August-September 2022
the magazine of finchley progressive synagogue
What Brings You Joy?
From the Editor... Bring the pure wine of love and freedom. But sir, a tornado is coming. More wine, we will teach this storm A thing or two about whirling. Rumi
On the evening of the 11th of August, 2022 or annually on the 15th of Av, a full moon fills the sky and a lesser-known holiday in the Jewish calendar falls - Tu B’Av. Similar to secular Valentine’s Day, Tu B’Av is the Jewish Day of Love. Historically on this date, two ancient marriage bans were lifted: that restricting orphan daughters from marrying outside of their own tribe whilst wandering the desert for forty years, as well as that cast upon the Tribe of Benjamin, whose members were previously restricted from intermarrying those of other tribes. Tu B’Av marks the start of the grape harvest, a season which then culminates on Yom Kippur. In the Mishna, attributed to Rabbi Gamliel, ‘on these days the daughters of Jerusalem go out dressed in borrowed white clothes and dance in the vineyards.’ Here, they would cry out their intentions of marriage to prospective young men. Quoting Josefin Dolsten in The Forward,
Cover: KT families celebrate their graduation
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monica rabinowitz
the Jewish American newspaper, Tu B’Av was ‘the Second Temple period version of a singles mixer.’ Today, Tu B’Av has been revived in the State of Israel as a day of love and romance, with couples joyously celebrating their relationships, as well as an auspicious time for proposals, weddings, and commitment ceremonies. As we sail through the heat of summer and begin to approach the New Year, we are encouraged to make a pit-stop on the 15th of Av - to contemplate and celebrate love in all its forms. This double issue of Shofar is a lead-up to the High Holidays, providing you with information for all the services and causes we hope you will extend your love towards and support. Lots of new things to learn about, including changes in the synagogue office, what’s transpired at Council, the AGM, and Board of Deputies, and how to make two different versions of apparently the best honey cake on the planet. Many good, sunshiny, heatwave-less wishes for the second half of summer, bountiful love and blessings for Tu B’Av, and a very happy and healthy Shana Tovah to you all.
Copy deadline is the 10th of each month. Please email all content to shofar@fps.org
From the Rabbi Song of the builders by Mary Oliver On a summer morning I sat down on a hillside to think about God – a worthy pastime. Near me, I saw a single cricket; it was moving the grains of the hillside this way and that way. How great was its energy, how humble its effort. Let us hope it will always be like this, each of us going on in our inexplicable ways building the universe.
Summer stretches before us as I write this - the start of the leadership contest for the new Prime Minister, who will be in place on September 5th. The sunshine and the heat we love to complain about. And those of us no longer in the cycle of academic terms, who still feel a certain expansiveness. There is a power in resting, in watching sweet peas in your garden bloom. The years I manage to plant and cultivate are good years in my experience. Taking stock is what this period before Rosh Hashanah is for. How are you compared to how you were this time last year? What have you mastered or managed and how, through all these changes and openings, have you navigated anxiety? The writer Laurie Doctor suggests that anxiety is infectious and can even be a convenient entertainment to keep one stuck in a story that limits one’s
rabbi rebecca birk
ability for a full life. This year will be our first gathering for the New Year with no restrictions, except the duty of care and safety towards each other. I’m determined we will manage it with grace and ease. The mystic, Julian of Norwich from the 14th century, is credited with intense visions during a debilitating illness, which she was certain there would be no recovery from. She woke from her last vision, actually dated 14 May 1373, completely cured and wrote down the words she’d received; ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well’. It was made famous by T.S Eliot. This declaration doesn’t eliminate or promise protection from misfortune, illness, or other sufferings, but it offers the notion that we are masters and mistresses of our own peace. So as you sit in your garden, read, take stock, anticipate our new cycle of the year. Reflect upon the belief that ‘All shall be well…’ Look out for your Elul emails coming 1st
Elul - the evening of 28 August onwards. And do please book in for whatever service over the HHD period you fancy - there are no restrictions or limits to attending, just let us know so we plan well.
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From the Chair It
was a great pleasure to have a first Council meeting with new Council members James Levy, Sharon Michael, and Lesley Urbach following their election at the AGM. I’m also delighted that Beverley Kafka has agreed to take on the position of Vice-Chair. It’s wonderful to have new talent and energy on Council. We are able to co-opt members onto Council and would very much welcome one or two more. If you would like to come along to a couple of meetings and get a feel for what it might be like, please do let me know. We generally start our meetings with ‘Month in a Minute’, where each member of Council talks very briefly about something from the previous month of synagogue life which they have particularly enjoyed or valued. Strong themes emerged this month – the relationships we build with other congregants, often across generational divides, and the opportunities we create to foster them; the life-cycle events and transitions we mark together, sometimes with formal celebrations (how fantastic the adult Bnei Mitzvah and KT graduation services both were!) and sometimes more quietly and informally; how much pleasure we get from volunteering and contributing in very different ways, whether as security volunteers, advising on HR, organising social events, or providing support to members in need; and the joys of Torah study and of learning together. By starting the meeting in this way, we ensure that whatever we discuss and whatever business we conduct in the meeting, it’s grounded in a happy sense of what this is all really about and 4
tamara joseph
why it matters to us. Council doesn’t meet in August, so while we’ve got plenty of work to get on with over the summer, we will be taking something of a holiday. I hope that all of you have a happy summer with opportunities for rest, relaxation, travel, family gatherings, reading, and just enjoying the sunshine. I often feel as if I’ve accidentally missed most of the month of Elul by the time I get back to real life after the summer, but with the High Holy Days late this year, there is a little more time to prepare ourselves in September. I want to end by thanking you all for your kindness in reaching out to me on the death of my father. I so much appreciate your thoughtfulness and it was a real support to me, Sam, and the children. I didn’t grow up within Jewish community life, and I’m still learning about what it means in practice. I’m very grateful to be a part of the FPS community. Thank you.
Farewell & Thanks from Pauline Gusack I arrived at FPS taking on a part-time administrative role because I stepped down from a very full-time post at Jewish Care and had turned 60. I wasn’t ready to retire, nor was I in a financial position to do so. Working has been a constant in my life, from my first job as a secretary in the city (a terrifying boss, I was incompetent) followed by retraining and teaching in further education before taking on volunteer and community management at Norwood, North London Hospice, and Jewish Care. Alongside family and volunteering, work has been a pillar of my life and my identity. Continued on page 5
Around FPS farewell & thanks / cont . from p .4
FPS has changed greatly since I arrived a few months after Rabbi Rebecca. Initially working alongside Angela Wharton, my role expanded following her retirement and I’m delighted to say we remain good friends. I have met and worked with many lovely people I wouldn’t necessarily have known, despite living down the road. We’ve changed the way we work almost entirely thanks to technology, membership databases (we are on our second) and, of course, Covid, which brought new ways of working for everyone everywhere. I knew nothing about Liberal Judaism when I joined FPS and am now a great admirer of its joyful approach to Judaism, its warm welcome,
and its commitment to social justice. For a small community, FPS strives for excellence and ‘punches above its weight’ because of the people it attracts as leaders, members, and employees. I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to my time at FPS. I haven’t met the majority of members but others I’ve had the privilege and pleasure to meet many times, and they have helped me in innumerable ways. I pay tribute to you all and hope that this is more of an ‘au revoir’ than a farewell. May you have the joy in life you deserve and may the FPS building plans come to fruition. I think we’d all say ‘Amen’ to that.
fps agm report
On 7th July, FPS’s 69th AGM was a hybrid meeting, enabled by a change in our synagogue articles approved by a special meeting immediately preceding the AGM. This was the right decision, attendance being the highest ever. It felt celebratory as we heard from Rabbi Rebecca about synagogue life; the engagement in spirituality and study, families celebrating life cycle events and social justice projects that we supported. Many thanks to those leading the broad spectrum of activities, to our staff Zoe and Pauline, Hilary, Dean and Franklyn, Graciell, and, of course, Rabbi Rebecca. Thanks to Mike Rocks who is stepping down from Council, and to Ann Pelham, who has served as Honorary Secretary and Vice-chair. Thanks also to our treasurer Roy who presented the annual accounts, reporting a healthy financial situation. Re-elected members of the Synagogue Executive are Tamara Joseph, Chair; Roy Balint-Kurti, Treasurer and Paula
Kinchin-Smith,Honorary Secretary. New Council members: James Levy, Sharon Michael, and Lesley Urbach. The AGM of the Pelham Family Fund followed, Ann Pelham encouraging congregants to nominate possible beneficiaries of the charity which supports vulnerable young people in need. Thanks to Paul Silver-Myer for his expert chairing of the meeting and to Alan Banes for his work preparing the amended Synagogue Articles of Association. Thank you to Josie Kinchin for hosting our online attendees. Final thanks must go to our AGM speaker, and long-standing member of FPS, Dr Robert Bud MBE. He inspired us with his stories, and made the link between community conversations to significant, challenging, scientific ideas in his talk entitled ‘Science, the Synagogue, and Me’.
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From Zoe On 24th January 2019, Rebecca sent me an email containing only this quote ‘Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.’ — John Muir Sometimes, I return to it in my email inbox - where it’s stayed from that day til this - and try to imbue my life with a little more of Nature’s heart. A walk, a trip to the Brecon Beacons, a moment to look at the stars. If that is dipping my toe into Nature, I’m about to jump in! I am moving to Whitstable, to the seaside. I have wanted to live by the sea for as long as I remember. I picked Whitstable as it ticked an extraordinary number of my exacting requirements. But it’s a big step. I’m moving somewhere without a safety net of familiar faces and guiding hands. But I’m not leaving FPS. Since the pandemic hit, we’ve found different ways to work and communicate, new ways to forge connections and community. Hopefully, you’ll find everything pretty much the same. I’ll be at FPS every Friday and Saturday, running Ivriah and KT. I’ll be in the synagogue every Tuesday – a day where all the staff are in to kick off the week together – but on Wednesday and Thursday, I’ll be working from home. A new home! And in fact, this is largely what I’ve been doing for the past year. Home (in Finchley) has been a little nearer to the synagogue, but it’s proved that hybrid working really does work - and is here to stay.
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zoe jacobs
I am unapologetically sentimental. I keep scrapbooks, spending the no-mans-land days between Christmas and New Year in a joyous muddle of pens and cinema tickets and photos and Pritt Stick, sticking down a picture patchwork of the past year. I have been looking back at the last few scrapbooks, picking up programmes and photos and memories, while looking at the empty pages of the 2022 book – aware that soon it’ll be full of sand and pebbles and those teeny cocktail umbrellas.
“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” Before I moved, I pared down the stuff I unwittingly accumulated in my 6 years of London life. I’m excited for the parallel emotional and spiritual process that I think will come after the move. Whether or not you’re relocating (and stress-wise, I hope you’re not!) I wish you the opportunity to give your mind and body a spring clean. I wish you a summer near to Nature’s heart. Jump in. Breathe. Go on day trips. I hear Whitstable is nice.
Our Joyful B’nei Mitzvah
From top left to bottom right: Toby Wayne and parents; Dancing for Aaron Pennisi-Glaser; Michael Lassman with Rabbi Rebecca; Sharon Michael, Lesley Trenner & Eti Wade, Adult B’not Mitzvah; Cordelia Kahn with certificate; Shmuel Wade on the bimah
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FPS People’s Page people welcome to new members
happy birthday to
Rachel Field with Sam and Isaac; Natasha Collett & Ben Brodie
the following members who celebrate milestone birthdays in August & September: Andrew Hart, Rachel Kudlick, Richard Pierce, Joel Romaner, Dean Staker, Penny Telfer, Michael Bloom, Roger Lyons, Louise Meltzer, Daniel Neumann, Maayan Rabbett, Paul Wharton
condolences to
Tamara Joseph and family on the death of father and grandfather Leslie; Tessa Phillip & family on the death of husband, father & grandfather Derek; Margot Katz on the death of brother-inlaw Ron Rappoport, husband of Andrea, FPS Vice President mazal tov to
Gosia Jacygrad & Max Rebuck on the birth of daughter Leni-Ela; Ljudmila Kolker & Leo Silver on the birth of son Michael David, brother for Alexa & Marina; Karolina & Adam Landes who will be married in August; KT group & parents on their graduation; The Cooper & Hirsh families on the baby naming of Clementine; Toby Wayne who raised £800 for Cardiomyopathy UK for his Bar Mitzvah tzedakah project ; Michael Lassman on his Bar Mitzvah
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50/50 club draw
After a long gap, 50/50 Club is back, raising funds for FPS. Thanks to all who have contributed. may winners :
1st 2nd 3rd
Henriette Helfman £15 Dominic Lassman Watts £10 Fergus Myer £5
june winners :
1st 2nd 3rd
Peggy Sherwood £15 Suzanna Chrysostmou £10 Levi Rich £5
Beit Tefillah
shabbat services at fps
FPS services have returned to the synagogue. They are also being held via Zoom, links to which are included in FPS emails.
shabbat services - august & september av through elul to tishrei
Friday 5 August
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 6 August
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 12 August
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 13 August
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 19 August
6.30pm Shabbat Resouled
Saturday 20 August
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 26 August
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 27 August
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 2 September
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 3 September
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 9 September
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 10 September
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 16 September
6.30pm Shabbat Resouled
Saturday 17 September
9.00pm Selichot Service
Friday 23 September
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 24 September
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 30 September
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 1 October
11.00am Shabbat Service
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Beit Knesset
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community events , all welcome !
Honey Cake Recipes margot katz ’ s ‘ best honey cake ever !’ ingredients
440g plain flour, sifted 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp salt 4 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp ground allspice 250ml vegetable oil 175g honey (I prefer less) 175g golden syrup (I prefer less) 300g caster sugar 100g soft brown sugar 3 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 180ml orange juice 250ml freshly brewed coffee topping
Either a handful of slivered almonds OR Honey glaze made up of: 60g icing sugar 1 tbsp honey 1-3 tsp hot water method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C Fan. 2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt & spices 3. In another bowl, mix remaining ingredients, adding the coffee last 4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients, and using a strong whisk or wooden spoon, combine until all ingredients are fully mixed. (It will be a very liquid mixture) 5. Top with almonds and pour into mini loaf tins and bake for 40-45 minutes. If making a whole large cake, bake for 55-65 minutes until
fps members
the cake springs back when gently pressed. 6. If using a glaze, brush over the cake while it is still warm. susanna kester ’ s honey cake
(with thanks to her favourite James Martin BBC recipe) ingredients
170g/6oz clear honey 140g/5oz butter 85g/3oz light muscovado sugar 2 eggs, beaten 200g/7oz self-raising flour, sieved Water for the icing
55g/2oz icing sugar 1 tbsp clear honey Hot water method
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 3; butter and line the bottom of a 7in/18cm cake tin. 2. Measure the honey, butter, and sugar into a large pan. Add a tablespoon of water and heat gently until melted. 3. Remove from the heat and mix in the eggs and flour. 4. Spoon into the cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until the cake is springy to the touch and shrinking slightly from the sides of the tin. 5. Cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack. 6. While the cake is still warm, make the icing by mixing the sugar and honey together with 2-3 teaspoons of hot water. Trickle over the cake in whatever design takes your fancy. Susanna adds that ‘adding some booze (Amaretto)- soaked raisins, as well, makes it moist and yummy’. 11
High Holy Days at FPS We are looking forward to welcoming you to FPS for a reflective and joyful High Holy Day period.
Booking: There will be no limit on numbers for services this year. However, we do ask you to book your service place/s using the link https://tinyurl.com/HHDbooking This gives us notice of expected numbers, so we can ensure there is sufficient ventilation in the building. You can book for as many services as you wish. Parking: We prioritise members with blue badges and small children. FPS is in a Controlled Parking Zone which operates Monday to Friday - we regret we are unable to obtain LBB parking vouchers so we encourage car sharing or coming by public transport where possible. Tickets: Inside Shofar you will find a postcard-sized High Holy Day ticket listing all festival dates and services. Please bring this to FPS for each festival you attend. Machzorim: If you have a machzor (High Holy Day siddur) please bring it with you. Alternatively you can buy one from the office in advance.
Children’s activities: There are family services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, both followed by a creative activity for all ages, plus a teen shiur on Yom Kippur. Sukkot and Simchat Torah have family activities - please see page 14 for more information. Children are welcome at all services. Covid safety: Safety remains our priority. We will ensure there is good ventilation throughout the sanctuary (so do bring a jumper!), and we will be aware of numbers for each service. As always, you are welcome to wear a mask if you’d like to. Please do not come to synagogue if you feel unwell. HHD appeal: We are raising funds for 4 charities. The New Israel Fund, The Rainbow Centre, Generation2Generation, and FPS itself. You will find more information about each charity on pages 15-18. You can make donations online or send in a cheque. If you haven’t yet signed a Gift Aid form, FPS will supply you with one. Memorial List: It is FPS tradition to include the names of all members and relatives who have died in the past year on the Yom Kippur Memorial list. Forms to be completed and returned to the office are included in Shofar only for those members who do not use email. For those with email, please submit your requests using this link https://tinyurl.com/HHDnames
FPS office can be reached by email administrator@fps.org or phone 020 8446 4063
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Sukkot & Simchat Torah at FPS sukkah craft day
This year, our sukkah will be suspended from the sky, not bolted into the ground! Can’t imagine what that could possibly look like? Come along to see - and help us build it! Join us from 3pm for an afternoon of creativity and fun! From making clay pots to mezzuzot, hamsas, weaving, and jewellery, we will be making our sukkah decorations by hand. Everyone welcome! Enthusiasm necessary - talent not required! There will be a special under 5s corner for simpler craft projects for
little fingers. At 5pm, we’ll have a festival tea before bringing our crafts into the sukkah for the service at 6.30pm.
simchat torah
We’re unwinding the scroll this Simchat Torah! Join us on Erev Simchat Torah as we are enveloped by our own Torah - hearing an extract of each portion by a member of the community. We’ll be dipping into the best stories, hearing the best and the most challenging mitzvot, and the most poignant lines. On Simchat Torah morning, we’ll be treated to a musical version of the Torah, courtesy of our extraordinary Dean and Franklyn. They’ll play us a snippet of a song per portion, with Rabbi Rebecca offering us thoughtful insight. All of our scrolls will be laid out to give you the opportunity to peek inside at the most interesting 14
portions, layouts, and lines. And of course we’ll be honouring two members of our community as Chatan Torah and Callat Bereshit. Join us for our most vibrant, joyful, and celebratory festival.
High Holy Days Charities / 1
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High Holy Days Charities / 2
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High Holy Days Charities /3
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High Holy Days Charities /4
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A Joyful Year in Pictures
From top left to bottom right: KT group with Janine Webber BEM Simchat Torah at FPS Shabbat Resouled Band on their 15th birthday Franklyn and Dean on guitars at FPS Chanukah ‘bash’ Rabbi Rebecca with some of our youngest members
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Board of Deputies Report C
hief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, of the United Hebrew Congregations, addressed the Board’s July plenary. I was taken by his modesty, keeping his vow, upon taking up office, to avoid criticism of other Jewish communities. He denied that Jews were the chosen people to be favoured above others, rather being commanded to contribute to the world. He praised the Board’s initiative to support eco synagogues. He warned us to beware of apathy as well as antisemitism; that education must take priority in our schools and homes. He thought the Abrahamic accords created an opportunity as did sport in bringing people together, the latter particularly at the Maccabiah games in Israel, the second largest World sports event. It was a refreshing, articulate speech well received by those of us who represent different synagogues and diverse organisations. We had many questions for Sally Seally, CEO of the UK Holocaust Memorial Memorial Foundation concerning its work as well as the Holocaust Memorial and Learning centre to be erected in Tower Gardens (subject to planning permission now under appeal), adjacent to the House of Commons on land owned by Parliament. If planning permission is not received, the money will be retained by the Treasury and reallocated elsewhere (not earmarked for other Jewish projects). If built, it will have public access and running costs, estimated at £5-6 million per annum, will also be government funded. There followed reports from the President, the Board’s Divisions and other working groups with questions from the floor, the ‘bread and butter work’ of the Board as guardians of our communities and groups, looking out for their interests.
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janet tresman
The May plenary, in Bury Town Hall, opened with a minute’s silence to mark the 5th anniversary of the terrorist bombing at Manchester Arena in which 23 people died. A moving address was given by Jonny Wineberg of We Stand Together, established following the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris. Sir Peter Fahey, former Manchester Chief Constable, had used the ’We Stand Together’ app to bring Jewish and Muslim communities together. Youth workers and leaders from diverse communities work together in what is now a nationally recognised Jewish ‘hashtag’ community strongly represented, independent, focussing on building resilience, organising workshops and conferences and producing antidiscrimination packs. Discussions on recent Board activities included a stern letter from the Board to the NUS President deploring the outrageous antisemitism on campus, with a reminder that she represents all students and that such conduct will not be tolerated. Concerns about the lack of representation of younger Deputies were raised. The Board’s President reminded the Plenary that there are 85 under-35 observers. This does not preclude anyone of over 18 from standing for election as a Deputy. The June plenary’s guest was the outgoing President of the Union of Jewish Students, Nina Freedman reporting on a challenging year. Although a meeting had not been requested with the Home Secretary on this issue, there had been meetings by Board representatives with the Home Office deploring the compulsory deportation of refugees to Rwanda The Communities and Education Division has set up a working group to follow up on the Continued on page 21
The Joy of Meditation This Service, which was started during the height of lockdown, is still being held four mornings a week on Zoom. Over time, a core group have been regular attendees and most of those have either led or participated in the leading of Services. We have also welcomed and are still welcoming newcomers. It’s never too late to join. Over time, we have shared many poems and some songs with each other that have expressed how we feel at any one time. They have comforted members of the group as they face life’s ups and downs and also brought plenty of smiles. I’m thinking particularly of a Spike Milligan poem called, appropriately, Smile. As time went on, Rabbi Rebecca suggested we put our shared poems into an anthology. I produced the first version and now send updates each month. Rabbi Rebecca introduced the poems of Mary Oliver to us early on and she has become a firm favourite. For the September Shofar, I have chosen Praying by Mary Oliver; especially the final two lines seemed appropriate for what is a reflective time.
valerie joseph
By the way, if anyone would like a copy of the Anthology just email me at valerie@fps.org and I can email it to you. How about Praying by Mary Oliver It doesn’t have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don’t try to make them elaborate, this isn’t a contest but a doorway into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak.
board of deputies report / cont . from p .20
Racial Inclusivity Commission’s report. I have shown interest. The Social Justice Committee reported that the British Jewish community is mobilising support for humanitarian and relief efforts in Ukraine. For more information contact bod.org.uk/Ukraine
Join us to watch the next plenary session via the Board’s website bod.org.uk on Sunday 18th September at 12.30pm.
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reflection on ivriah
When I first started working as an assistant teacher at Ivriah, my instincts (wrongly) told me that my job was to sit on a table in silence while someone else taught the class. I must admit, I obviously wasn’t the most proactive fourteen year old - but in retrospect, this memory only serves as a lesson to me of how much can change in the short space of two years. It was a kind of culture shock at first, being on the other side of operations, transitioning from student to teacher and discovering how things work behind the scenes, but I quickly acclimatised to my new working environment. I attribute so much of my growth as a person over the last few years to my short teaching career at Ivriah. I often feel like the students there have taught me more than I’ve taught them! They taught me to take initiative and to listen, to differentiate and empathise, and to be aware of the guidance I am capable of giving people younger than me. I’ve learnt how to safeguard and say ‘scooter’ in Hebrew.
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I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the chance to work with such intelligent and highspirited children, and my class, especially this year, has made teaching such a joy. I think I understand now the care and hard work that goes into Ivriah, which I didn’t appreciate nearly enough when I was a student, myself. My newfound perspective is one that is infinitely grateful for the role that Ivriah and my teachers have played in helping me to form my Jewish identity and giving me so many opportunities to connect with my heritage. I’d like to thank all the students I have taught since I started out as an assistant, the teachers that I assisted, and Alex & Elias, for being the best co-teachers I could have asked for. But most of all, thank you to Zoe, for making Ivriah such a special place to learn and teach, and for providing me with one of the most enriching and formative experiences I’ve had as a result of being a member of FPS. Maya Stubbings Photos, above: Maya age 6 at Ivriah, and Maya age 15, as part of our Community Exhibition
cordelia kahn bat mitzvah
Cordelia celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at FPS in July and wrote this in advance of her ceremony. Hello, my name is Cordelia and for my parashat I will be reading BALAK (Numbers 22). It tells the story of Balaam, who is the local prophet or wizard, and his donkey. Balak summons Balaam to curse the Israelites. But, on his journey to reach Balak, Balaam hits his donkey to get her back on track but little did he know, there was an angel of God there ready to kill him if he went any further. The donkey can see the angel, but Balaam cannot. This refers to the people ignoring things they don’t want to see; for example, poverty. From learning the meaning of my parashat, I have become interested in issues that are often overseen because people would rather ignore them than acknowledge them and then have to deal with the problem they are facing. I am in Year 8 at Wren Academy, where I
really enjoy English and Art. I have been a part of the FPS community for 7 years. My hobbies include horse riding, dance, tennis, rounders, and sailing. I am excited about my Bat Mitzvah because I have put in a lot of hard work, learning my parashat and the prayers - it is a big part of growing up as a Jew and makes me feel connected to everyone else who has read from the same Torah and had a Bar/ Bat Mitzvah for generations. I would like to say a big thank you to John Rubinstein who has taught me all of the Hebrew that I know today, and to Zoe and all of the Ivriah teachers for teaching me more about my Jewish heritage. I would also like to thank Rabbi Rebecca for helping me with my D’var Torah and making sure that I have everything I need for my Bat Mitzvah and also the FPS community.
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Contacts
fps website : www . fps . org
President: Paul Silver-Myer, paulsm@fps.org Life Presidents: Sheila King Lassman, Alan Banes
finchley progressive synagogue
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 Community Development Manager: Zoe Jacobs – zoe@fps.org
contacts
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
Chair: Tamara Joseph, chair@fps.org Vice Chair: Beverley Kafka, beverley@fps.org
Community Support Coordinator: Beverley Kafka, beverley@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
council members
Gordon Greenfield, gordon@fps.org Sam King, sam@fps.org James Levy james@fps.org Sharon Michael sharon@fps.org Lesley Urbach lesley@fps.org
Shofar Team: Wika Dorosz & FPS Staff shofar@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
ashley page insurance brokers
Commerce House 2a Litchfield Grove London N3 2TN Tel. 020 8349 5100
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