July/August 2019 VOL. XLVI No. 4
Liberal Judaism is a constituent of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
www.liberaljudaism.org
ljtoday
Never to be forgotten
LIBERAL JUDAISM is mourning two of its most beloved and inspirational rabbis. Rabbi Harry Jacobi MBE (left) died on 24 April 2019. Less than one week later, on 30 April, we learned of the death of Rabbi Dr David J Goldberg OBE (right). In this special edition, we pay tribute to two leaders who helped define our movement.
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In Memory
July/August 2019
‘I hope I may have touched others with
Rabbi Dr David J Goldberg OBE dictated these stirring final words in the last weeks of bread of finest flour whereas in Rabba’s house even the coarsest bread was in short supply. Yet both were righteous men and so “life, children and wealth do not depend on merit but upon luck”. I have had plenty of luck in my life. Firstly, in my wife, Carole. I appreciate her talents and capabilities more now than I did over 50 years ago when we first met. Anyone who has been married for half a century and claims never to have had arguments, disagreements or bouts of irritable alienation is living in cloud cuckoo land. Truer to reality was the response in a BBC interview of Lady Longford, a devout Catholic, about her eccentric husband, when asked if she had ever considered divorcing him - “Divorce never, murder often”. Carole and I always agreed on what our mutual principles were to sustain our relationship, and shared the saving grace of a sense of humour. AS THE ancient Greeks well knew, philosophy is easy on the page, less so in real life. Nevertheless, knowing that I am about to die, I did want to attempt to put my life into context by reflecting on the finite time we have between birth and death. It has been curious to experience the debilitating effect of cancer on my constitution. I can feel the machinery beginning to break down. Someone who was always, until recently, a very fit and active sportsman and long distance walker is now reduced to a few stuttering steps with a walking stick. A voracious reader is having to make do with audio books. Being almost totally blind, I have found inventive ways of putting toothpaste on my toothbrush and successfully opening a bottle of good wine without corking it. As Dostoevsky said, “Man is a creature who can get used to almost anything”. For someone who puts such store by the written word but who can now neither read nor write I might have regarded this as one more ironic little joke by the Deity. Fortunately, I have never believed in a personal God to blame for my predicament or cause me to feel sorry for myself. I was always content with the notion of God the Creator who then withdrew from any involvement in the world by giving us Free Will. I have always found the credo of an all-powerful, all knowing God who takes an active interest in each individual, frankly preposterous.
All the evidence of wanton cruelty, blatant injustice, arbitrary contingency, natural disasters and human suffering in our world militates against such an assertion. It was Voltaire who said of opera that the parts that are too silly to say, they sing. That was always my difficulty with the Amidah, the central affirmation of our Jewish faith. It was only by saying (or singing) it in Hebrew that I could overlook its insistence about a God with a special concern for the people Israel who supports the fallen, heals the sick, renews life and keeps faith with those who sleep in the dust - whatever that obscure phrase means. Most Jews who feel the same, but feel guilty about their lack of faith, need to be reassured that they are not alone in having such doubts. Mordecai Kaplan’s definition of God as “the power that makes for goodness” is about as far as we can safely go in trying to give credence to an active God. Life, children and wealth do not depend upon merit but upon luck. It was with that Talmudic quotation that I began my first sermon as a callow young rabbi nearly 50 years ago and it is probably the rabbinic maxim that I have quoted most often over my career. The Talmudic anecdote goes on to tell about Rabba and Reb Chisda, both righteous men in their generation; Reb Chisda lived to be 92, Rabba only 40. In Rabba’s house there were 60 funerals and in Rev Chisda’s 60 weddings. Reb Chisda was so wealthy that his dogs ate
“I have always said that I have more in common with a liberal of another religion than I have with a fundamentalist of my own” Secondly, I was fortunate in spending all but three years of my rabbinic career in the congregation where I always wanted to be. The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS) gave me a platform and an opportunity to pursue my wider interests. Freedom of the pulpit was a cardinal LJS principle from Rabbi Dr Israel Mattuck’s time and allowed me to express views on Israel, or social issues, which few other congregations would have tolerated. Thirdly, I was lucky enough to enter the Liberal rabbinate at a time when we really were a radical movement that placed principle above practice and where modern knowledge was more important than ancient tradition, no matter how hallowed by usage. We were radical innovators on issues such as granting Jewish status to the child of a Jewish father or blessing the partnership of a Jew and one of another faith. Post Enlightenment liberal humanism was our guidance and universalism took precedence over particularism. I have always said that I have more in common with a liberal of another religion than I have with a fundamentalist of my own faith.
In Memory
July/August 2019
h some of my enthusiasm’
f his life - asking for them to be published after his death That is why I have counted among my friends Sir Zaki Badawi, the first Director of the Regents Park Mosque, Afif Safieh, the PLO representative to the UK and then the USA, and Anthony Harvey, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey. Spinoza’s maxim about not to judge, excoriate or condemn the actions of a fellow human being, but strive to understand them, has always struck me as a nobler response than finding someone guilty for eating milk and meat together. It disappoints me that so much of modern Progressive Judaism seems to be taken up with reinventing archaic rituals of Jewish particularism and reintroducing Torah portions about animal sacrifice and ritual impurity that our founders rightly discarded over a century ago, rather than enunciating universal principles. Fourthly and finally, I was enormously lucky to receive a kidney transplant 16 years ago, which gave me a brand new lease of life. It was after retirement that I wrote four books and participated in conferences at which I sat on platforms with seven Nobel prize winners and several outstanding writers, philosophers and creative artists. I had an audience with the Pope, spent five days with the Dalai Lama and officiated before several members of the Royal family. Of course, there have been regrets too: careless words and unsympathetic deeds; withholding, or unspoken, love; too much time wasted watching my favourite cowboy films; judging colleagues harshly by their academic attainment rather than their qualities of character; not being able to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on my retirement due to my kidney condition; not being able to complete my final book; and generally losing the last two years to my debilitating illness instead of travelling more with Carole, watching cricket and enjoying our adorable grandson, Oscar. But these unfulfilled hopes and disappointments are common to all of us. The positives have far outweighed the negatives. I have always found solace in literature and philosophy because they tell of life as it is, rather than religious strictures which tell us what life ought to be. The ancient rabbis were wise men, but I do wish that they had enlarged their knowledge by reading Plato and Aristotle, instead of dismissing their philosophy as “Greek wisdom”.
When they lopped off one of my ears in an unavailing attempt to stem the tumour, I took wry amusement in thinking about Dickens’ description of Mr Wackford Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby: “He had but one eye and popular prejudice runs in favour of two.” The blinded Gloucester’s piercing insight in King Lear that when he had eyes he stumbled when he saw, resonates mightily with me. Montaigne’s wise essays give me more consolation than most rabbinic texts.
“I was fortunate to spend my rabbinic career in the congregation where I always wanted to be” People can rightly ask how such qualified approval of Jewish religious teachings could have sustained my rabbinic career. The answer is that Jewish culture in its widest sense, Jewish history and admiration for distinctive Jewish peoplehood and resilient adaptability have always evoked my pride and wish to be part of that chain of tradition. It has been a fulfilling career, during the course of which I hope I may have touched others with some of my enthusiasm. For many years, John Rayner and I would prepare for Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur by going on a long walk on Hampstead Heath to get into the mood for the solemn fast day. On one such walk we considered what we would wish our epitaph to be. Despite being public personae we were both essentially private people, aware of our failings, and came up with the gnomic words “To the best of his abilities he did what he could”. Like Naham of Gimzo I hope to be rewarded for that which I interpreted and that which I left uninterpreted. At the end of his autobiography, Bertrand Russell remarked that, with all its pains, disappointments and tragedies, if he were offered again the chance of life, he would choose it. That would be my choice too. And so, Farewell. • Rabbi Dr David J Goldberg was student rabbi, associate rabbi and senior rabbi, then rabbi emeritus, of The Liberal Jewish Synagogue from 1968-2019. He dictated these words to his former PA, Joan Shopper.
LJ Today Page 3
Tributes
By Rabbi Kathleen de Magtige-Middleton DAVID was known for his forthright sermons and sharp pen, but in truth he was a complex mix of verbal acerbity and loyalty and kindness, intellect and wit, youthfulness and wisdom, meticulousness and generosity, authority and rebelliousness, gravitas and charm. He was a mentor to his younger colleagues - loyally supportive and generous in providing opportunities and really looked after their welfare. David argued that there are two kinds of rabbis: those who seek to be loved and those who seek to be respected. David was a rabbi who wanted to be respected, and he was, but he was also loved.
By Rabbi Danny Rich FOR more than 40 years David was my teacher and, throughout my rabbinic career, it was often to David that I turned to find ‘clarity of Liberal thinking’. He was able to combine a fine knowledge of classical literature with a real pride in the course of Jewish history and the Jew’s ‘distinct and resilient adaptability’. No wonder his pioneering acts included being the first prominent Jew in the UK to publicly call for recognition of legitimate Palestinian rights in 1978; the first rabbi to initiate dialogue meetings between Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the same year; to have been the first Jew to recite Kaddish in Westminster Abbey in 1999; and, as a cricket lover, to be the only rabbi to have an article in Wisden and be interviewed on Test Match Special. David was a man who put much store by the written word. His own historical and polemic works, as well as his 50-plus years in the rabbinate, made a major and eternal contribution to Jewish thinking.
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In Memory
July/August 2019
‘An inspiration who showed us that Judaism
Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi looks back at the extraordinary life of her father Rabbi Harr HARRY MARTIN JACOBI – rabbi, teacher, campaigner, demon Scrabble player, classical music buff, archetypal mensch (as he has been called), grandfather and great-grandfather and, above all for me, Richard and David… Dad. How do I begin to talk about my Dad, who meant so much to me and to others and had such a full 93 years of life? Even though my grief is so personal, I have done what Dad would have done and looked for a starting point in Torah. The first biblical reference that came to mind was Moses. Like Moses, Dad had a speech defect, a stutter he had since childhood and which affected him at times of stress. More importantly, like Moses, he was the humblest of men, always putting others before himself and never seeming to realise what an amazing person he was. Like Moses, he was a shepherd to his flock, tending them gently, whether it was his congregation or his family he was caring for. But then I also thought of Aaron. Hillel used to say: “Be a disciple of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving your fellow men and women and drawing them near to the Torah.” Dad was indeed a disciple of Aaron. He loved peace and pursued it. He would never bear a grudge against anyone. He would also go out of his way to make peace between others. Despite his stutter, Dad could also be eloquent like Aaron. He would hold us spellbound by the stories of his life he told when we were gathered round the dining table. He had a way of telling them which made you want to listen.
Partly, this was because they were important stories about his life, his escapes from Nazi Germany and Holland as a child, his experiences as a refugee and his memories of Liberal Judaism in Britain and Europe. But it was also because he enjoyed telling stories. In later life, he would tell his story to primary school children and they would also listen to him entranced. Dad was always our inspiration. We learned so much from him, especially the clear sense that Judaism is inseparable from morality and our obligation to make the world a better place. He taught us that what has the most lasting impact is not the books you write or the sermons you preach but the lives you touch, often in seemingly small and insignificant ways. That lesson has been even clearer in the period since Dad died, from the many beautiful and moving tributes we have received from people whose lives he touched over a period of decades. Our love of Judaism came from Dad and Mum, who were united in passing on to us a Judaism that was simply part of our life, not an add-on. It was taken for granted that we went to services on Shabbat and festivals. Dad was my first Jewish teacher and study partner, teaching me for my batmitzvah and for O level in classical Hebrew. Richard and I eventually followed Dad into the rabbinate, his example again providing our inspiration. Dad loved his fellow men and women. You could feel his kindness radiating from him.
Rabbis Margaret, Harry and Richard Jacobi at a celebration of Harry’s 90th birthday
He showed his love in going out of his way for people, offering them support, help and consolation. He showed his love especially for his children. He certainly didn’t spoil us, he could be strict, but he never hesitated to help us when needed and to make up for what he had missed in his own childhood. We had music lessons, picnics and holidays together and he was often there waiting for us when we came home from school. Above all, he loved our mum Rose. When he received her photo from India, he said to his cousin, Annelies: “This is the girl I’m going to marry.”
‘Wherever a rabbi was needed… Harry was there’ By Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein
HARRY was a Jewish Jew. He believed deeply in God and the Jewish people. He believed and performed Jewish ritual in his personal life and in the synagogue. He prayed daily prayers, he bensched, davvened, sang zemirot.
He served in Aberdeen, Southgate, then Wembley and back to the continent to Zurich before retiring. Well, never retiring. Harry continued to serve congregations all over the country and in Dublin. Wherever a rabbi was needed… Harry was there. He married Rose Solomon of the Jewish Religious Union, the Liberal congregation in Bombay, in 1957. All three of their children, Richard, Margaret and David, became deeply committed to Liberal Judaism and active in the Jewish community. Margaret and Richard as rabbis and David as a musician and lay leader.
David’s tragic illness and death and that of Rose were a trial of Harry’s faith. But Harry did not lose his faith or will to live or will to serve the community. In fact he seemed to find new vigour, especially in the spheres of Holocaust education and the plight of refugees. Having twice fled for his own life, Harry got urgently involved to fight the cause of today’s refugee children, speaking on their behalf and kvetching to try to see justice being done. And Harry’s reward? In heaven I’m sure, but certainly in this world where since his death the response has been an outpouring of respect and affection.
In Memory
July/August 2019
LJ Today Page 5
is inseparable from morality’ Harry’s journey
ry Jacobi MBE - a man who meant so much to so many For years, he would give Mum a little gift every Friday night. It was heartbreaking for him when Mum developed dementia and he cared for her at home as long as he could. But he dealt with it, as with so much of life, with typical fortitude, just as he also dealt with David’s dementia and death. Another thing Dad will be remembered for is how he drew people near to the Torah. His teaching was accessible and yet profound. He treasured learning, especially as his own education was cut short and he had to struggle to study for a degree whilst bringing up a young family. He passed on his love of learning to his children, whether about Judaism, geography, car mechanics, history or music. David and I shared his deep love of classical music. Dad could recognise a Beethoven or Mozart symphony after just a couple of bars. He took us to concerts from an early age and I particularly treasure those special memories.
“Coming from the most difficult circumstances he remained cheerful and optimistic, always seeing the best in people and situations” In his last years, Dad found a new purpose in speaking about his experiences. He talked to children and adults at Holocaust Memorial Day and Yom HaShoah events.
I think the time that meant most to him was when he met with today’s child refugees in Calais. This experience led him to others, like making the video for UNICEF, Harry and Ahmed, which compares his experiences with those of a young Syrian boy, and which went viral. It was only at the very end of his life after cancer had returned - that Dad’s speech defect finally defeated him and he couldn’t get his words out. The final days, when he couldn’t clearly communicate, were particularly hard, but he wrote a message for us: “There is hope.” That message was one Dad conveyed throughout his life. Coming from the most difficult circumstances - as a child refugee first in Holland and then in Britain, losing his parents, grandparents and other relatives in the Holocaust, then losing two of the people he loved most to dementia - he remained cheerful and optimistic, always seeing the best in people and situations. He continued to hold the faith expressed by his beloved Beethoven, that: “All men and women will become brothers and sisters where God’s gentle wings abide.” Now he is under the wings of God’s sheltering presence and yet we know, too, that he will always be with us, inspiring and sustaining his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all who knew him. • A fundraising page has been set up in Harry’s honour to raise money for child refugee charity Safe Passage. To donate visit www.justgiving.com/harryjacobi
‘He had real determination’
By Lord Dubs RABBI HARRY JACOBI was, and remained until his death, a passionate campaigner on behalf of refugees.
I particularly remember a momentous day where we visited the ‘Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais, France. We saw for ourselves what the conditions were like. Harry was quite a bit older than me. For him to traipse around the refugee camp at his age was quite something. It showed real dedication and resolve. He epitomised the support that the Jewish community in Britain has given to the cause of refugees, especially child refugees. Harry was a stalwart guy, who had real determination and energy. A truly exceptional person.
BORN Heinz Hirschberg on 19 October 1925, Rabbi Harry Martin Jacobi spent the first 13 years of his life in Berlin and Auerbach, Germany. He celebrated his barmitzvah in Berlin on 22 October, 1938. It turned out to be the last one at the Friedenstempel Synagogue, which was destroyed on Kristallnacht 18 days later. In February 1939, he was transported on the guarantee of his uncle from Berlin to Amsterdam. Holland was then invaded by the Nazis on 10 May 1940. Five days later, the ‘righteous gentile’ Truus WijsmullerMeijer hired buses to take Harry and others to the port of Ijmuiden, where she persuaded the captain of the Steamship Bodegraven to take them and sail away. Holland capitulated two hours later. The Bodegraven was the last ship to leave. It came under machine-gun fire from German planes, causing Harry to dive to safety under a lifeboat. He survived the journey and the ship was finally allowed to dock in Liverpool. Harry returned to Amsterdam in 1948 to work for his uncle, Louis Jacobi. Louis was an instrumental figure in the postwar rebirth of the Amsterdam Liberal Jewish Community. It was here that Harry first met Rabbi Leo Baeck (president) and Lily Montagu (secretary) of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ). In July 1949, Harry visited London as a Dutch delegate to the sixth international conference of the WUPJ. Rabbi Leo Baeck ended his presidential address by saying: “God waits for us.” Harry credits these words with changing his life. With the help and encouragement of Leo Baeck and Lily Montagu, he prepared to study for the British rabbinate. He served as lay minister in Aberdeen from 1952-55 and, after a bursary to support his studies, was ordained reverend in 1961 and then rabbi in 1971. In 1961, Harry was inducted at Southgate & District Liberal Synagogue (now Southgate Progressive Synagogue), where he served as reverend/rabbi until 1975. In his later years, Harry became Southgate’s beloved emeritus rabbi. He became rabbi of Wembley & District Liberal Synagogue (now Mosaic Liberal Synagogue) in 1975, before taking up a new challenge with the Progressive Jewish congregation of Zurich, Switzerland, from 1982 until 1990. Even after ‘retirement’, Harry still served South Bucks Jewish Community (1990 – 1995) and Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community (2004 – 2007). Throughout this time, he touched and improved the lives of all those he met.
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In Memory
July/August 2019
Two lives in pictures
Rabbi Harry Jacobi with Milad – a Syrian refugee – sharing their stories on fleeing persecution. Harry was at the forefront of Liberal Judaism’s support for child and young adult refugees
Harry (centre) being inducted at Southgate the day after being ordained as reverend
Rabbi Dr David J Goldberg during his time as senior rabbi of The Liberal Jewish Synagogue
David at a signing for his book This is Not the Way: Jews, Judaism and the State of Israel. After retiring from the pulpit in 2002, he used his time to write or re-edit several acclaimed works
Harry and David, together with rabbinic colleagues, at the 2016 Liberal Judaism Patrons’ Dinner. They knew each other as valued colleagues for more than 50 years. Harry was already an established minister of Liberal Judaism when David first entered the movement in the late 1960s
In Memory
July/August 2019
LJ Today Page 7
‘A unique, brave and inspiring person’ Rabbi Anna Gerrard pays tribute to former LJ young adults worker Avivit Katzil
Avivit Katzil with her children Uriel and Yahli - the light of her existence whom she loved fiercely
WHEN Avivit Katzil passed away, after a short and unforgiving period of illness, those who knew her struggled to fathom how someone with so much life energy could die so young. The book of her life was too short but it was bursting with chapters. Avivit was born in 1975 to Rachel and Mashiach Katzil, second-generation Iraqi-Israeli immigrants. Rachel recalls: “Avivit was a strong-willed child who knew what she wanted and went for it! Her teachers praised her for being organised and meticulous but she still got into trouble for talking back and making demands. She pioneered new and avantgarde fashions in high school and stood up to the principal who tried to object. “Avivit had many passions and where they took her, we followed. We watched her play basketball, we watched her speed through life on her beloved motorbike and we even went to see her in a drag performance.” In her 20s, Avivit played a pivotal role in organising the nascent LGBT community in Jerusalem. Rabbi Noa Sattath of the Jerusalem Open House recalls: “Avivit was one of the first openly lesbian women I knew. She connected me to the community and helped me create a bridge to a whole new life. “The Israeli LGBT community is diverse and complicated but Avivit saw right through that - she connected with
individuals from all the different groups. She was impulsive and beautiful and made connections with ease. She was also driven by generosity and intuition, and an understanding that people need community and deserve love.” Avivit burst into my life in 2005 when I encountered her alter ego, Sharshabil Forte, at the Second Israeli Lesbian Conference in Netanya. Before long I too was part of a world of lesbian basketball, drag shows at the Shushan and Friday night dinners with the noisiest but most welcoming family I had ever encountered.
In our four years together, we went on to live in California, Birmingham and eventually London... and, with each move, she took each new place by storm with her music, her ideas and her ability to bring people together. I will never forget her teaching me Hebrew through her favourite Israeli pop songs; hair-raising motorbike journeys; wearing drag for our civil partnership; and how to correctly fold my clothes – she was a self-confessed neat-freak. My most treasured memories will always be leading services and singing together – running events, getaways and holidays for young adults and being the ‘parents’ of our ‘tent’ family. Tent was Liberal Judaism’s community for young adults and many former tentniks have been in touch since Avivit’s passing to express what a positive impact she had on their lives. Avivit was a unique, brave and inspiring person. However, those closest to her knew that she also had an insecure and melancholy side to her character. Rabbi Sattath remembers a conversation: “Avivit shared that she was on a journey to find purpose in her life but she was unsure what that was. She found that purpose in London, in the family and the community that she built, and in her devotion and dedication to her children.” Uriel and Yahli were the light of her existence and the pinnacle of her achievements. She loved them fiercely and felt the pain of her terminal diagnosis most acutely when she thought of leaving them. May the tsunami of messages from around the world that followed Avivit’s death be a lasting testament to what a brilliant person their mother was.
Avivit how she will be remembered by tentniks… with her trusty guitar and infectious smile
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News
July/August 2019
Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to unite THE NEIGHBOURING Herefordshire Jewish Community (HJC) and Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community (GLJC) are to amalgamate to form one new united Liberal Judaism congregation in the region. A coming together service is planned for Saturday 20 July when the new congregation will be officially formed. It will take the title of Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community (3CLJC) and have around 160 members. This inaugural Shabbat will be led by Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, Rabbi Danny Rich, and Student Rabbi Lev Taylor, who will serve the new community. HJC – which also serves parts of Worcestershire and Monmouthshire – has been in existence for 27 years, holding many memorable events including its annual Anne Frank service attended by civic and interfaith representatives.
When in Rome
LIBERAL and Reform Judaism rabbis from the UK attended the European Union for Progressive Judaism (EUPJ) Shabbaton and European Rabbinic Assembly (ERA) Kallah in Rome. The ERA is chaired by Rabbi Dr René Pfertzel of Kingston Liberal Synagogue. Others attending included Liberal Judaism president Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein and Rabbi Jackie Tabick, who is head of the EUPJ Beit Din, as well as Liberal Judaism’s Rabbis Alexandra Wright, Janet Darley and Mark Solomon. The Shabbaton was held at Beth Hillel Rome to coincide with the Progressive community’s fifth anniversary. Delegates from 10 different countries took part. The ERA Kallah took place on the Sunday and Monday. The Rabbinic gathering started with a short historical, cultural and religious profile of Italian Jewry, before many deliberations on the important issues facing Progressive Judaism and its rabbinate in Europe.
However, it has struggled in recent years to maintain attendances at services and, with a council of only four long serving members, entered into discussions with the Gloucestershire congregation – which was set up in 2008 – with a view to form a new community serving a wider area. HJC chair Mark Walton said: “We have been working closely with GLJC for a number of years and are excited about joining a bigger community with more to offer our members.” Natalie Towle, chair of GLJC, added: “We are delighted to welcome HJC to join GLJC as we amalgamate to form Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community. We look forward to the next months and years as a bigger community covering a wider area.” Gloucestershire also recently said goodbye to their current rabbi, Rabbi Anna Gerrard, in a joint service with HJC.
BREAKING NEWS: Bob and Ann Kirk of The Liberal Jewish Synagogue and George Vulkan, a member of Mosaic Liberal Synagogue, were all awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for their contribution to Holocaust education and remembrance in the UK. Full story in the next issue.
Award for LJ Patrons LIBERAL JUDAISM Patrons Leslie and Dee Bergman have received the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) International Humanitarian Award. They were honoured, along with Leslie’s brother Stanley and his wife Marion, at a gala dinner in New York. Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, Rabbi Danny Rich, said: “Leslie and Dee have shown a serious intellectual, practical and financial commitment to the wellbeing of Progressive Judaism in the UK.”
Anna – who has decided to take a break from the rabbinate – has served the community since 2009, first as a student rabbi and then as rabbi after her ordination in 2011. David Naydorf, the president of GLJC, presented a gift to Anna to thank her for her years of service to the community and for helping it grow to where it is today. Anna was also presented with a gift on behalf of HJC before a special Kiddush (pictured) was held in her honour.
Praise for LJ projects
LIBERAL JUDAISM’S heritage project manager Shaan Knan was a keynote speaker at this year’s Stonewall Workplace Conference. Shaan was part of the event’s closing session debating issues around LGBT and faith, featuring on a panel with representatives from various religions. Taking place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, Westminster, Stonewall’s annual flagship event is Europe’s leading conference on lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) inclusion in the workplace Shaan said: ‘It was such an honour to discuss what we have achieved at Liberal Judaism, in terms of equality and inclusion in the workplace, with such a big and distinguished audience and fellow panellists. People commented that they felt really inspired by our LGBTQI+ projects such as Rainbow Jews and Twilight People. It shows that we all have the power to change hearts and minds!”
Events
July/August 2019
LJ Today Page 9
Welcome to the Day of Celebration Rabbi Charley Baginsky introduces Liberal Judaism’s flagship event of the year AS YOU read this copy of lj today you are very possibly at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue for the Day of Celebration or following it on www.liberaljudaism.org or one of our social media channels. It is an interesting phenomenon that despite the size of the Liberal Jewish movement we are able to put on such expansive and well-attended conferences. Some of it is most definitely by design – we made some very conscious decisions to make our events as affordable as possible, to encourage new people and to seek attractive, inspirational speakers and topics. This year we are exceptionally excited, for example, to welcome Dame Margaret Hodge and Jean Gaffin OBE to take part in our Day of Celebration keynote conversation. Some of it is cultural. Liberal Judaism’s chair Simon Benscher states regularly that Liberal Judaism is a family first and foremost. This means that our conferences celebrate the opportunity to come together, to see old friends and to make new ones and to find new spaces to express that Liberal Judaism is the home for our Jewish stories. However, I would argue strongly that the third reason is that Liberal Judaism wants to be the space where we can have difficult conversations, where we can celebrate the multifaceted way in which
Education Hub THE FIFTH term of Liberal Judaism’s Education Hub will focus on the High Holy Days with the following classes. Sign up at www.liberaljudaism.org/education-hub Wednesday 28 August: Jonah: A good or bad example for us at this season? (Rabbi Jackie Tabick) Wednesday 4 September: Rosh Hashanah Torah Readings - Genesis 21 and 22 (Rabbi Alexandra Wright) Wednesday 11 September: The akedah: Did Abraham really do it? (Rabbi Danny Rich) Wednesday 18 September: The symbols and vocabulary of the High Holy Days (Rabbi Janet Burden) Wednesday 25 September: Travail and triumph: Maternal cries in the sounds of the shofar (Rabbi Mark Solomon) Wednesday 2 October: Yom Kippur (Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein)
we, as Liberal Jews, connect, to celebrate the fact that even challenging subjects are an essential part of our own Liberal Jewish identity. This year we are looking at the theme of Ain Ani Li Mi Li (If I am only for myself) and exploring the complex issues of care and welfare within our community. Through diverse workshops ranging from the experiences of carers to inspiring your volunteers, and from dancing for the generations to singing for the mind, we will reflect the realities that face our communities and members every day - the highs and lows, the great work and the struggles of life.
The programme is a celebration of learning from each other, a celebration of the space we, as Liberal Jews, create to hear voices that might not otherwise get heard, a celebration of facilitating difficult conversations and a celebration of the incredible efforts and innovations our congregations are involved in. The conference is not just for adults, we want to hear the voices and ideas of our younger members too. See page 11 for what’s in store for them. In our continued efforts to be as inclusive as possible, we recognise that there are those who will not be able to join us this year for the actual event. We will endeavour to put resources from the Day of Celebration on our Resource Bank website so they can be available to all. We also hope that communities reach out to our speakers for more communityspecific guidance. Plus you can keep updated via our website, Facebook page, tweets and Instagram posts. We will also be following up after the event, building on the lunchtime activity which will see us debating how we prioritise our voices in the call for social justice. Watch this space!
• Rabbi Charley Baginsky is Liberal Judaism’s director of strategy and partnerships
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Communities
July/August 2019
A year of anniversaries Leicester
expands
By Rabbi Nathan Godleman IN MAY, South London Liberal Synagogue (SLLS) celebrated 80 years since its consecration service at Prentis Road. The sermon was given by Liberal Judaism president, Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein, who commented on the special place SLLS occupies in the movement. With four Liberal Judaism vice presidents in attendance, three of whom are SLLS members, and a sanctuary echoing to the sound of an organ and hymns in English, something of the atmosphere of 1939 was recaptured. This was also due to the period dress worn by many of those in attendance, including Rabbi Goldstein and myself.
It was an enjoyable day and a powerful one, too, as we recognised our forebears and committed to our future. It was also a distinctly Liberal service; something to think about as we go forward. In September, we will celebrate 90 years since the South London section of the Jewish Religious Union (the original name for Liberal Judaism) developed into the South London Liberal Jewish Synagogue, as it was then known. A highlight of the service will be the installation of our refurbished silk ark banner. A gift from Lily Montagu and West Central Synagogue, most likely, it once accompanied us around Streatham before we moved into Prentis Road and hasn’t been in situ for over 40 years.
ELEVEN young people marked the conclusion of their formal cheder learning by leading a Kabbalat Torah Shabbat at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue
REPRESENTATIVES of many faiths, charities and activity groups from all over the East Midlands attended the grand unveiling of a new annexe at Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation (LPJC). The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Ross Grant, cut the ribbon and invited all the guests into the light-filled new space to witness the affixing of the mezuzah by the president of LPJC, Dr Alex Keller. A service was led by Rabbi Mark Solomon. The synagogue, which is already used by many local groups for classes, clubs and meetings, will now be able to open its doors even wider to the public. The £140,000 project, steered by Miriam Levene, was funded with the help of a grant from the Biffa Award as part of the Landfill Communities Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, 342 Trust and contributions from LPJC members. Miriam, who is also a past chair, said: “We are very excited and somewhat in awe of the extensive support we received from neighbours and friends, particularly in the multi-faith community.”
NLS celebrates
NOTTINGHAM LIBERAL SYNAGOGUE (NLS) member Jeff Corne celebrated his 90th birthday in style by also using the occasion to have a second barmitzvah. Marking the anniversary of his original barmitzvah in Cardiff in 1942, Jeff impressed a full synagogue of family, friends and congregants with his leyning. He said: “It gave me so much pleasure to do this again after all these years.”
Youth
July/August 2019
LJ Today Page 11
LJY-Netzer is Liberal Judaism’s Zionist youth movement. It gives young people the opportunity to develop a strong Progressive Jewish identity, make lasting friendships and have loads of fun
A spring in their step
An LJY summer stuffed full of fun WITH the days getting longer and the sun getting brighter, summer is almost here and for us at LJY-Netzer that means a whole slew of our biggest and best events are finally here again. This year we’re happy to say that both Israel Tour and Kayitz (Europe Tour) are oversubscribed, with new and old members alike getting ready for the best and most fulfilling weeks of their life. We also have a new trip this year for our older members; heading to Riga in Latvia and Vilnius in Lithuania to explore European Jewish history, follow personal stories and see two cities with incredible Jewish histories. To cap it all off, we’ll have our flagship summer camp, Machaneh Kadimah, which is shaping up to be one of our biggest and best to date. Planning is underway and we can already promise a heap of fun, social action, and Jewish learning.
DURING the April school holidays, as is tradition, LJY-Netzer descended en masse on West Sussex for a week of programming that will never be forgotten. Whether having a massive carnival, learning about the refugee crisis or playing a truly extravagant Mummies vs Zombies wide game (pictured above), this year’s Machaneh Aviv spring camp was a delight from beginning to end. A real highlight was undoubtedly our holistic days, where participants spent an entire day focusing on a single topic - extinction for the younger years and the refugee crisis for the older.
Together, they were able to go in depth into these topics, bringing together their previous learning and engaging more deeply than ever before. All in all, the camp was a joy from beginning to end. If you or anyone you know are interested in events like Machaneh Aviv, please get in touch with the LJY-Netzer movement work team using the contact details below.
Join us at the Day of Celebration IF you have been to a Liberal Judaism Biennial Weekend or Day of Celebration before, you’ll know that LJY-Netzer’s programming is always a highlight. This year will be no different. There will be a full parallel LJY-Netzer programme for all children aged six to 12 at the Day of Celebration 2019, while teenagers are invited to attend selected sessions of the main event as a group, meeting new peers and learning from the expert speakers. Plus there’s a fully staffed crèche for the youngest delegates. With everything from drama and education to mad science experiments, we hope you can join us for all the fun.
By Ben Combe
Contact LJY-Netzer: Ben Combe (b.combe@liberaljudaism.org), Helen Goldhill (h.goldhill@liberaljudaism.org) and Ellie Lawson (e.lawson@liberaljudaism.org); Director of Youth - Rebecca Fetterman (r.fetterman@liberaljudaism.org)
July/August 2019
Page 12 LJ Today
Liberal Judaism congregations Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue T: 0845 869 7105 E: info@bedsps.org.uk W: bedfordshire-ps.org.uk
Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community T: 0131 777 8024 E: info@eljc.org W: eljc.org
Beit Klal Yisrael (London) E: bkymailing@gmail.com W: bky.org.uk
Finchley Progressive Synagogue T: 020 8446 4063 E: fps@liberaljudaism.org W: fps.org
Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue T: 01923 822 592 E: npls@liberaljudaism.org W: npls.org.uk
Kehillah North London T: 020 7403 3779 E: kehillah.northlondon@yahoo.co.uk W: kehillah.org.uk
Norwich Liberal Jewish Community E: nljc@liberaljudaism.org W: norwichljc.org.uk
Kent Liberal Jewish Community T: 07952 242 432 E: enquiries@kljc.org.uk W: kljc.org.uk
Nottingham Liberal Synagogue T: 0115 962 4761 E: nls@liberaljudaism.org
Kingston Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8398 7400 E: kls@liberaljudaism.org W: klsonline.org
Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community T: 07561 331 390 E: info@pljc.org.uk W: pljc.org.uk
Birmingham Progressive Synagogue T: 0121 634 3888 E: bps@liberaljudaism.org W: bpsjudaism.com Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue T: 01273 737 223 E: info@bhps-online.org W: bhps-online.org Bristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation T: 0117 403 3456 E: bwpjc@bwpjc.org W: bwpjc.org Crawley Jewish Community T: 01293 534 294 Crouch End Chavurah E: info@crouchendchavurah.co.uk W: crouchendchavurah.co.uk Dublin Progressive Congregation E: djpc@liberaljudaism.org W: djpcireland.com
Ealing Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8997 0528 E: admin@ealingliberalsynagogue.org.uk W: ealingliberalsynagogue.org.uk East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue T: 0208 989 7619 E: eastlondonandessexliberal@gmail.com W: eastlondonandessexliberal synagogue.org Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community T: 07497 401 280 E: eljc.contact@gmail.com W: eljc.org.uk
Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation T: 0116 271 5584 E: chair@lpjc.org.uk W: lpjc.org.uk The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (St John’s Wood) T: 020 7286 5181 E: ljs@ljs.org W: ljs.org
Mosaic Liberal (Harrow) T: 020 8864 5323 E: office@mosaicliberal.org.uk W: mosaicliberal.org.uk
W: nottinghamliberalsynagogue.com
Reading Liberal Jewish Community T: 0118 942 8022 E: readingliberaljewishcommunity@ gmail.com
W: readingljc.org.uk Shir Hatzafon (Copenhagen) E: shir@shirhatzafon.dk W: shirhatzafon.dk
The Liberal Synagogue Elstree T: 020 8953 8889 E: office@tlse.org.uk W: tlse.org.uk
South Bucks Jewish Community T: 0845 644 2370 E: sbjc@liberaljudaism.org W: sbjc.org.uk
Lincolnshire Jewish Community T: 01427 628 958 E: ljc@liberaljudaism.org W: lincolnshirejc.co.uk
Southgate Progressive Synagogue T: 020 8886 0977 E: sps@liberaljudaism.org W: sps.uk.com
Manchester Liberal Jewish Community T: 0161 796 6210 E: mljc@liberaljudaism.org W: mljc.org.uk
The Montagu Centre 21 Maple Street London, W1T 4BE T: 020 7580 1663 E: montagu@liberaljudaism.org W: liberaljudaism.org
Liberal Judaism is the dynamic, cutting edge of modern Judaism. It reverences Jewish tradition, seeking to preserve the values of the past, while giving them contemporary force. Charity Number: 1151090
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South London Liberal Synagogue (Streatham) T: 020 8769 4787 E: slls@liberaljudaism.org W: southlondon.org
Stevenage Liberal Synagogue T: 01438 300 222 E: stevenageliberalsynagogue@gmail.com W: stevenageliberalsynagogue.org.uk Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community (Ipswich) T:01473 250 797 E: sljc@liberaljudaism.org Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community (Gloucestershire and Herefordshire) T: 07900 612 058 E: TBC W: TBC Tikvah Chadasha Synagogue (Shenfield) T: 01277 888 610 E: tikvahchadasha@gmail.com W: tikvahchadasha.com Wessex Liberal Jewish Community (Bournemouth) T: 01202 757 590 E: info@wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk W: wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk West Central Liberal Synagogue T: 020 7636 7627 E: office@wcls.org.uk W: wcls.org.uk York Liberal Jewish Community T: 0300 102 0062 E: info@jewsinyork.org.uk W: jewsinyork.org.uk Developing and affiliated Beit Ha’Chidush (Amsterdam) T: +31 23 524 7204 E: bhc.informatie@gmail.com W: beithachidush.nl Lancashire & Cumbria Liberal Jewish Community T: 0777 531 0944 W: northwestjews.org Oxford Jewish Congregation T: 01865 515 584 E: connections@ojc-online.org W: ojc-online.org
President Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein Chair Simon Benscher Deputy Chair Ruth Seager Vice Chair Karen Newman Treasurer Rosie Ward Secretary Amanda McFeeters Israel and the Diaspora Graham Carpenter Strategy Robin Moss Social Justice Jane Drapkin National Officers Ros Clayton and Jackie Richards Vice Presidents Monique Blake, Henry Cohn, Lord Fink, Jeromé Freedman, Louise Freedman, Sharon Goldstein, Lucian Hudson, Willie Kessler, David Lipman, Corinne Oppenheimer, David Pick, Rosita Rosenberg, Tony Sacker, Harold Sanderson, Joan Shopper, Beverly Taylor and Ken Teacher Chair of The Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors Rabbi Aaron Goldstein Senior Rabbi and C hief Executive Rabbi Danny Rich Director of Strategy and Partnerships Rabbi Charley Baginsky Music Cantor Gershon Silins Interfaith Rabbi Mark Solomon Community Partnerships Rabbi Sandra Kviat Operations Director Shelley Shocolinsky-Dwyer Director of Administration Alexandra Simonon Fundraising and Events Thomas Rich Strategy and Communications Project Manager Yszi Hawkings PR Simon Rothstein Archivist Alison Turner PA to the Senior Rabbi Rafe Thurstance Director of Youth Becca Fetterman LJY-Netzer Ben Combe, Helen Goldhill and Ellie Lawson