah. Plus, your usual pages of shul news and events throughout the month. Chag Pesach Sameach!
Copy deadline is the 10th of each month. Please email all content to shofar@fps.org
From the Rabbi As you know, I attend many deaths. I would say it’s actually one of the best privileges of my job - to accompany someone through the last days of their life, sometimes even able to reflect on their life and what’s mattered. And then, of course, even more when I’m with the family, as we plan the funeral and draw together the legacy of a life and the influence the one who died has had. I often wonder if the love and pride was expressed whilst everyone had the chance to speak and to listen, and take hold of those living legacies. I’m very taken by continuity and influence and what our parents, or those who raised us, have taught us. And what of that teaching do we bring into our lives in a regular way? I often ask the question when we reach the Amidah prayer, the first paragraph of which calls us to consider our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - as well, of course, as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Lea. Who in your life and line of influence informed your decision to be here in our synagogue, praying these words? I think this no other time more than at Passover, when we recite the words from Exodus: ‘On that day you should tell your child, “I do this because of what the Eternal did for me when I came out of Egypt.”’ How do we pass on what matters, and the stories that bind us to each other and our tradition at Passover? What do our sedarim include? L’dor v’Dor. From generation to generation. That deeply personal connection is what counts when we pass on stories and meaning to the next generation, not just to our own children but the children of others, the rest of the community. It’s poignant, sometimes, to think who taught us to care about certain things,
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especially our Jewish sensibility and attachment. My mother joined synagogues with alacrity and modelled for my sisters and I, a duty to, but also a joy in congregational life. That marked me, whilst my sisters chose other parts to emulate. But Mum loved all her synagogue roles, from administrator to the Chair of the synagogue, to regular, enormous Friday night dinners for students at Oxford, where we lived. Both sets of my grandparents were profoundly involved in Jewish communal life; sometimes overlapping and sometimes different foci - Ravenswood village, Jewish Care (formerly the Jewish Welfare Board), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, their synagogues - St John’s Wood United and New London on Abbey Road. Being part was an honour. My last remaining grandparent, my grandmother Toby, is still feted for her flowers in the synagogue on Shavuot. And I note, with great respect, that those who choose Judaism are influenced by values and passions from their own family, and also learning and influence from those who’ve taught them and those who they’ve studied with. That is the extraordinary thing about Passover. We keep telling stories that make us and inform the Judaism we care most about - so every year, it’s new. We will be marking Yom Ha’Atzmaut over the evenings of 4/5 May. Watch out for details! 3
From the Chair H
ave you thought about standing for election to Council? Council is elected by FPS members at the AGM, to oversee and manage all of the activities of the synagogue. This year, the AGM will be on 7 July, so you’ve got some time to think about it. We need lots of different kinds of people and perspectives on Council and it’s good for it to be broadly representative of the community. Put aside your imaginary disqualifications. Noone is ‘too new’ to FPS to help lead and run the synagogue. Non-Jewish members can stand for election. It’s OK if services aren’t your thing. The question is, do you feel that you are a part of FPS? Are you involved in community life? Do you have opinions and ideas about FPS and what we are or could be doing? If you participate at least three times a month in some way, either online or in the building – whether in study, discussion, community-building, charity, services, or social activities - then that will certainly qualify you to contribute effectively to Council. Two members of Council are required to stand down each year (although they can stand for re-election) so there are always elections for at least two Council positions every year, even where there is no necessary vacancy. But this year, we will definitely need to elect at least one new Council member. It’s our job as Council to lead the synagogue community, to support it to flourish, and to plan for the future. In practical terms, we’re responsible for managing the synagogue – for the building, our staff, our money, and our activities. FPS is a house of prayer, a house of 4
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meeting, and a house of study, but we’re also a registered charity and a company listed at Companies House. Members of Council are also trustees of the charity and directors of the company. Council works on and is responsible for a very wide range of activities - from membership recruitment to health and safety, children’s education to trips and social activities, community welfare to budget and finances, building maintenance to racial justice. We have a number of committees which work independently and report back to us, like our Membership Committee, Fundraising Committee, Building Project Committee, 70th Anniversary Committee, and General Purposes Committee. The one thing we are really not responsible for are services and festivals – that’s the purview of a committee called Beit Tefilah. Council meets for ten months of the year on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm. If you have any questions about what it’s like to serve on Council or you’re thinking about standing for election, please do get in touch! Any Council member would be very happy to speak to you.
From Zoe ‘Spring has sprung, the grass is riz’ – the opening lines to a poem, often incorrectly attributed to Ogden Nash, although it has a similar feel. This edition of Shofar is about new beginnings, rejuvenation, starting afresh. I thought about the ‘re’ in ‘rejuvenation’. Judaism mirrors the rest of our lives. As children, we are told the story of Little Red Riding Hood as a joyful fairy tale. In simple mathematics, we’re taught that you can’t find the square root of a negative number. And, at some point, the Wizard of Oz’s curtain is removed and we are given a more complex reality. In Little Red Riding Hood, Grandma was eaten alive, and apparently, the square root of a negative number is (really!) an imaginary one. We celebrated Purim just a few weeks ago. Both with our B’nei Mitzvah families and our Delving into Judaism classes, we explored the ‘true’ story of Purim. Lurking under the frivolity and silliness lies an incredibly challenging story of rape and murder. Equally, I remember vividly the moment I was told the Exodus almost certainly didn’t happen. It changed forever the way I engage with Passover. And so we have to encounter these stories a second time, with our eyes wide open. Sometimes, the new information is too challenging. The story, or person, or moment is too damaged by the new information. As many of you know, I am an avid Harry Potter fan, but my love for the novels and the incredible world around them has been irrevocably damaged for me by JK Rowling’s continuous, controversial
zoe jacobs
Trans rhetoric. One of my favourite quotes from Rabbi Ben Bag-Bag (great name!) is ‘Turn it and turn it [the Torah], for everything is in it, and contemplate it, and grow grey and old over it.’ Here, he suggests the idea that we will return to Jewish moments year after year with new eyes and new experiences – and we must take those new experiences with us as we read. For me, I always want Judaism - for both children and adults - to be positive, memorable, and educational – in that order. Ivriah’s annual Chocolate Seder does not offer an intellectual struggle with how to commemorate the plagues. But it does sear into our children’s hearts an incredible memory of joy and singing and chocolate and Judaism. The more complex engagement will come soon, and will deepen their relationship with each festival – but that ought not to stop us rejoicing in the fun just yet. Judaism must add something to our lives, whatever our age. It must be primarily a joy, not a burden. So hopefully we can find a way to celebrate – truly celebrate – each festival, however challenging. Please join us for the Communal Seder, for our Matzah Ramble, for our Erev 7th day ‘Poems and Pyramids’ Reflective Service, and our Mimouna Kiddush!
We are proposing to restart the Bridge Club after Passover and would like to know if there are any bridge players who would like to join us. We could choose to play mornings, afternoons, or evenings and would appreciate your replies with your time and day preferences: gordon@fps.org/07833 205203
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PESACH MESSAGE
PRESIDENT MARIE VAN DER ZYL NISSAN 5782
Passover is the Jewish festival of freedom and this year’s celebration will be an especially poignant one as families will be at liberty to celebrate their seder without any lockdown restrictions for the first time since 2019. More than 1,000 from the UK Jewish community have died from Covid-19 and we will be thinking of them this Pesach. It is my earnest hope that we will be soon able to create a proper memorial to those who died. We also pray for the freedom and safety of those in danger in Ukraine. This senseless Russian aggression flies in the face of justice and decency. We continue to both be inspired by the resolve of the Ukrainian people, and to pray for peace. I urge all those who are able to donate towards the charities collecting on behalf of the victims of this terrible conflict. We have had a number of significant achievements this year. The Board has been campaigning long and hard for the proscription of Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation and in 2021 we were very happy that the Government legislated to ban its so-called political wing, meaning it can no longer lobby for support in this country. Many of you will have been distressed by the BBC actions following the antisemitic attack on teenagers celebrating Chanukah on a bus in central London last November. We supplied forensic evidence which conclusively refuted BBC reports that there had been anti-Muslim abuse coming from the bus. The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit agreed with us that the BBC did not meet standards of due accuracy and impartiality. We are now working to supply evidence to a new Ofcom investigation into BBC handling of the incident. We have been focusing on the issue of online hate which is the new frontline against antisemitism. Thanks to Board of Deputies campaigning, the Government wrote to social media companies asking for the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism so that so that racists will no longer be able to harass Jewish users with impunity. The work of the Board of Deputies is so wide and diverse that it is impossible to mention everything in a short message. To give a few examples, we have provided support for Chinese Uyghurs who have been cruelly persecuted in their home country. We are working in the community to facilitate the implementation of the groundbreaking Commission on Racial Inclusivity in the Jewish Community which considered 17 areas of Jewish communal life and made 119 recommendations. And working with our partner organisation EcoSynagogue, we were out in force at the COP26 summit in November. In addition, we provide official inspection of religious education in Jewish schools through the Pikuach organisation and our team monitors and protects our religious freedoms. Whatever your interests or concerns as a Jew, the Board of Deputies is here for you. Pesach Sameach to you and your families from everyone at the Board of Deputies
Marie van der Zyl President, Board of Deputies of British Jews 6
FPS People’s Page & Beit Tefillah people
Rebecca Taylor, Louise Tolton, Anne Zietman
welcome to new members
condolences
A C Baker, Gloria Dahan, Samuel Levy, Joan Salter, Eti Wade, Elijah Michael
The family of Betty Gould, who died in February; Cathy Levy, whose mother Sally Levy died in February
mazal tov to
Braham Fredman on the birth of his 8th greatgrandchild Raphael Melachy; Paul Lakra on the birth of granddaughter Vivie Minnie Marks happy birthday to the following members who celebrate milestone birthdays in April: Sandra Benveniste, Robert Bud, David Edward, Marian Fixler, Paul Golding, Steven Goorwich, Aaron Katz, Jane Landes, Karolina Landes, Ruben Qassim, Max Rebuck, Tim Seyner Harness,
stone settings
The stone setting for Irene Kahan will take place at 1.30pm on Sunday, 3 April at Edgwarebury Cemetery and will be officiated by Rabbi Rachel Benjamin. The stone setting for Nuri Narcin will take place at 10am on Sunday, 24 April at Edgwarebury Cemetery and will be officiated by Rabbi Rebecca Birk.
services- april / nisan - iyyar Friday 1 April
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 2 April
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 8 April
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 9 April
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 15 April
Erev Pesach - First Seder Night No Service at FPS
Saturday 16 April 1st Day Pesach 11.00am Pesach Service 6.00pm Communal Seder at FPS & online
Paul Lakra and new granddaughter Vivie Minnie Marks (left); Braham Fredman with his youngest great grandchild Raphael Melachy (below)
Thursday 21 April Erev 7th Day Pesach; 6.30pm Poems & Pyramids 7th Day Friday 22 April
7th Day Pesach 11.00am 7th Day Pesach Service 6.30pm Shabbat Resouled 15th anniversary
Saturday 23 April 11.00am Czech Scroll Service Friday 29 April
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service & Friday Night Dinner for Delvers
Saturday 30 April 11.00am Shabbat Service
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Pesach Events at FPS
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Beit Knesset
community events, all welcome!
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Beit Midrash
coming up at fps
Patricia Hinson’s poem in reaction to Holocaust Memorial Day talk by Janine Webber BEM Into another world, last night I leapt Into a world where secrets were kept In a world where cruelties were perpetrated Where to say you were a Jew, you hesitated Janine, you recalled what you had witnessed all those years ago Throughout your talk my tears did flow You took us along that journey last night In shock and horror, I felt myself turning white Your words spoke volumes to your audience that included me What you had seen, and from what you had to flee Reminded me of my family, whom I never knew You are brave recounting all that you went through Ensuring the past will not be forgotten Never more must there be eggs so rotten We must never let that horror occur again As now I relive my mother’s family’s anguish and pain But the fact that you and others did survive Ensures that we, as Jews, remain alive. 10
The Rabbi & The Syrian Refugee Adapted from ‘Me & You: The Rabbi and the Syrian Refugee: ‘She’s my friend’, an article previously published in The Jewish Chronicle. Photo: Marc Morris Nisrin Kakhya was born in the Syrian city of Homs, a key battleground in the uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In June 2016, she, her husband Thaeer, a journalist, and their two sons came to Britain under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Our synagogue campaigned for Barnet council to settle 50 Syrian refugees in the borough, finding homes, school places, and doctors’ surgeries for them before their arrival. This is an edited version of an article by Karen Glaser that ran in the Jewish Chronicle in which Nisrin discusses her friendship with Rabbi Rebecca and her new life in Britain.
We don’t have female imams, so I was quite shocked when I realised Rebecca was the rabbi of the synagogue that had fought so hard to bring us to Britain. But shocked in a good way. I immediately wanted to find out more. I observed her very closely at that first lunch and even asked my husband to take a photo of us
karen glaser
together, something I wouldn’t normally do when I’ve just met someone. I was also captivated by the way Rebecca interacted with everyone in the room — a mix of refugees, some of whom had come straight from the airport, and people from the synagogue, her congregants. She was so friendly and humble, and didn’t stop smiling! She seemed so excited that we were all in the same room. I wasn’t used to seeing leaders, people in positions of power, behave like this. I found it incredibly inspiring. Five years later, I studied leadership as part of my degree in early childhood studies and when I was asked for an example of a good leader I immediately thought: Rebecca. In fact, my university education is largely thanks to her. When she asked me my plans for the future and I shared nervously that I’d like to go to university, she arranged for me and some of the other Syrian refugees to meet with someone at Middlesex University. She was clearly very keen that we go. But before I could start, I had to pass a course in academic English and the first time round, I failed. I was devastated and went straight to Rebecca’s, where I cried and cried and cried. She hugged me and said: ‘OK, you can cry, Nisrin, but we also need a solution and that’s where I come in.’ She contacted the course leader, who allowed me to resit the paper, and two months and much studying later, I passed. When I was in Syria, I never knowingly met any Jews. The only thing I heard about them, and repeatedly, was that they stole Palestine. Continued on page 12 11
The Rabbi & The Syrian Refugee cont. from p.11
The message was unequivocal: Israel is our enemy. I now know this is propaganda. So when I first met Rebecca, it was a big deal in lots of ways. In fact, that same day I called my mum and told her excitedly, ‘I met a Jewish woman today, she’s a rabbi, and she’s great! They don’t hate us, or any Arabs, Mum.’ Actually, the propaganda reached these shores too. Shortly after I arrived in London, I went to English lessons at an Arab-run school and the teacher there told me to be careful of the synagogue. She said they might be helping you because they want you to be Jewish. But
I never had any doubts that Rebecca and the synagogue’s motives weren’t pure. In fact, Finchley Progressive Synagogue has now become my second home. Assad’s military murdered five of my siblings. My other brothers and sisters and parents are in Syria, but I now have an adopted family in this synagogue, which is so welcoming to people of other faiths and cultures, and which has helped me and other refugees in so many practical and emotional ways. When I go and sit in the shul, it always feels so good. Like my friendship with its rabbi, Rebecca.
Brazilian Mango Mousse I learned this recipe from a Brazilian woman who whipped her cream by hand! It is a simple recipe, although whipping your cream manually can be a real labour of love. The original recipe calls for passion fruit pulp, instead of mango, but it’s easier for me to get mango pulp. Change the fruit for anything that is convenient - remember that the mousse is very sweet, so tangy fruits work better.
claudia prieto piastro
toppings:
100g of mango pulp or fresh cubed mango Dark chocolate shavings (optional) method
1. 2. 3. 4.
5.
Whip the cream by hand or using a mixer until soft peaks are formed. In a separate bowl, mix the condensed milk with the mango pulp. Carefully fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture. Divide the mix into four ramekins or small glasses and chill them in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Before serving, top with the pulp, cubes, or dark chocolate shavings, if using.
ingredients (serves 4)
300 grams of cold whipping cream 1 tin of condensed milk 250 grams of mango pulp
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Hint - do not try to unmold them!
CST wishes our whole community a safe and enjoyable Pesach
For two years, we have been unable to celebrate Pesach as we all wanted to. We have been unable to sit around
congregants and a rabbi hostage. It provided a stark reminder of an uncomfortable truth: if it can happen
the seder table with family and friends, every household carrying out its own version of this very special festival. We have had to be innovative in overcoming the challenges that COVID-19 has posed to the notion and
there, it can happen anywhere.
practice of community.
spectrum of Jewish life in the UK, encouraging it to flourish, is at the core of our mission. We rely on your support and cooperation in this endeavour. There are
This year, with life gradually returning to something
We strive every day to make sure that it does not happen here. Protecting the wide and wonderful
more familiar to what we knew before the virus’ outbreak, CST also has to get back on track: but throughout the pandemic and for all of the changes
different ways that you can help us.
in our lives, CST has kept working for the good of our community, ensuring that British Jews can live Jewish lives with the confidence that security brings.
training in technical and physical aspects of modernday security, ensuring that your synagogue and fellow congregants are as well-protected as possible.
As long as there are people who hate Jews – as long as antisemitism, terrorism and extremism remain unfortunate parts of our reality – this work cannot stop.
You can report antisemitism to us when you see it. Every report helps us to better do our jobs, to better
Events over the past year have shown how crucial it is that CST sticks to its mission, supported by the
understand the landscape of anti-Jewish hate, and to better represent our community to police and government.
partnership of our Jewish communities. Reactions to the war between Israel and Hamas in May 2021 had a far-
You can donate to us. We are a charity and depend
reaching and profound impact on the Jewish community,
upon the generosity of our community. Every penny
driving a record annual total of antisemitic incidents reported to CST. In January of 2022, a British terrorist, motivated by his hatred of Jews, travelled across the Atlantic to a shul in a small town in Texas, where he took
goes towards building a better Jewish – and British – future together.
You can contribute by becoming a volunteer and
CST wishes you all a Chag Pesach Sameach.
www.cst.org.uk | scan the QR code to visit CST’s social media accounts National Emergency Number (24-hour) 0800 032 3263 London (Head Off ice) 020 8457 9999 Manchester (Northern Regional Off ice) 0161 792 6666
Registered charity in England and Wales (1042391) and Scotland (SC043612) 13
Purim Festivities at FPS
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Top: Gabriel, Saskia, Theo, Lilibeth & Raffy, with teachers Elias & Alex in a cyber Tel Aviv market; Left: Phoebe digitally floating in the Dead Sea
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Contacts
fps website: www.fps.org
finchley progressive synagogue
Life Presidents: Sheila King Lassman, Alan Banes
54 Hutton Grove N12 8DR 020 8446 4063 www.fps.org facebook.com/finchleyprog
Vice Presidents: Cathy Burnstone, Renzo Fantoni, Josie Kinchin, Alex KinchinSmith, Laura Lassman, Lionel King Lassman, John Lewis, Andrea Rappoport, Joan Shopper
Rabbi Rebecca Birk – rabbi@fps.org Emeritus Rabbi: Dr Frank Hellner
contacts
Community Development Manager: Zoe Jacobs – zoe@fps.org Musicians in Residence: Franklyn Gellnick, Dean Staker Synagogue Manager: Pauline Gusack pauline@fps.org
Board of Deputies Reps: Janet Tresman, Stanley Volk Beit Midrash (Adult Education): Adrian Lister adrian@fps.org Beit Tefillah (Rites & Practices): Valerie Joseph valerie@fps.org
executive 2021
Community Support Coordinator: Beverley Kafka, beverley@fps.org
Chair: Tamara Joseph, chair@fps.org Vice Chair: Ann Pelham, apelham@fps.org Treasurer: Roy Balint-Kurti, treasurer@fps.org
Website Editor: Philip Karstadt fpswebsite@fps.org
Honorary Secretary: Paula Kinchin-Smith honsec@fps.org
Shofar Editor: Monica Rabinowitz shofar@fps.org
board members
Shofar Team: Wika Dorosz & FPS Staff shofar@fps.org
Gordon Greenfield, gordon@fps.org Beverley Kafka, beverley@fps.org Sam King, sam@fps.org Mike Rocks, mike@fps.org
The Finchley Progressive Synagogue is a company limited by guarantee (Company No 9365956) and a registered charity (Charity No 1167285) whose registered office is 54 Hutton Grove, Finchley, London N12 8DR
President: Paul Silver-Myer, paulsm@fps.org
ashley page insurance brokers Commerce House 2a Litchfield Grove London N3 2TN Tel. 020 8349 5100
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