June-July 2022
the magazine of finchley progressive synagogue
Harvests of Our Lives
From the Editor... One might seemingly find it difficult to conceptualise the notion of ‘first fruits’ with a daily commute on the London Underground. These were certainly not the kind of first fruits I anticipated picking. However, after recently gleaning a bouquet of airborne viral infections from superficially benign commuters, it dawned on me that this experience (and exposure) was, for me, symbolic of ‘first fruits’. It had been nearly a decade since I used the Tube to commute to work. Once I had leapt over the hurdle of passing my British driving test, I no longer needed to be consistently disappointed with train delays and conductors who were taking their tea break, no longer requiring mass transit to reach my place of employment. Promptly, I bought a car and gratefully began driving to work in Hertfordshire and subsequently, North London. Only now, coming out of the pandemic and into a new career, do I find myself needing to commute again by public transport - this time into the City. And while the early morning routine often feels like I’m engaging in some kind of extreme sport, it is also a kind of ritual - one that encompasses everything about my life’s journey that’s come before and everything that lies ahead. The seeds I planted years ago and have cultivated along the way have matured and grown and now, they are bearing Cover: Dean Staker (top row, second from right) with the Shabbat Resouled band. Photo taken by Stanley Volk
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monica rabinowitz
their first fruits. I’m currently working in a role I’ve never done before and in an industry I have no previous experience of. And while this is all somewhat terrifying, simultaneously, it is all new and bursting with life - and, it is also just the first harvest of this journey. In this double issue of Shofar, we will be welcoming in Shavuot and with it, the opportunity to hear from those in our community who have been cultivating their roots, shoots, and leaves, and honouring the first fruits of their labour. Wishing you continued strength, enthusiasm, courage, and commitment, and a joyous Mazel Tov on all of your endeavours!
Illustration: Miroslav Sasek, from ‘This is London’
Copy deadline is the 10th of each month. Please email all content to shofar@fps.org
From the Rabbi I
love Monica’s theme this month: The harvests of our lives. ‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy’ is a verse I have always loved. Every time we embark on a new project, idea, or development we have no idea how it will turn out and generally, we are always the richer for having tried. Shavuot is the festival of the reciting of the Torah - where we connect to Torah, learning, and Ruth as the first convert. It’s all about change and growth and commitment. Change of direction - ‘Where you go I will go, where you live I will live, your God will be my God’ - change, growth, and transformation shines out of this festival in the early days of June. It is also one of our harvest festivals where bikkurim - first fruits - were (and still are) brought. This doesn’t have to mean barley and flowers, although those are beautiful. Shavuot is also, for the purposes of this edition of Shofar, a celebration of our first fruits of efforts and toiling. In our Musar course we looked at the middah of alacrity, zeal, and enthusiasm. Of how we harness energy and intention. It’s known as zerizut in Hebrew. We discovered that balance is key - neither hastiness nor prevarication. The celebration of our first fruits, our personal achievements, is a homage to mastering our motivation and energy for something that gives us joy and pride. See these words by the 13th century Rabbi Jonah Gerondi: Motivation is as much a key to spiritual endeavour as any other activity. Meditation will have no impact if not done regularly. How can your prayer life have any effect if you seldom rouse yourself to pray with concentration and
rabbi rebecca birk
passion? It is just a fact that your soultraits will gradually fade from your field of vision when you don’t recite a morning affirmation or keep an evening journal.” Shaarei Teshuvah So he insists if a person will not rouse himself - of what benefit is anything else? Here’s to the balance of endeavour and thoughtfulness, and the opportunity to celebrate the fruits of our hands, hearts, and intellect.
Rabbi Rebecca Birk, Rabbi Charley Baginsky CEO of Liberal Judaism UK, Daniel Taub (former UK ambassador to Israel), LJ Chair Ruth Seager and LJ Treasurer and FPS President Paul Silver-Myer at FPS on Yom Ha’atzma’ut
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From the Chair S
ome of you may have noticed that I have disappeared from view in recent weeks. I’ve been neglecting many of my synagogue responsibilities and failing to respond to phone calls and e-mails. I’ve been immersed in a line of work that is completely new to me and indeed to all of us – supporting the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship programme. I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in any project where things evolved and changed so quickly. Whatever we were thinking about last week already feels ‘so last week’! No-one expected Putin to invade Ukraine on February 24th. It seems as if even the government was taken more or less by surprise when, with no notice and little planning, they rushed out the new Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme on 18 March. They were frankly astonished and completely unprepared when 200,000 people immediately signed up to host. In the absence of any detail about how the scheme would actually be implemented, civil society and lone individuals rushed into the vacuum and started making it up as we went along, trying to fill in the gaps retroactively. I was involved in the old Community Sponsorship Scheme since the program first launched and was a key volunteer for two community sponsorship projects for Syrian refugee families. I’m co-chair of Barnet Citizens and I’ve been an active campaigner on refugee issues with them since 2015. Immediately, I knew what some of the gaps were in the new 4
tamara joseph
scheme which we could help fill. Citizens UK took a lead in planning, to safely ensure delivery of this ungainly new program. Unlike our government, which amongst the governments of Europe almost uniquely has no representatives directly supporting refugee resettlement efforts at Ukraine’s borders, Citizens UK was quick to establish links with organisations on the ground in Krakow and to set up an internet portal for Ukrainians seeking sponsorship and a matching process. They needed 20 strategic partners, each identifying hosts for 50 refugees in order to get the process started. Barnet Citizens was one of the first organisations to sign up to partner with them by identifying hosts for 50 people to come to Barnet. FPS has played a pioneering leadership role in all of this. When the matching portal went live, it was a completely new and unfamiliar process. In the last three weeks, Maxine Klein of FRS and Deb Hermer and I have been working frantically to match Ukrainians seeking sponsorship to hosts in our synagogue communities. This week, the first Ukrainians matched through the project arrived in Barnet and other visas are beginning to come through. Citizens UK is now a ‘Recognised Provider’ of the scheme. We have had the most wonderful response from members volunteering, helping to provide myriad support for both hosts and guests. Organising support before any arrivals came, though, has been challenging. Barnet has had an exceptionally large number of visa applications – over 450 last time I looked. Continued on page 14
From Zoe S
havuot is about first fruits. Only last year, as part of the adult B’nei Mitzvah programme, I read the verses from Leviticus telling us we shouldn’t eat fruit from trees in their first years of flowering. Instead, the fruits should be left to drop and renourish the tree, strengthening it for years to come. We can pick fruit, Torah tells us, after the third year. The message is ‘Don’t celebrate too determinedly the first time you achieve a new skill’ (or ‘stick it’ as was the terminology I learnt as a gymnast). Instead, continue to practise, using the success as motivation and confidence to know you can do it. But, after the third success in a row, you can celebrate more freely, reassured that this is a talent you really have grasped. So, as we begin to travel into the quieter summer months, what are the fruits of FPS that have appeared, tentatively, for the very first time this year? And what are the fruits that have stuck around and seem to be truly embedded in our lives? Our Kabbalat Torah group participated in the Harry Jacobi Memorial Project this year. In its second reincarnation, it feels like we have clearer aims, and certainly the extraordinary Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony our teens ran, with guest Janine Webber BEM, was a tribute to their hard work and thoughtfulness. Festival Explorers, a programme that brings young families on the journey of our Jewish festivals cycle, completes its first run in June. Five families, with a total of ten children, have celebrated, baked, crafted, and tasted their way
zoe jacobs
through the year. (Find out more on p.15!) Our General Purposes Committee, started by the wonderful Barbara Shulman, has had such a profound impact on our building. From clear cupboards to re-loved siddurim to a calmer kitchen, they have made life for the congregation (and certainly the staff!) a lot less stressful. I had a fascinating conversation with my mum, who cried upon hearing ‘Gesher Tzar Me’od’ sung at my cousin’s B’mitzvah. The English translation is ‘All the world is a very narrow bridge, but the key is not to be afraid’. I have always considered this to be a jolly song, accompanied at FPS with gestures and dancing. For my mother, the song is incredibly personal. On initially hearing it years ago, she felt like it had been written for her. As her calm and solid bridge of life progressively crumbled beneath her, it left her feeling like she was on a very narrow bridge indeed. She said ‘I remember feeling I had to look straight ahead, like if you’re on a high walkway and you’re scared of heights. I couldn’t put my arms out to steady me, because the path had become too narrow even for that. I just had to identify the end point and put one foot very slowly and purposefully in front of the other, in the knowledge – or maybe the hope – that it would get better’. Thankfully (!) life at FPS isn’t that intense. But, I have new insight - both into the song and the faith that is required when starting new projects. My bridge isn’t that narrow but certainly is at its narrowest when starting something new – and I’m delighted (and a bit relieved) that most of the projects have worked out pretty well!
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From the Honorary Secretary time for some renewal
This Shabbat, I sat in synagogue and listened to Rebecca speaking about the courage of Liberal Judaism to continually reflect, to challenge, and to renew. As we celebrate 120 years of Liberal Judaism, I feel we are so lucky at Finchley to have such a strong, vibrant, brave, and inclusive community that is part of this courageous national network. Now the time has come for us to do some more renewal; it is time to renew our FPS Articles of Association which govern the way in which we conduct our business as a community and a charitable organisation. The articles were last renewed in 2016 and as we have grown and developed as a community, we find ourselves somewhat constrained by existing policies and procedures. We will be asking members of the community to join a short General Meeting which will be held just before our regular AGM on Thursday, 7 July. At this meeting, we will propose the following changes to our articles: 1. Make an amendment to allow a hybrid Annual General Meeting so that members are able to attend both in person and on Zoom. 2. Amend the articles governing the election of trustees and executive officers so that where there is a contested election, voting is carried out by mail or e-mail 24 hours in advance of the Annual General Meeting. The result will be announced at the AGM. This is to allow everyone to vote equally, whether they attend in person or on Zoom. 3. Change the term Synagogue ‘Board’ to Synagogue ‘Council’, as this is the term regularly in use across the community.
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paula kinchin - smith
4. Update the terms ‘Chairman’ and ‘Chairmen’ to be replaced with the terms Chair and Chairs throughout. 5. Remove the requirement for two trustees to step down each year and then re-stand for election. This will enable those members that have made a commitment to serving our community in this way to fulfil their term of office. 6. Update the wording that defines who a congregant is in our community to reflect our membership more accurately, thereby confirming that spouses and partners of congregants can become members of the community and then continue to be members in their own right, if they so wish. 7. Make a slight amendment to the wording of the timing of nomination forms to allow administrators time to process nominations in advance of the AGM. We are sure that these slight changes will allow us to continue to run a little more smoothly as an organisation. If you have any questions about these changes please feel free to contact Paula Kinchin-Smith or Tamara Joseph: honsec@fps.org / chair@fps.co.uk. We do hope you can join us at the General meeting followed by the AGM on 7 July.
A Year In Council & What It’s Reaped T
he Synagogue Council is the captain of the good ship FPS. They steer our direction, embed our ethos, support our staff, and ensure our money. And hopefully, like all good captains, they’ve been calm and breezy over the past year. But what’s been going on ‘below deck’? welfare :
Beverley Kafka joined Council a year ago: “Community support was an area that needed developing and I felt I could contribute to this and develop it. I have created a team able to make and deliver festival gifts to members, with Barbara Shulman, we have re-ignited the Monday Afternoon Club, and we have an ongoing care support team. I have met so many wonderful people from all walks of life and across the generations. Developing community support has been challenging due to the pandemic, but the people I am working with are amazing. Hopefully I will be able to meet many more people in person in the coming months as we all start to get back into the building more”. covid :
Sam King, in her 5th year on Council said that the challenges of the last 2 years have sometimes made for a more urgent engagement with how we make synagogue life work. “It has been fulfilling to see how the Council and the Synagogue have responded to both the exodus and, in the past year, the return from exile”.
zoe jacobs
personnel :
Gordon Greenfield joined Council last year and notes that, occasionally, it is the driest of subjects that need prioritising! Our security warden training, complaints procedure, updated safeguarding policies, the evacuation and invacuation procedures, and health and safety planning have all been the focus of this year’s Council. And amongst all the achievements, I asked, what’s it like to be on Council? beverley kafka : I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my fellow Council members. The meetings are full and busy. There is always lots to discuss. Being a Council member has enabled me to get to know the synagogue, be able to contribute to it, as well as benefit from it. sam king :
It’s my 5th year on Council and I have loved every minute of it. Well, almost every minute of it. I hope that I have been a helpful voice on Council and that sometimes, if my additions have not always been as thoughtful as some, they have at least lightened the tone.
gordon greenfield : I feel privileged to be a part of a dedicated, forward thinking, busy group who all have the genuine interest of moving FPS forward.
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FPS People’s Page people welcome to new members
Tom & Victoria Rich with Levi & Otis; Jenny & Simon Arlington with Charles & Anthony mazal tov to
The Abery, Ritchie and Mellins families on the arrival of Evie Ida Hetty Ritchie, a daughter for Lauren Abery & Jamie Ritchie, sister for Benny, granddaughter for Jane & Godfrey Mellins & niece for Victoria Abery. Maia Rosenberg whose Bat Mitzvah Dvar Torah won Liberal Judaism’s Best Under 18 Sermon. (see page 16 for an extract from Maia’s sermon). happy birthday to the following members who celebrate milestone birthdays in June and July: Philippa Carr Woolf, Lesley Trenner, Shirley Luder, Raymond Dwek, Annabel Robin, Robert Lobatto, Harold Ross, Bobbie Hood, Amelia Mendel (our senior member who will be 106), Monty Bixer, Elad Levin, Paul Angel, Daniel Balint-Kurti, Ariella Combe, Beryl Lewis,
Derek Phillips, Gill Sargeant, Nelleke Sofizade, Steven Valens happy anniversary to the following couples who celebrate milestone birthdays in June and July: Deborah Dor & Mary-Jane Low their 10th, Deborah & Mark Laikin their 15th, Ruth & David Hoffmann their 20th, Robert Lobatto & Dalia Lyons their 25th, Karen Goodman & Edward Levy their 25th, Aaron & Margot Katz their 50th & Janet & Andrew Hart their 50th. stone settings
The stone setting for Miriam Bixer, beloved wife of Monty, will be at 10am on Sunday 12 June at Edgwarebury Cemetery and will be officiated by Rabbi Rebecca Birk The stone setting for Sylvia Mendoza, mother of Jane Mellins and Carole Cecil, will be at 12.30pm on Sunday 10 July at Edgwarebury Cemetery and will be officiated by Rabbi Rebecca Birk
note from rabbi rebecca about woodland burials
Edgwarebury Cemetery no longer has access to the woodland area for new burials. Those whose partners have been buried there already have reserved plots but for woodland burials we will be using Cheshunt woodland grounds. I want to reassure you they are beautiful, peaceful and have access to the very
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special round prayer hall - ohel - that holds the services. Please be in touch with me at rabbi@fps.org if you’d like to talk more. I understand shifting expectations is always hard but I believe this is a very good alternative. All other burials and services at Edgewarebury are unaffected.
Beit Tefillah
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.
services - june & july / sivan to tamuz to av Friday 3 June
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 4 June
11.00am Shabbat B’Yachad 6.30pm Erev Shavuot Service & Learning
Sunday 5 June
11.00am Shavuot Service
Friday 10 June
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 11 June
11.00am Shabbat Service celebrating Adult B’not Mitzvah
Friday 17 June
6.30pm Shabbat Resouled
Saturday 18 June
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 24 June
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 25 June
11.00am Shabbat Service celebrating Shmuel Wade Bar Mitzvah
Friday 1 July
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by Kabbalat Torah Graduation Class
Saturday 2 July
11.00am Shabbat Service led by Kabbalat Torah Graduation Class & LJ Open Shabbat
Friday 8 July
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 9 July
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 15 July
6.30pm Shabbat Resouled
Saturday 16 July
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 22 July
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 23 July
11.00am Shabbat Service
Friday 29 July
6.30pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday 30 July
11.00am Shabbat Service
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Beit Knesset
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community events , all welcome !
Beit Midrash
coming up at fps
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FPS Inclusive Kabbalat Shabbat O
ur second FPS Inclusive Kabbalat Shabbat service was exceptional. Zoe (our Community, Education, & Development Manager) prepared a workshop sequencing the stages of getting ready for Shabbat for those of us who may have difficulty doing this independently. Our daughter and friends from Langdon Jewish Supported Housing were invited to the workshop. Participants were asked to join a treasure hunt searching for a white tablecloth, candlesticks, candles, a Kiddush cup and wine, and challot hidden around the room. The excitement mounted as items were found and the Kiddush tables prepared. Finally, participants took it in turns to read the blessings from beautifully illustrated laminated sheets they took home to practise from on Friday nights. They were rewarded with tasty Kiddush snacks before going into the service led by Dean Staker and Rabbi Rebecca. It was a shorter, musical, interactive, and joyful Shabbat service. Our daughter and a friend even
a message from zoe jacobs
I am delighted that our Inclusive Service and the workshop beforehand was so successful. There is something special about preparing for Shabbat – however you celebrate it. The image of a white tablecloth, shabbat candles, and some challah is so rich in Jewish culture and belonging. Everyone is – and should always feel – a sense of belonging at FPS, and indeed every synagogue. The sequencing worksheets, Makaton plans, and siddurim are available to anyone who wants them! Please do email me on zoe@fps.org for more information.
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irris & sid singer
said the blessings for the candles in front of the congregation! By the joy on their faces we could see they felt truly included and enriched. Besides wanting to share this experience with FPS members, for our daughter, her friends, and the parents, we would like to register the event as an important learning experience in the annals of ‘synagogue inclusivity’. Zoe, an experienced educator, used her professional skills to create a shared learning situation which enriched the individual and the community. It was a combination of play (the treasure hunt), practise (laying up two Kiddush tables), and finally reading and internalising the blessings via the whole workshop and the illustrated sheets. Different aides may be needed for those of us with other difficulties in accessing the service and community; we feel sure Zoe and others will be able to provide them. A blessing on all those who put so much thought and time into preparing the inclusive service.
Around FPS rosh chodesh
community support
On a warm Wednesday evening in early May, a small but committed group of enthusiasts gathered around a large block of clay. With Andrea Narcin as our guide, we pressed and squeezed and patted and coiled until the lumps of clay turned into vague representations of pinch pots, coil pots, and ‘free form’ items. We had fun, laughing and chatting the evening away. If the purpose of Rosh Chodesh is to give women a space and time to relax and share, the recent evening surely fit the bill.
I was very humbled last month to read what Tamara wrote about me and I am very grateful for all the people who help make and deliver the gift bags; make phone calls to people; pop home cooked food into our older members on their own; support the bereaved; collect people to bring to services; or support our members in any other way. We have an incredible group of dedicated people here at FPS. But I am asking for more as it is now time to develop our community care and support. As we start to emerge from the pandemic, we have various members that need support, whether it be in visits from people, help to go for a short walk, lifts to enable them to come to shul events, or even a trip out once in a while. Our lives are very hectic, but if you feel you can spare an hour or two whether it be weekly or fortnightly, then please get in touch. Your contribution will be so invaluable. My second request is for people or families who would be willing to host others once in a while for a Friday night or festival, so they are not alone, or because they have never made Shabbat or Yom Tov before and would like to experience it with others in a home. I look forward to hearing from you if you can offer to volunteer in some way. Please feel free to contact me if you would like support of any sort, to join others for a Friday night, or know someone who needs support. Shalom and have a good summer. Beverley Kafka / beverley@fps.org
So that we can include everybody, I will try to alternate our monthly meetings between Zoom and in person. The next Rosh Chodesh evening will be on Zoom at 7.30 pm on Monday 6th June, when Amanda Weiss, Operations Manager at Together in Barnet, will be telling us about homelessness in Barnet and what TIB are doing to tackle it. Sarah Rosen Webb & Andrea Narcin
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Jewish Women’s Aid & Shavuot ‘ where you go , i shall go ’
Shavuot is a joyous and inspiring festival where seemingly simple customs are followed by many of us. There are no strict rules and most of us think of this as an enjoyable time when we may choose to go to services to celebrate the giving of Torah, read and teach the inspirational story of Ruth, enjoy cheesecake, and even stay up all night to read Torah and learn. Let us also turn our thoughts to those women in our midst who are living without these freedoms while possibly appearing to be in happy and secure homes, marriages, and relationships. There is always an increase in the requests for help from Jewish Women’s Aid at the time of festivals and holidays and Shavuot will not be a time of joy for women living under the tyranny of violence or control within their own homes. It will not offer opportunities for enjoying festive foods or learning and study for those women who are prevented from going to synagogue, or indeed anywhere, and for women who are controlled by and are terrified of those they live with. Ruth’s story shows that kindness and loyalty
are valuable qualities which can be recognised and rewarded. Women in abusive relationships are denied such recognition or respect. Boaz reminds us that there are good men who value the worth and rights of women. He treated Ruth well in a world where this was in his gift, where women’s destinies were controlled by men. We wish we had moved on from this. Sadly, across the world, we are seeing shocking examples of the clock turning back on women’s rights and an increase in violence against women and girls. Let us remember the women who need the help of Jewish Women’s Aid at this time of year. Let us offer our support to this organisation as best we can, even whilst there is so much other necessary demand on our generosity right now. Let us remember that any woman can need their services at any time. Jewish Women’s Aid are very grateful for the relationship and help, in terms of fundraising and awareness-raising, which FPS has offered over the last two years. As we move to make relationships with new charities, let us stay loyal to this vital organisation and remember the women in our communities who depend on their support.
from the chair / cont . from p .4
Yesterday, we launched a new group on Facebook - Homes for Ukraine Finchley and began to promote it on social media. Already, we have a thriving new local community on Facebook and WhatsApp, supporting hosts who weren’t known to us or to each other before yesterday, but who are now swapping experiences and arranging playdates.
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andrea collett
New work, new neighbours, new arrivals, new relationships, and new communities – a lot of new beginnings already bearing wonderful fruit!
Natasha, Melania & Stefania
margot katz
That was then… Poltava, Ukraine Just 3 short months ago, mum Natasha and her 9 year old twins, Melania and Stefania, were doing just what we’re all doing; living a good, ordinary life. She was working in the family business with her husband, enjoying friends, surrounded by family, renovating their new home in the country. The girls were having fun at school, loving their gymnastics and playing endlessly with their little Westie, Michelle. All breathing a sigh of relief that at last COVID was abating and they could start to live again. And then the Russians invaded. And this is now … Mill Hill London Separated from her husband, from her mother, from Michelle (the Westie), with their friends scattered all around Europe, Natasha and the girls arrived exhausted, from Poland (after some needlessly cruel bureaucracy and inefficiency by both the British Embassy and Wizz Air) to an emotional welcome from her brother-in-law Alex and his family, who live in Mill Hill. Tears of relief were wept; they were safe. And this is where Aaron and I came in … We’ve known Alex for years. He’s been our saintly and often heroic IT guru for a very long time. As soon as the Russians invaded, we were on the phone to him talking about what was going on and how his family were faring. He was working round the clock to get their visas and passage to London sorted, desperate to get them safely out. His main concern was that he didn’t have any room in his compact home to house three extra people. And that’s exactly what we did have. Space enough for Natasha and the girls, which afforded them and us plenty of privacy.
And that’s where we are now. Whatever the fear and anxiety about what’s happening in the Ukraine (stories for another time) they are settling well. The girls are doing brilliantly at school; they have joined a gymnastics class, their English is coming on in leaps and bounds. Aaron helped Natasha find a job in the local garden centre, which she loves. They’re lovely, lovely people and we enjoy their company. The girls spend lots of time with us helping, baking, chatting; Natasha prefers her own space and will only join us if we invite her to. Super respectful. They spend much of their weekends with Alex getting to know London so we still have plenty of time on our own. ‘I feel I ought to be a host’… so many people think this But it’s really, really not for everyone. And there are many, many other ways to help. Our community is building a circle of care and support around both hosts and Ukrainians and there are myriad ways to join the circle. More and more anon. Until then, drink a toast to displaced families and wish them a hearty ‘L’chaim’! 15
Conversion to Judasim I finished the conversion in March 2022, after 18 months. Of course, achieving the process of conversion was the end of one thing and the beginning of another. However, this is not as binary as it sounds since my life didn’t radically change from one day to another. But the process of conversion definitely taught me how to find my place amongst Jewish people and especially, how to feel legitimate with it. Indeed, as a converting person it was complicated for me not to feel trapped in this ‘in between’, where I had one foot in and one foot out. For instance, when I was asked by someone I had never met before ‘Are you Jewish?’, it was very complicated to answer. A part of me wanted to say yes, but the other part felt like it was not correct because it wasn’t true - yet. This process to feel legitimate was very progressive and I think that this is also why extract of maia rosenberg ’ s bat mitzvah dvar torah which won liberal judaism ’ s best under 18 sermon
When God gave the commandments and covenant at Sinai, Moses directed all the instructions only to the men. There is a shocking verse in Exodus where Moses said to the men “do not go near a woman”. This shows sexism was alive and real as he only talked to the male half of the community. It is interesting and confusing to see that after years of being discriminated against by the Egyptians they still don’t treat everyone in their community as equal. But by my portion in Deuteronomy, we can see how times have changed: Moses lists all the people included in the community and mentions women, children, newcomers and those who did the manual labour. Seeing this change in the way the Torah is written from the first book to the last means 16
lorene lucot
the conversion to Judaism takes at least one year. Learning about the religion, itself, is one thing, but learning where you belong in the Jewish community was another one for me. The conflict in Israel a year ago was a strong highlight in my journey. I had, like all of us, witnessed the rise of antisemitism, especially on social media. And for the first time, I felt like a part of the community. I felt personally attacked and targeted by antisemitism. Today, after two months after conversion, I don’t have this dilemma about what to answer when people ask me if I am Jewish. I am also coming more often to the synagogue and I am trying to meet some members (the pandemic didn’t help). I know I have my place amongst Jewish people, but I will still need some time to feel totally legitimate to claim it.
a lot to me as a Jew and as a woman. It isn’t much and there is still much more that can be improved, but it’s one of the first steps towards equality in the Torah that we can see. Obviously, the patriarchy in Judaism continued to be very common, and it is only in the last few hundred years, when both reform and progressive Judaism started to gain popularity, that women have had a bigger part in their communities. At one time, and currently in some synagogues, women sit separately from the men, hidden behind a screen. Today, in this synagogue we all sit together as equals. Traditionally men would wear a kippah and tallit and women would not. Today I am wearing my great grandfather’s tallit which passed down to my parents who were married beneath it and now I stand under it to become bat mitzvah.
there ’ s no tomorrow
On 30 April I took part in a National Youth Theatre production called Like There’s No Tomorrow. I was lucky enough to play the lead, and though there were only nine of us in the cast, we managed to make a pretty cool performance.
The premise was centred around a young girl called Maru, living in a city with lots of pollution, while struggling to cope with her asthma. One day, the city becomes so impacted by pollution and other problems that a giant crack splits through it. The people are horrified, but instead of trying to find solutions to the problems at hand, they do awful things like blaming it on ‘eco-terrorists’, documenting it on social media, and even going as far as to throw their rubbish in the crack. Every time something bad happens in the city, the crack grows bigger and bigger and Maru doesn’t know how to stop it.
I liked the production because I felt it deeply resonated with me – like Maru, I often feel helpless and unable to stop things from happening around me. There are a lot of issues in the world at the moment, and for lots of young people like Maru and me, it feels like our opinions aren’t always listened to. In the past few years, it’s become more and more evident that the climate crisis is growing, and yet it feels like nobody’s really doing anything. People say that they’ll consider walking more and driving less, or that they’ll turn off their lights after they leave a room – but how many of us actually follow through with these promises? I, for one, know that I’m guilty of not always recycling packaging that could be reused, or not always eating organic vegetables. It’s obviously hard to completely change your life around, but it feels like the entire world has a very negative, discouraged attitude which really saddens me. The production taught me a lot of things – how to be brave and stand up for what I’m passionate about, but also how to get out of my comfort zone and make connections with really interesting people I’ve never met before (about 80% Jewish by the way). I remember at the first rehearsal, I could barely speak, let alone act, but by the day of the performance, I had made eight new friends and found a passion that Iove. Maia Rosenberg
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a thank you from the millers
As we embark on Shavuot and the theme of ‘First Fruits’, which looks at fresh beginnings, it felt right to thank Rabbi Rebecca, Zoe, and the Finchley Progressive community for bringing our family on-board the Festival Explorers’ journey. Our two sons have enjoyed getting to know their Jewish roots in a nurturing environment. The program has weaved in the joy of learning with many fantastic, fun activities. Our nine-year-old was so inspired during Passover that he wrote a speech for the 1st night of Seder.
‘Thank you for building this amazing community we feel grateful to be part of. Festival Explorers has been so nice for me and I have learned a lot. I really like being with my friends, and all the activities we have done have been fun! Can’t wait for the next festival.’ Fallon Miller, age 9
shmuel wade bar mitzvah 25 june
Hello, my name is Shmuel and on my Bar Mitzvah I will be reading parashat Korach (Numbers 17), which tells the story of a rebellion led by Abiram and his supporters. In particular, the portion refers to how the gift of speaking to God should be shared amongst the Israelite community, though after criticising God, Abiram and his supporters were swallowed into the earth, showing God’s authority is not to be questioned. From understanding the portion, I’ve become interested in social and political freedom and an individual’s right to question authority.
I am currently in Year 8 at JCoSS and enjoy learning Hebrew and wish to take it further. My hobbies include playing the saxophone, football, and cooking. I’m excited about my Bar Mitzvah, as it is part of growing up as a Jew and brings me closer to my Israeli family. I’d like to thank John Rubinstein for helping develop my Hebrew reading and teaching me my parasha, Zoe and the Ivriah teachers for helping me better understand my connection to Judaism, Rabbi Rebecca for overseeing my development and helping me put together my Dvar Torah, and the community at FPS.
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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: Ann Pelham, apelham@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
board members
Gordon Greenfield, gordon@fps.org Beverley Kafka, beverley@fps.org Sam King, sam@fps.org Mike Rocks, mike@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
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