June 2020
the magazine of finchley progressive synagogue
When Faiths Unite
From the Editor... A
lmost three months into lockdown, what has changed the most? It’s arguable that one of the biggest challenges has been the way we communicate. With workplaces, pubs, places of worship and even visiting your family being off limits, everyone has been forced to adapt the way they communicate with their friends, their relatives, their clients and their community. It has also brought home the importance of real, genuine communication. In ‘normal times’, we’re far too used to sending a quick “how are you doing, must catch up soon” text message, punching out a “have a great birthday xx” Facebook post or promising to “have a drink some time” with an old friend. Now, with so many of us stuck at home - many of us entirely alone - we appreciate more and more the value of connection, of hearing someone laugh at your joke, of seeing familiar faces. Zoom calls with old buddies, whether to chinwag or to test each
Cover: At the Queens Crescent Community Centre handing out food for increasing numbers in need. Made for Ramadan but not just for Muslims. FPS Rabbi Rebecca with Mother Carol from St Martin’s Gospel 2
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other with quizzes, have become the highlight of the week. And for the elderly and vulnerable, it can be a lifesaver from a morale point of view, reminding them that their relatives are there at the other end. Many of us know how amazing staff at care homes have been, not only with health issues but also with helping their residents learn how to use modern ways of communicating (it’s never too late). Here at FPS we all know the huge value for a community of staying in touch, of reaching out to everyone and of being inclusive. In this Shofar we also look at communication of a different type - of language, of culture and of keeping Jewish life going in often precarious circumstances. The Covid-19 pandemic has left many of us in difficult situations. The government (and I’m not Emily Maitlis so I think I’m on safe ground here) has not helped matters with their constant mixed messaging depending on the angle ministers have been ordered to spin that day. So we are left to be our own communications management team, reaching out to those we love and those in need, and helping us all remain positive. Take care everyone.
Oak and Imam Bodrul from Baitul Atman Mosque. photo credit: www.jewishnews.timesofisrael.com
Copy deadline is the 10th of each month. Please email all content to shofar@fps.org
From the Rabbi
rabbi rebecca birk
I have been reading the letters of Vita SackvilleWest and Virginia Woolf during lockdown. It’s strange what one reaches for when things are quieter. These letters are amazing. They talk of writing and travel and food and plans, loads and loads of plans. The efficiency of the postal service meant they had several times a day to receive a letter and adjust their plans. Almost as immediate as our email and WhatsApp. I loved this one: Thursday 10 December 1925 - 52 Tavistock Square My dear Vita Would Tuesday afternoon suit you? Should I stay till Friday or Saturday? Should Leonard come and fetch me back? Should you mind if I only brought one dressing gown? Should I be a nuisance if I had breakfast in bed?
The mention of ‘dressing gown’ - so charming - aren’t we all relishing more comfortable clothes, if not dressing gowns themselves? Aren’t we benefiting from easy communication, knowing people are at home and being able to contact them? The art of letter-writing is something I used to love. I still have all the letters I received whilst at University and studying in Israel or Boston. They’re precious. It’s so intimate and descriptive: writing on a page and sending to the recipient only. We know how precious good communication can be. I watch regretfully as my children communicate only through a keyboard, or a phone. Never knowing what it is to experience those pale blue, tissue-thin airmail letters.
That’s why I still insist on ‘thank you’ letters so the art is not completely lost on them. I still insist they write not reluctantly, but they don’t whip out the envelopes with alacrity. Letters are the equivalent of slow cooking. Maybe we can appreciate it better, especially now the Post Office queues are slowing down! I’m loving communicating with you all. Don’t stop telling me how you are. Many are frantic about returning to normality. And I certainly know how excruciatingly tough it has been for some. But I do wonder if we, who have been safe, might miss some of this. synagogue opening I am so sorry that we have no clarity yet on how and when our Hutton Grove building will open again. Please know we are in constant communication with Liberal Judaism and other congregations, and of course are considering governmental advice constantly. There is a great chance our HHD services will be different this year and we will communicate with you every step of our planning.
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From the Chair So much has been written and said about the
cathy burnstone
suffering and hardship people have had to endure with the Coronavirus and the lockdown with good reason. As a corollary to this, there are some unexpected joys too. Personally I have enjoyed walking and running in the park every day at 6.30 am and seeing the march of spring, as well as meeting some new people and hearing their stories. As an FPS member, like many of us I have found myself attending many more services than usual. I’m particularly grateful for the morning meditation and Shacharit service as it enables me to have a positive start to the day, meditate with the Shacharit community and enjoy Dean’s beautiful music. As Chair I also have never attended so many Liberal Judaism meetings from the comfort of my sofa! The Biennial was a wonderful occasion
thanks to the hard work and input of our Rabbis, Liberal Judaism Team and lay members. We as a Liberal Judaism movement are well and truly on the map of Jewish life, with in excess of 1000 Biennial participants. Seeing the success of streaming all these services, study sessions and meetings, I imagine this is going to bring changes to the way in which our communities operate and interact in the future. As always I want to thank Rabbi Rebecca for her great commitment to us and all of the extra opportunities she has given us for engaging with each other at FPS.
did you know?
did you know?
Where is South Finchley? We all know tube stations at West and East, and a big bus station at North. But what about ‘South’? Well, until the early 1900s the area just east of Finchley Road and north of Golders Green had that moniker, until Henrietta Barnett stepped in and renamed it - you’ve guessed - Hampstead Garden Suburb.
Who are the world’s best Jewish tennis players? Got to be Americans, right? Wrong. As of the lockdown-enforced break, the world’s leading Jewish male player is Argentina’s Diego Schwartzmann at number 13, while women’s world number 5 Elena Svitolina of Ukraine is of Jewish stock.
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Communication: Mother Tongues
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The
recent popularity of the Netflix series Unorthodox has probably raised the profile of the Yiddish language beyond anything seen worldwide since Fiddler On The Roof was topping box office charts in the 1960s. Based on the 2012 memoir by Deborah Feldman about a young woman who had taken the momentous decision to leave the Hasidic Satmar sect, the TV series became a surprise hit in spite of having plenty of dialogue in Yiddish. Ah, Yiddish - the language of Jewish Grandma jokes, of ‘loan words’ like chutzpah and meshuga that have entered into English usage and of course the language of the Shtetl that could temporarily give its inhabitants some freedom of expression. Prior to the Second World War it is estimated that there were 11-13 million Yiddish speakers. 85 per cent of Jews who were murdered in the Shoah spoke Yiddish, around five million in total. However, the aftermath of the War led to steep and continued decline, as Yiddish was either prohibited in the Soviet Union or, in the case of the nascent State of Israel, new arrivals were encouraged to speak only in Hebrew in order to help foster a new national identity. The end result was that the overwhelming majority of Yiddish speakers left worldwide were the ultra-orthodox members of the Jewish community, the ones least likely to assimilate.
Fast forward to the 21st century, where there has long been a trend towards the desire to keep historic languages - and the culture that surrounds them - alive before the pace of modern global communication overcomes them. Welsh has gone from being a pariah language in Britain to a thriving official second language. Cornish is protected by an EU directive. So how many Yiddish speakers are there now? Estimates vary - the 2011 census in the USA found that around 160,000 people spoke Yiddish at home, though the real worldwide figure is more likely to be closer to half a million if not more when you include the former Soviet Union. Besides the popularity of Unorthodox, one other major fillip for Yiddish has been a New York production of Fiddler On The Roof in Yiddish (A Fidler Afn Dakh), directed by Joel Grey, which had a successful run between February and June 2019. It’s clear that Yiddish isn’t going anywhere yet. The Joy of Yiddish has a long way to go.
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Notice Board: How You Can Help
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Beit Tefillah
services at fps
services – june / sivan leading into tamuz At the time of writing, FPS services are being held via Zoom video conferencing. Links to access them will be included in FPS emails. Friday 5 June
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 6 June
11.00am Shabbat B’Yachad led by Ivriah community joined by Birmingham Progressive
Friday 12 June
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 13 June
11.00am Shabbat Service, when Rebecca Nathan will read Torah to mark her Bat Mitzvah
Friday 19 June
6.30pm Shabbat Resouled
Saturday 20 June
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 26 June
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 27 June
11.00am Shabbat Service, joining Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue (as we can’t visit in person and picnic on the beach …)
a connected weekend / liberal judaism biennial
Valerie Joseph - I have always enjoyed the LJ Biennial. Howard and I have only missed one since 1991 and I was a member of the organising Committee of 3 Biennials. It is a chance to feel part of our National Movement and this year’s Biennial certainly delivered. It wasn’t possible to have the usual hugs and kisses but in all other respects I felt as connected to LJ as if I was there in the hotel. We watched via YouTube on the TV and spent the whole weekend dipping in and out (mostly in) of sessions. The Lily’s Legacies podcasts which were broadcast between events were fascinating. I can’t pick out one talk or service that was my highlight as the whole event was a highlight of this lockdown period. It was so special to have all these people coming into our home. The Services were amazing. I loved doing Kiddush
with everyone on Saturday morning. The keynote speakers were excellent, as were the panels and discussions. I was left with a lot to think about. I felt really emotional when it all ended. I was leaving friends. The only consolation was that I didn’t have the drive home. Myrna Lazarus, first timer - The Biennial was both a joy and an inspiration! My intention had been to dip in and out but by Saturday I was a willing captive, scarcely able to drag myself away from my little screen! It wasn’t just the beauty of the singing, lovely though it was. For me it was the experience of watching humane, intelligent, dedicated people debating the so easily forgettable values of social justice, integral to Liberal Judaism. Especially refreshing in these troubled times. 7
Beit Knesset At the time of writing, all FPS activities are being held via Zoom video conferencing. Links to access will be included in FPS emails.
community events, all welcome!
pilates
Closed during lockdown
Our excellent instructor Tali Swart teaches several classes a week on Zoom, all levels. For schedule and payment information, contact taliswort@btconnect.com
rosh chodesh tamuz
cafe ivriah
bridge group
Monthly celebration of the New Moon by women who enjoy meeting, sharing and learning. Rosh Chodesh Tamuz Wednesday 24 June @ 8.00pm: ‘Conversations with friends and other bits of nostalgia: Grace Paley’s short story Mother’ with Rabbi Rebecca. Contact Wika Dorosz on vdorosz@gmail.com for more information and Zoom link book club
Wednesday 10 June @ 8.00pm Book Club meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month. Contact Sheila King Lassman skinglassman@gmail.com or Edgar Jacobsberg e.jacobsberg@gmail.com delving into judaism
Wednesdays 7.00pm. Adult class with Rabbi Rebecca exploring the building blocks of Judaism plus Hebrew classes. 17 June - Prayer 24 June - Eternal Life 1 July - Torah learn
Thursdays @ 1.00pm An hour’s learning with Rabbi Rebecca – with or without your own lunch. 11 June: Shelach Lecha - Facing the Fear and Doing it Anyway (The Book of Numbers and Erica Jong) 18 June: Pinchas - Societal Change & Moving On; Female Inheritance 25 June: Chukkat - Praying Sincerely in Modern Times 8
Sunday @ 10.00-11.00am, running on Zoom. All welcome to join for a friendly chat and topical discussion (bring your own coffee!) Suggestions for discussion topics are welcome to Adrian on adulteducation@fps.org 14 June: Wendy Lobatto on “What is our Judaism for? - an exploration of the meanings, hopes and practices of Café Ivriah members” 21 June: Rabbi Rebecca Birk “Torah conversation” - next week’s Portion Chukkat & onwards
Beit Midrash
coming up at fps
4, 11 & 18 June 7.00-9.00pm: Rabbi Danny Rich will be running a three-part course entitled Resilience and Recovery: Jewish Texts for Comfort and Inspiration and will explore ancient, medieval, 19th century and modern texts to get a perspective on our responses to the current pandemic. Links to course materials and some questions will be included in FPS emails. 25 June: 7.30-9.00pm New series entitled Justice begins with Jeremy Dein QC speaking on Criminal Justice Locked Down. The series continues in July.
people mazeltov to Rebecca Nathan who reads
Torah to mark her Bat Mitzvah on 13 June. condolences
To Lyn Karstadt and Philip, Elliott, Jonathan and Lauren on the death of Lyn’s mother Harriet Hartill. Rabbi Frank Hellner on the death of his nephew Sid Sobrower. happy birthday to the following members celebrating milestone birthdays in June: Amelia Mendel, our most senior member, who will be 104; Harold Ross; Gillian Jay; Janet Hart; Roy Balint-Kurti. happy anniversary to Sharon and David
Michael celebrating their 20th this month. 9
Notice Board thanks angela & paul wharton have been long
time pillars of FPS. Angela has also supported the office for a long time, kindly coming out of retirement two years ago to share with Pauline again and at the end of March she completed that role. We are so grateful for her dedication, vast knowledge of the community and kindness to all she has worked with. These have been strange days to mark any endings and beginnings but we thank Angela for all she has given to the running of our office. Looking forward to Shabbat mornings when we once more gather in our building when Angela can be a congregant again. With much gratitude and affection for her and Paul from the whole FPS community.
are delighted that we feel confident to go it alone from here on! greetings from tracie coggin, director, principal security services ltd
“Hi all, I just wanted to say hi to all of you, and say that I’m seeing everything you’re doing online, and it’s amazing. Totally unprofessional, but I miss you all so much. I miss the peace and tranquility of the Shul, and seeing all your lovely faces. I hope you are all staying safe and well, and I look forward to seeing you all very soon. Tracie x” “another poem about 97th birthday and coronavirus”
My mother, Sadie Westbury, is a member of the congregation and enjoyed the recent Shofar very much. She recently had her 97th birthday for which she wrote a poem (she writes one for all family occasions!) - Peter Westbury Now that I’m 97 I must be nearer to going to heaven But before I’m ready to go I want my children and family to know How much I love them all so I thank them for being so good to me And wish I could stay ‘til I’m a hundred and three
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We want to say a huge thank you to Gideon, our fantastic tech support. He has been so kind and so meticulous in helping us move our wonderful community online. He helped the office and individual members get online, kept our online spaces safe, and helped when stuff went wrong. We really appreciate his help and support and
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Today is my 97th birthday But there won’t be any celebration That’s because of Coronavirus Which has affected the whole of the nation Health service have been wonderful And had to work so hard My children have been to see me though And I hope that by this time next year This country will be virus-free
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Social Action & Social Justice During Lockdown north london school support & technology drop:
A few words from the donor at home point of view: My contribution is nothing out of the ordinary, but to encourage others I’d like to explain how easy it is, and beneficial for all concerned! 1. Tech equipment for families without the means to communicate online – we found we had a couple of clapped-out old laptops. Don’t worry about whether they work or what’s on them – a reliable professional firm will wipe and restore them. Phones too. 2. Arts & crafts, puzzles, and books for schools – we found we had a drawer full of coloured card, felt tips, stickers etc, that my teenage son has outgrown. Who doesn’t have at least something at the back of a cupboard? If you haven’t touched it for years you probably don’t need it. It’s a win-win – you get to declutter, and someone will really value and make use of your stuff. Moreover, if you are selfisolating yourself, it’s one thing you can do to help in the current situation, because we have a team of willing drivers who will pick up a box from outside your door and take it to where it’s needed. So come on people! Do get in touch via the links on this page. Adrian Lister
phones that are not being used please contact me at susannakester@gmail.com - thank you. Susanna Kester finchley food bank & food bank aid
We are self-isolating for lockdown so we were disappointed not to be able to go shopping with FPS donations for Finchley Food Bank, or to deliver goods people had donated. We have recently been lucky to get online shopping slots, and have been adding items for the Food Bank to our list. This weekend we were very proud to make the first FPS delivery to our new partner, Food Bank Aid. They collect and distribute food and household goods to over 10 food banks across North London, including
technology drop
Thank you so much to those that have already donated their spare laptops, tablets and phones. The most needy families in Barnet will be benefiting from them very soon and they have completed the first part of their journey! The old tech has been safely delivered to Janet and Pete from Young Barnet Foundation who will be taking it to Social Box to be cleared of data and then redistributed. They are desperate for more. So if you have any laptops/tablets/
Finchley Food Bank and the new food bank at St. Barnabas Church in North Finchley. In fact, we were so pleased to introduce Food Bank Aid to St. Barnabas, it is wonderful to be able to make a difference to a food bank so local to our synagogue and many of our members. Alison Rees & Peggy Sherwood Continued on page 12 11
Social Action & Social Justice During Lockdown lipsmacking lockdown bake-along
We were so delighted to bring seven households together to test out a recipe’s claim of ‘the best cookies in the world’. I would have to do lots more research (yum!) to confirm or deny that matter, but they are certainly the best social action cookies in the world! All our baking is going to staff at 25 local NHS hospitals and ambulance crews. We’re working with an organisation called You Donate We Deliver to make this happen. You Donate We Deliver are pausing their donations to NHS hospitals – good news, our NHS staff are now feeling less overwhelmed. We’re looking at new partners and recipients of baked goods, do you know of an organisation we should speak to? Plenty of people are keen to join our Lipsmacking Lockdown bake-alongs, which will be every week on Mondays – join in to try new recipes, or make your own favourites. Let us know you’re baking so we can arrange a fantastic delivery hero to collect them from your doorstep and take them to the NHS drop off spot. Zoe Jacobs
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Margot Katz’s Lipsmaking Lockdown cookies
Torquay to Tel Aviv The year is 1978. Last month, Braham told us how he had sold his interest in the Devonshire family furniture business and embarked on a trip around Europe with his wife, seeing old friends, before going to Israel. We rejoin them as they finally head for the Holy Land.
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e boarded a ferry for France, drove down to the south, then through to the Italian Riviera. We were heading for Ancona on the East coast of Italy, to catch our ferry to Haifa. The crossing was overnight and took several hours and finally we arrived in Haifa! Getting through Israeli Custom Control was ‘fun’. We were interviewed by two very serious female Customs officers with the usual questions and then they examined our transport. When they checked the caravan interior, they changed from being rather officious to excited interest – ‘look at this oven, fridge and sleeping arrangements’ they said to each other with big smiles. This was our first visit to Israel and having been brought up with various projects by my Cheder to raise money for trees and with the JNF Blue Box always visible in our home and that of our relations, it was quite an emotional moment setting foot in ‘The Promised Land’. We then drove to Nahariya which is situated close to the Lebanon border, found the campsite and checked in. Within minutes we were surrounded by Israelis telling us where and how to park!!! You will have to remember, I was brought up in Torbay where there were very few Jewish people, I was very Anglicised and unused to this direct approach which rather put my back up. My first culture shock!! The next day we set off (without caravan) visiting the ancient port of Akko and then on to Haifa. A beautiful City situated at the foot of the Carmel Hills with the fascinating Baha’i Gardens. The sea front featured a memorial where the SS
/ part two (of 3)
braham fredman
Exodus landed in 1947, with 4,500 survivors of the Holocaust. The next day we hitched up our caravan and set off for the Kinneret, which is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth. We found a pleasant camping ground between Tiberias and Capernaum and explored the area. We enjoyed buying St. Peter fish in the market at Tiberias and barbecuing them – delicious! Whilst at the Kinneret my lovely (now late) mother-inlaw joined us for a couple of days and always made us smile with her ‘Spoonerisms’ e.g. we were having a falafel whilst sitting by the lake. Writing home to her sister she wrote ‘we are having a ‘kerfuffle at the Knesset’! We were now in May and the weather was fantastic not too hot, YET!! We visited the Synagogue in Capernaum where we were informed it was where Jesus used to pray. No doubt the scholars amongst you may disagree? We couldn’t leave this area without driving up a very winding road to the top of the Golan Heights. Stupendous views almost to Akko, and well worth the effort. We left the following day, stopping in Safed, one of Israel’s oldest holy cities with cobbled streets and artist colonies. On to Megiddo to visit the museum featuring Armageddon that depicts a battle between good and evil leading to the end of the world. Scary stuff! Onwards to Caesarea‘s magnificent amphitheatre built by the Romans under Herod the Great, following the coast down to the lovely old port of Jaffa/Yaffo. Unhitched the caravan and went into Tel Aviv – not going to add anything as I’m sure most of you who have visited Israel will have been there. We left Tel Aviv the following day and headed to Ramat Rachel Kibbutz on the outskirts of Jerusalem. In next month’s final part: Braham heads into the desert, to some areas we definitely can’t visit now, and completes his year of travelling. Look out for that!
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Discovery of My Big Jewish Family project report from our twinned community keshet in mogilev, belarus
This ambitious FPS-supported project started in June 2019 and operated for 10 months, with the participation of 26 children/young adults and their families. In the first phase classes and activities took place mainly on Sundays in the community office. During the summer, some classes were held outdoors, giving an opportunity for more informal sessions and interaction between participants of different generations. Following a request from parents, classes on Jewish knowledge (prior to Kabbalat Shabbat) were added to the programme in September. The highlight of the project was the January Shabbaton, a ‘learning together’ experience for children, teenagers and adults. The participants were invited by the Minsk Beit Simcha Center to experience the dynamic of Jewish life in a big city and to take part in the event organised by the Progressive community in Minsk for International Holocaust Memorial Day. For Keshet it was the first ‘Shabbaton on wheels’. The coach left Mogilev very early in the morning and headed west. The group visited Iv’e (Grodno region) and its museum of religions. They learned about the history of the Shtetl and attended a class in the newly opened Jewish section of the museum. Families had a tour around the place that still has the structure of the pre-WWII Shtetl, visited “the circle of history” in the area of the old Jewish cemetery and the Holocaust Memorial. The next stop was Volozhin, home of the famous Yeshiva ‘Em haYeshivot’. Every stop was an interesting place to visit and learn about, but the participants also shared what they had learned at home before the trip. The interaction between people
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of different ages was great. In the evening the group from Mogilev took part in the opening ceremony of the exhibition for the International Holocaust Memorial Day in the Palace of the Republic in Minsk, and later the Shabbaton continued at a resort outside Minsk. Children and adults had time for informal age-appropriate classes and for time together: they prayed together, watched and discussed a special movie and took part in an interactive class. The trip itself and the excitement of a shared inter-generational experience has brought the community together and inspired more active involvement.
Discovery of My Big Jewish Family Feedback from participants: Recently I attended the Shabbaton Project ‘Discovery of My Big Jewish Family’ with the Keshet community of the city of Mogilev. The participants were of different ages, but this did not stop us spending time not only interestingly but also with benefit. In a short period of time we visited several cities and learned a lot about Belorussian Jewish history and had an unforgettable experience. The first city we visited was Iv’e. For many it was a surprise that in Belarus there is such a city. We visited the Iv’e Museum of National Cultures and had the opportunity to see the Belarusian Jews exhibition. The museum cherishes the memory of the culture of the Jewish people, and in that place we had the opportunity to conduct a very memorable service. We also visited the World War II exhibition, where we touched on one of the greatest tragedies of humanity, the Holocaust. At the end, we saw a wonderful performance of battles. From this city we got indescribable memories and emotions. After that we visited the world-famous Volozhin Yeshiva and learned the interesting history of this place and its students. We read a poem written by Nahman Bialik, who was a student at the Yeshivah and learned about its other famous students. The adventure did not end there - awaiting us was the incredible opening of the exhibition in the city of Minsk in the Palace of the Republic: we will remember this moment for a long time. We are grateful for the opportunity to take part in this. And after
we went to the recreation center, we had the opportunity to wish a participant of our seminar a Happy Birthday, and then to summarise the results of a busy day in a warm, friendly atmosphere. The next day began with Shacharit followed by lectures on different Jewish topics. Then we had a tour of the Jewish places of Minsk, saw where the first Zionist conference in Russia
took place, visited memorials and had time for questions. There are not enough words to describe the emotions of these days. They were very rich, there was a lot of information, but you do not feel tired, you feel happiness and joy for the opportunity to be in such a place. The Keshet community is incredibly grateful to Finchley Progressive Synagogue for the opportunity to participate in such a project. Thank you for making it possible! Lera Haimova
Continued on page 16 15
keshet project report / cont. from p. 15
‘Discovery of My Big Jewish Family’ provides special opportunities for our community in the Jewish world. Weekly lectures and classes in different age groups from summer 2019 - a lot of new information. The Shabbaton was amazing! We were housed in the recreational center in Zhdanovichi (Minsk district), as one big family.
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An interactive lesson and the documentary film “Triumph of the Spirit” were very powerful and gave all of us, people of different generations, time to discuss the topics that were close to us including the value of human life and the real value of helping each other. Madrichim led informal sessions for youth and adults. Religious services were very special for us. Before we returned to Mogilev, we had an unforgettable tour around the Jewish quarter in Minsk. Late at night when the bus took our group to Minsk, we knew that these few days together made us a stronger community and made us into a big Jewish family. We are very grateful to Finchley Progressive Synagogue for giving us a unique opportunity to learn and experience a lot. Lena Kuznetsova
What have some of our youngest members been up to during lockdown? lily pepper: turning six with a cake
Things feel strange and to be learning at home is silly. I miss everybody at school because they make good games. I had my 6th birthday in lockdown which was fun because mummy and daddy let me throw confetti. I had a map to find all my presents around the home, and my favourite present was a camera. I get to do lots of sofa stands (which is standing upside down on the sofa), and get to play lots with my sister, Eloise. annabel levy: busier than ever
Annabel has been very busy during the lockdown: baking, making and story-telling. Her favourite thing to bake is bread. She loves making different shaped rolls as well of course as Challah bread! We’ve eaten mermaid, swan and teddy bear shaped rolls! She’s also made chocolate cake dinosaurs and shortbread biscuits. She’s done lots of arts and crafts including making dinosaur handprint pictures, butterflies out of tissue paper and cakes out of play dough. She’s made a large pirate ship out of card and paper with Matt. She loves acting out stories with Matt and me and her dolls. These often involve princesses and princes. We’ve done lots of local walks too and had caterpillars which we watched transform into butterflies and then released. Annabel looks forward to Shabbatots every Friday. Francesca Levy & Matt & Annabel
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Contacts
fps website: www.fps.org
finchley progressive synagogue
Life President: Sheila King Lassman
54 Hutton Grove N12 8DR 020 8446 4063 www.fps.org facebook.com/finchleyprog Rabbi Rebecca Birk – rabbi@fps.org
Vice Presidents: Renzo Fantoni, Josie Kinchin, Alex Kinchin-Smith, Laura Lassman, Lionel King Lassman, John Lewis, Paul Silver-Myer, Andrea Rappoport, Joan Shopper
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 executive 2020
Chair: Cathy Burnstone, chair@fps.org Vice-Chair: Anjanette Pavell, ViceChairAP@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 Keep In Touch Team (contacting members): reached via Pauline in FPS office Website Editor: Philip Karstadt fpswebsite@fps.org
Treasurer: Chris Nash, treasurer@fps.org
Shofar Editor: Darren Beach shofar@fps.org
Honorary Secretary: Tamara Joseph, honsec@fps.org
Shofar Team: Sarah Rosen-Webb, Deb Hermer
board members
Sam King, sam@fps.org Phillip Raphael, security@fps.org Ann Pelham, apelham@fps.org Roy Balint-Kurti, roybk@fps.org
FPS Office: administrator@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: Alan Banes
ashley page
janet tresman
insurance brokers
mediator & collaborative family law solicitor
Commerce House 2a Litchfield Grove London N3 2TN
Altermans Solicitors 239 Regents Park Road, London N3 3LF
Tel. 020 8349 5100
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Office phone: 0208 346 1777 Email: janet@altermans.co.uk