November/December 2014
VOL. XLI No. 6
Liberal Judaism is a constituent of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
www.liberaljudaism.org
ljtoday
An alliance for Progressive Judaism
L
IBERAL JUDAISM (LJ) and the Movement for Reform Judaism (MRJ) have announced an alliance to boost Progressive Judaism in the UK. Together accounting for nearly a third of synagogue-affiliated Jews and boasting 82 communities all over the country, the two movements will now be working even more closely together. The alliance will see an expansion of collaboration in areas such as student chaplaincy, social justice and social action. It could also involve a strengthening of existing joint work such as rabbinic training, gap year programming and representation on cross-communal and other institutions. Speaking exclusively to lj today, Liberal Judaism chairman Lucian J Hudson said: “This is a framework to give Progressive Judaism a stronger voice through a proactive concerted approach to opportunities where both movements gain more by working together than working alone. “After five years of listening carefully to views from inside and outside Liberal Judaism, I am pleased to have played the strategic role behind the scenes with the MRJ chair, Robert Weiner, to position this just right with the collective leadership and broader membership of both movements.” While the leadership of both LJ and MRJ are keen to stress that this is not a merger, it is seen as a way to capitalise on the large growth in people identifying themselves as sharing Progressive values in the recent JPR studies of Jewish communal attitudes. The Liberal and Reform movements, and their constituent synagogues, will continue to retain their autonomy and distinct identities, while working together to speak for and reach out to the third of British Jews who describe themselves as secular, cultural or ‘just Jewish’.
Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich and Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, senior rabbi to the Movement for Reform Judaism, will now be working even more closely together
Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich said: “The biggest dividing line in British Jewry is no longer Orthodox or Progressive, but religiously engaged or secular. We believe that, together, the two movements can provide an outward-looking, modern and relevant alternative to a merely secular form of Judaism, which could otherwise become the primary expression of Judaism within a couple of generations.” Senior rabbi to the Reform Movement, Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, added: “There is so much more that unites the
Reform and Liberal movements than divides us. The more we can cooperate, the stronger our voice and the stronger the expression of the core values we share in common: inclusiveness, integrity and informed choice. These are the values which our movements believe will enable Judaism to survive and thrive in the 21st Century.” The news of the alliance received major press coverage, with prominent articles appearing in publications including The Times, Jewish Chronicle, Jewish News and Jewish Telegraph.
Page 2: Jews, Christians and Muslims team up at Sukkot to help Syrian refugees Page 3: Liberal Judaism unites York and Lancaster for the High Holy Days Pages 6-7: All the pictures from LJY-Netzer Kadimah summer camp (above)
Page 2 LJ Today
News
November/December 2014
Sukkot support for Syrian refugees Rabbi Danny Rich says...
Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich, Iman Suliman Gani and The Rt. Reverend Jonathan Clark teamed up during Sukkot to campaign for refugees fleeing conflict in Syria
LIBERAL JUDAISM has taken the lead in a pioneering project hosted with Citizens UK, which has united Jews, Christians, Muslims and others in local communities to provide a welcome for Syrian refugees. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have already fled their country to escape the triple threat of being targeted by President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces, murdered by Islamic State or being caught in bombing raids against the terrorists. Many are stuck in camps in Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, with more set to arrive as air raids intensify. Using the festival of Sukkot for inspiration, Liberal Judaism is working with Christian and Muslim organisations to lobby 15 British councils each to offer sanctuary to 50 people a year. There has been some success already with the leaders of Kingston and Redbridge councils and the cabinet member for
housing in Lambeth expressing support, and successful actions also taking place over Sukkot in Birmingham, Nottingham and Leicester. The campaign has also been covered by The Sunday Mirror, Big Issue, Jewish Chronicle, Jewish News and other national media. Welcoming Jewish support for the campaign, Nebal Istanbouly, a Syrian Sunni Muslim, said: “More refugees should be accepted in this country because Syrian people are suffering. What Britain has done so far is not enough, it isn’t sufficient at all. They can do much more. “Jewish people have experience of seeking refuge. It is good that they are supporting us. We need all those who have experience of such causes to support us. We are grateful to Jews that they are working with us. It shows faiths can come together.”
Donate blood and give the gift of life LIBERAL JUDAISM has started 5775 by announcing a month of giving. We are asking you, our members, to donate things more important than money. As part of this initiative, our movement has joined all the other major strands of Judaism in supporting The Joely Bear Appeal’s 5775 for 5775 campaign. Run in conjunction with NHS Blood and Transplant, it aims to register 5775 new blood donors from within the Jewish community over the next year. We are also encouraging members to look into donating bone marrow and organs. It is a sad statistic that, of those adults able to donate blood, only 4% actually do. Blood products are needed for a number of vital uses other than just transfusion.
Leigh Renak, chairman of the Joely Bear Appeal, said: “We have set out to make donating blood as easy as possible. We run sessions on Sundays, within the local community, and make substantial provision for young children. We also ensure that everyone is well fed. “Our ambition now is to roll out our model on a wider scale. Blood donation is a non-financial tzedakah that all healthy adults can, and should, be encouraged to make. It is the gift of life.” For those unable to give blood, The Joely Bear Appeal is always looking for volunteers to help run donation sessions. For more information on The Joely Bear Appeal and how you can become a blood donor visit www.joelybear.org.uk
A UNITED NATIONS programme aims to resettle the most vulnerable Syrian refugees. Britain has agreed to take 750, although only some 50 have so far arrived. Funded wholly by the European Union, Liberal Judaism and Citizens UK are asking the British Government to double the permitted number to 1,500 and seeking the support of a number of local authorities to settle 50 each. Writing this as Jews around the world celebrate Sukkot, I reflect that the main rite of the festival is the building of, and at least eating in, a temporary structure built of wood, leaves and other natural products. This sukkah reminds us of the frailty of our existence including our housing, and calls upon us to share equitably the bounty of nature. The Jewish experience is one of exile and resettlement and Britain has a history of making welcome refugees, who in turn make a tremendous contribution to British society. Sukkot serves as a timely reminder that a decent society is one which welcomes the stranger and offers appropriate housing for all. Alone we are weak, but Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of no faith standing together are unstoppable.
Rabbi Danny Rich is chief executive of Liberal Judaism. This commentary was first published in The Big Issue
LJ Midlands Shabbaton LIBERAL JUDAISM’S Midlands Shabbaton will take place on Saturday November 15 from 10am-5pm at Leicester University. Those attending will enjoy a musical and soulful service, tasty vegetarian buffet lunch and stimulating discussions. They will be able to share thoughts, develop ideas and look to the future of Progressive Judaism in the Midlands. The day will also include a range of exciting youth and children’s activities. The cost is £20 for adults and £5 for schoolchildren including lunch, preschoolers come free. To book, visit www.tinyurl.com/shabbatonmidlands
Communities
November/December 2014
Liberal Judaism unites York and Lancaster
Rabbi Aaron Goldstein explains the Sukkot symbols in York. Picture by Adam Rosenbach
LIBERAL JUDAISM made history twice over the High Holy Days, with services in the traditional ‘Roses’ locations of York and Lancaster. York Liberal Jewish Community, founded less than four months ago, hosted the first High Holy Days services in the city for 40 years. Led by Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich, more than 40 people attended on Rosh Hashanah with 60 present for Yom Kippur. This was followed in October by a special Sukkot/Simchat Torah service, led by Rabbi Aaron Goldstein. York Liberal Jewish Community organiser Ben Rich said: “This community continues to go from strength to strength. It is a clear demonstration of what can be achieved from a standing start in a very short period of time with passion, a welcoming and inclusive approach, and of course the strong support of Liberal Judaism nationally.”
The new Lancashire and Cumbria Liberal Jewish Community is also receiving active support from Liberal Judaism as it becomes established. The community held its first services at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Twenty-two people attended these services, even though the decision to hold them was taken only a short time beforehand and there was limited publicity. Services were led by Rabbi Robert Ash, who returned to the UK last summer after six years serving a large Progressive synagogue in Johannesburg. After buying a home, he made contact with a local Jewish group – the Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community, which is now renaming and expanding with the help of Liberal Judaism. Lancashire and Cumbria Liberal Jewish Community will offer regular services, education and pastoral support for Jewish people in the region.
Remembering Philip Walker By Cedric Briscoe Vice President of SLLS IT IS WITH profound sorrow that we mark the passing of Philip Walker, the president and chairman of South London Liberal Synagogue (SLLS). Philip was continuously active in virtually every facet of synagogue life, spending more than 40 years in the management of the congregation and its financial affairs.
He had chaired the SLLS social activities committee and taught in the religion school. He had served with great distinction as treasurer, as chairman three times, and was elected president in 2013. He represented the congregation in the wider community and on the council of Liberal Judaism. All these activities were combined with an unfailing friendship and concern for others. In all this Philip was supported by his wife Gill and by a loving family, giving considerable service to the congregation. Our hearts go out to Gill, Ben, Sophie and Bess. We will all sorely miss Philip as a friend, colleague and inspiration. • Liberal Judaism is also mourning the death of Herbert Richer. There will be an obituary in the next issue of lj today.
LJ Today Page 3
A first ark as ELJC turns 10 By Catherine Lyons IT FELT LIKE Rosh Hashanah had come early in Edinburgh, even though it was still warm and sunny. Sukkat Shalom, the Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community (ELJC), was gathered at its usual yom tov venue, a Unitarian church, and had a big crowd. The crowd on this particular September Shabbat was a microcosm of civic Edinburgh: guests were arriving to join the celebration of the Community’s tenth anniversary and the dedication of the ark. The Lord Provost was represented by a Bailie, resplendent in a gold chain. The community policeman was there as a guest. The Bishop of Edinburgh came, along with members of the local Orthodox congregation - participants in Edinburgh’s Liberal/Orthodox dialogue project - Muslims and Christians. Taking place only five days before the independence referendum, First Minister Alex Salmond excused himself on account of an exceptionally busy schedule. Back in 2004, Progressive Jews in Edinburgh resolved to form an independent community. A scroll arrived in style, to the sound of bagpipes. Ten years on, that scroll was placed in an ark for the first time. The ark, generously supported by the NLPS Trust, was dedicated at the anniversary Shabbat service. Prayers were led by Rabbi Mark Solomon, who has made Edinburgh his second home. Both he and Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich gave warm addresses. Celebrations continued in the evening at a klezmer ceilidh, by now an ELJC tradition. ELJC members include an architect, a sculptor and a textile artist, who made the project happen. Once the door panels are installed it will take up residence in the Community’s usual venue, a Steiner day centre. Thereafter it will travel across Edinburgh, as required, for as long as the Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community wanders through the city.
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Communities
November/December 2014
Tashlich time Rainbow Jews goes on the road
LIBERAL COMMUNITIES all over the UK spent the beautiful autumn afternoon of Rosh Hashanah symbolically casting their sins into water, to be washed far away. Several members of Bet Tikvah Synagogue in Barkingside, Essex, walked out to the banks of the River Roding, pictured above, to perform tashlich.
Life’s a beach EASTBOURNE LIBERAL JEWISH COMMUNITY (ELJC) took advantage of a dry summer by holding a Torah on the Beach service and barbecue. Members of ELJC and friends gathered at Langney Point for prayers, led by lay leader Ruth Selo, and a delicious buffet and barbecue provided by chairman Suzanne King, and cooked by Bobbi King to a ‘secret recipe’. Suzanne said: “It was wonderful to see so many people prepared to come and celebrate a Jewish service and enjoy a social occasion in the open air to the sound of the sea. Torah on the Beach is now firmly established in our calendar.”
Norwich prepares for Silver Jubilee NORWICH LIBERAL JEWISH COMMUNITY will celebrate its 25th anniversary this month, with an open day and special Shabbat service at the Old Meeting House in Colegate. Originally established as the Progressive Jewish Community of East Anglia, the name was changed recently to better reflect the community representing Liberal Judaism in Norwich and Norfolk. Chair Sarah Boosey said: “We are very happy with the way we are developing as a vibrant, welcoming and inclusive community. We have a thriving cheder and a Jewish education class, with more children and young people than ever before. We also have a very dynamic new young rabbi in Leah Jordan and we benefit from her enthusiasm and energy.” The community also plans to hold a Chanukkah Fayre in November. To find out more, visit www.norwichljc.org.uk
Leicester exhibition organiser Reni Chapman and Rachel Benn. Picture by Grant Denkinson
By David Walsh MOVING TO LONDON just over a year ago has allowed me to get involved in some unique projects. One such project has been Rainbow Jews – a pioneering history and heritage initiative founded by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) campaigner Surat Knan. Supported by a one-off grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and hosted by Liberal Judaism, Rainbow Jews collects and tells the stories of LGBT Jews from all across the country. Its touring exhibition, launched earlier this year at the LSE, has been a major success and its collection is being held by the London Metropolitan Archives. While enjoying all that London has to offer, I remain passionate about Jewish stories beyond the capital. Having retained connections to my home community in Leicester, I felt the strong desire for the wider audience to discover our vibrant and diverse LGBT Jewish life.
This motivated me to start a crowdfunding campaign in order to bring the ground-breaking Rainbow Jews exhibition to Leicester, thus kicking off a UK-wide tour. Running a crowdfunding campaign for the first time was a challenging yet rewarding experience. In only three weeks, we collected enough donations from online supporters to fund the exhibition for an entire month at the Leicester LGBT Centre. The exhibition opening was preceded by a spectacular rainbow-themed cake and cava reception and film screening. Cantor Gershon Silins impressed with his fine voice and was followed by words of welcome from organisers and sponsors. Event organiser Reni Chapman, who is the social action officer for Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation, gave a warm thanks to all those members who helped support the launch. Nonagenarian Reni also amazed the reception guests by sharing glimpses of her wonderful life – an intriguing story of diaspora, love, struggles and victories. She said: “Only in the last couple of decades, it has become no longer necessary to hide one’s sexuality. Longlasting, happy and loving relationships are acceptable and considered as normal, due to much pioneer work done by older LGBT people to make it so.” Rainbow Jews won’t stop in Leicester. In collaboration with Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, the exhibition opened at the Birmingham LGBT Centre in October. This will be followed by the Liverpool Homotopia festival at the Unity Theatre in November, Limmud Conference in December and finally Brighton library for LGBT History Month in February 2015.
...with support from Stephen Fry WORLD RENOWNED actor and comedian Stephen Fry has donated more than £2,000 to Rainbow Jews to keep the ground-breaking project running. Rainbow Jews had been seeking to raise funds to continue its great work through an online crowdfunding initiative. With just two days left to run, and after already making one donation, Stephen gave the exact amount needed for the project to hit its target. The actor had earlier tweeted his support for Rainbow Jews and encouraged his millions of followers to also contribute. Stephen also sent a personal message, saying: “It really is my pleasure and pride to be able to help.”
Rainbow Jews founder Surat Knan said: “Now that the two-year Heritage Lottery Fund grant has finished, we needed to find further aid to continue. Many within Liberal Judaism and beyond – including chairman Lucian J Hudson and Rabbi Richard Jacobi – had been very generous. But I still wasn’t sure if we could make it. Then Stephen’s donation came in. Words can’t describe how grateful we are. “His support has really made a huge difference. Not only financially, but also in helping us bring this hidden history to the widest possible audience.” For more information on Rainbow Jews and how you can help support the project, please visit www.rainbowjews.com
Comment
November/December 2014
LJ Today Page 5
‘Working together will make us stronger’ Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner on her movement’s alliance with Liberal Judaism SWEET AND SOUR. Smooth and knobbly. Liberal and Reform. You couldn’t put us together, could you? The aarba minim, the four species of plant that we wave together on Sukkot, answer this question beautifully and illustrate the importance of Jewish unity along the way. Each species is unique, but also incomplete until bound together with the others as one. This is because every plant has something that every other lacks. Each has either taste or smell or both or neither. The etrog oozes flavour and fragrance. The lulav only has flavour. The hadas, myrtle twigs, only fragrance. Aravah, willow branches, neither. So Torah explains that the plants must be bound together. Each of these species of fruit is said to represent a different type of Jew. The etrog in its flavour and fragrance is balanced and complete, like a person who is wise and learned but engaged in mitzvot and Jewish life. At the other end, the Aravah symbolises someone engaged in neither – a person with a less actively Jewish life. We don’t have a full lulav by including the fragrant and ripened fruits alone, whilst neglecting the others. The aarba minim come to mind as an effective metaphor for thinking about our movements’ recent alliance. We are incomplete if we concentrate on the most active, comfortable members of our community but overlook others. Demographic surveys keep reminding us how important inclusivity is, because British Jewry is no longer drawn along the traditional communal lines of Reform or Orthodox or Liberal or Masorti alone. A third of British Jews already describe themselves as secular, cultural or ‘just Jewish’, meaning the challenge and importance of reaching out beyond our natural constituency is ever growing. We are here to appeal to these people. We understand there is a tension between Judaism and everyday life and that the Jewish ‘stuff’ can lose out sometimes. We are also here to say this tension is good and that negotiating it through informed choice can lead to a rich and active Jewish life. We know Judaism is not a set of tired responsibilities and that continuity and collective memory alone don’t do the trick anymore. Judaism should be a forward facing and socially conscious way to live. We pride our movements on inclusiveness, so this was a core principle behind our decision to come together last month.
Working together will enable us to do our work better: reaching out to secular and cultural Jews; increasing opportunities for Jewish literacy; affecting meaningful change on British Jewry, Israel and wider society. In these areas, more unites our movements than divides them. Together, we promote Jewish life that is open and inclusive. We celebrate difference and are proud of our 82 communities and their diversity. Together, we pledge love for Israel but support two-States as a just solution to the conflict. Together, we share a vision for social action and interfaith.
Our tradition teaches that being Jewish should not be an inward-looking exercise. We must reach out more to our neighbours and other faith communities and mobilise our communities to promote tolerance and justice across Britain. We are delightfully distinct and will remain so. Our communities are an assortment of fragrance and flavour, shape and size. Yet, like the aarba minim, like Jews across the world in their Sukkot, we are together too, and stronger for it. Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner is senior rabbi to the Movement for Reform Judaism
Ba’alei Tefillah 5775-6 Ever wondered what it takes to lead services within your community?
Join us to further your skills, experience and knowledge by learning as part of a diverse and supportive group FIVE Modules FOUR Projects THREE Tutors TWO Check-in Days ONE Residential Weekend The programme will include: • How to lead Shabbat and festival services • Exploration of the structure of the liturgy • How to choreograph a service • Opportunities to write sermons and Divrei Torah • Opportunities to practice reading Torah Launch Day: Sunday 18th January 2015 Expected Graduation: Biennial 2016 (approximate running time:16 months) Contact Abigail by Friday 21st November 2014 on 020 7580 1663 or a.jacobi@liberaljudaism.org for details on how to apply
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November/December 2014
LJY-Netzer Machaneh K
The troops were raised each morning in typical LJY-Netzer style
This amazing team of volunteer leaders ran the two-week camp
The Yamim (school years 9-10) made posters in the art room
More than 120 young Liberal Jews came together for a Machaneh Kadimah s
Everyone got soaked in the famous annual Kadimah wide game
Plagim (school years 5-6) saw their old friends and made new ones
November/December 2014
LJ Today Page 7
Kadimah 2014 in pictures
The ananim (school years 3-4) enjoyed their first ever Kadimah
summer camp full of education, prayer, sports, art, music and just plain fun
LJY-Netzer’s movement workers oversaw another successful event
Shabbat was celebrated with a special outdoor whole camp service
Whole camp morning activities included this fort building session
Nechalim (school years 7-8) won the Kadimah football tournament
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Books
November/December 2014
An essential and entertaining biography ISRAEL ISIDOR MATTUCK - ARCHITECT OF LIBERAL JUDAISM by Pam Fox (Vallentine Mitchell) Reviewed by Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein, President of Liberal Judaism I HAVE BEEN a Liberal Jew all my life, although I suppose it was some time before I heard of the founding trinity of Liberal Judaism. The only one I met was Lily Montagu, who interviewed me for the rabbinate over a very pleasant cup of tea. She made a great impression on me. Claude Montefiore died before I was born and I never got down from Birmingham to see or hear Rabbi Dr Israel Mattuck before he died in 1954. As I trained and got into my rabbinic career, these three names increasingly cropped up. Rabbi John Rayner, in particular, was always quoting their views, especially those of his mentor Mattuck, as the essence of Liberal Judaism. Later working with Rabbi Rayner on Liberal Judaism’s liturgy, I had cause to examine the Mattuck-authored prayer books of my childhood, but of the man himself I had no real knowledge. He published comparatively little and there was no biography to read. Now, like the long delayed buses, two books appear at the same time. A powerful and insightful introduction by Rabbi Danny Rich based on Mattuck’s sermons and a full biography by Pam Fox of the man and his thoughts, sermons and influence on Liberal Judaism. Pam has done extensive research, not just in the various Liberal Judaism archives in this country, but also in resources in America, especially Hebrew Union College (HUC) in Cincinnati, as well as interviews with family members who shared with her their photographs, ephemera and memories. I am sure it helped that Pam’s previous work was on the history of The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS) for this was the centre for most of Mattuck’s work and life. When I read an early draft of the book I did wonder about the relevance of the detailed chapters on the Mattuck family origins in Lithuania and the early years of the family once they immigrated to the States. But now I realise they set the scene and demonstrate the incredible change in Mattuck’s fortune, from the impoverished immigrant to the upper middle class English gentleman. In reading of this phase in his life, we get an insight into his determination to succeed educationally and socially. From an early cheder education to a scholarship to Harvard, from immigrant hovel to lodgings, usually with wealthy families, and in one of them finding his future wife.
His self-belief led him to battle with what he saw as HUC’s inadequacies never up to the standards of Harvard. He left the college before graduating to take up highly successful pulpits in emerging American Reform synagogues. He was persuaded to return to HUC but it was on his terms and, despite never handing in his final thesis, he was ordained. Mattuck was very much a maverick, but had several early successes and was clearly a rising star in the American Reform movement. What then persuaded him to move to London to a lone fledgling congregation? Pam discusses the background to this move, which led to the LJS becoming one of the leading congregations in Anglo Jewry. Mattuck’s drive and personality motivated the fundraising for the magnificent building in St John’s Wood Road and the development of many activities within the synagogue, some new to English congregations such as a women’s society and youth club. The book details Mattuck’s influence in founding other Liberal congregations in London and the provinces and hence the Liberal Movement. It tells of his involvement in the founding of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and the London Society of Jews and Christians. There are many fascinating episodes such as his attempts to persuade Leo Baeck not to return to Germany before the war, his relationships with other
religious leaders and ministers, and the man himself and his family. I also learned so much: that Mattuck’s widely reported Sunday services, attended by up to 1,000 people, Jew and non-Jew, were not really services, but addresses followed by free-flowing question and answer sessions; the details of his views on Zionism, which came to affect our movement for decades and still influence sectors of it today; his insistence on the primacy of social justice above ritual and yet his ability to work with much more traditional rabbis in Liberal congregations on the continent; his disagreements with Rabbi Reinhart of West London Synagogue that might explain the rifts between Reform and Liberal Judaism in this country, only now being healed. So much is revealed! However Pam does not overlook the inconsistencies in Mattuck’s character. Though he was later a leader in the fight for women’s emancipation, in the early days in America all five brothers went to prestigious universities, but none of the three sisters - who stayed at home to earn money to allow their brothers’ education. And though Mattuck became famous in the interwar years as a supporter of workers’ rights and the miners’ strike, he himself lived a comfortable upper middle class life with a house in the country and one in Hampstead, a chauffeur and servants. An English gentleman, yet never giving up his American citizenship. Able to communicate with all people, but perhaps a bit of a snob. This book will be valued by American and British historians and yet it reads like a novel, keeping one’s interest throughout. Pam Fox has researched and composed an entertaining biography of a fascinating man. It is essential in understanding the birth and development of our Liberal Movement. It deserves a wide readership in Britain and America. • Copies of Israel Isidor Mattuck: Architect of Liberal Judaism can be bought from The Liberal Jewish Synagogue. Paperback copies are on sale for £18. Hardback copies are selling for £37.50, reduced from £50 thanks to the generous support of Jill Mattuck Tarule, Israel Mattuck’s granddaughter. Please email office@ljs.org to place an order. Hardback copies can also be purchased from Liberal Judaism.
Books
November/December 2014
Examining the Holocaust and why it still haunts today’s Jews EDINBURGH LIBERAL JEWISH COMMUNITY member Sue Lieberman will see her first book published early next year, examining the emotional and psychological relationship which Jews with no direct family connection to the Holocaust, feel with it. Below Sue tells us about the book, After Genocide: How Ordinary Jews Face the Holocaust, and the seven years she spent working on it. What made you decide to write a book on this important topic? Being born in the post-war generation, I grew up surrounded by oblique references to the Holocaust, which became clear through the trial of Adolf Eichmann. From then on, I read extensively about the Holocaust, much assisted because my oldest friend was the daughter of two Holocaust survivors. In the 1980s, she attended one of the first ‘gatherings’ of the second generation in Israel; I remember noting then that there was no equivalent place for a wider Jewish population to process the Holocaust’s impact. When I read Eva Hoffman’s book, After Such Knowledge, it became clear that there was no literature either about the experience of Jews like me – those I came to call ‘ordinary Jews’. How did you define an ‘ordinary Jew’? ‘Ordinary Jews’ are Jews with no immediate family connection to the Holocaust. As an Ashkenazi Jew, whose grandparents came to Britain from Pinsk in the early 1900s, I certainly lost relatives in the Holocaust; but as a family we have no idea who they were. The family history was already lost in my grandparents’ silence. The Holocaust is tangential to my immediate family’s history, and this is common among Jews whose families had left Europe a generation or more before the war. The term itself came about because I wanted to refer to such Jews in a way which didn’t define us in relation to something that we are not (non-survivors, non-witnesses etc).
A Jewish Book of Comfort, by Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein and Rabbi Dr Charles Middleburgh, is a new anthology presenting a wide selection of poems, psalms and mediations from all periods of Jewish history, designed to offer words of comfort for difficult times.
To give a quick summary of the book – why are today’s Jews, even those with no immediate family connection to the Holocaust, still haunted by it? There are a number of reasons. One is simply the nature of the Holocaust itself: its bewildering awfulness; its having happened in what was supposed to be one of the most civilised countries in Europe at the time; its psychotic madness; its comprehensive onslaught on every aspect of Jewish life. It is such a huge subject, I don’t think we have yet got our heads around it, so it continues to get ‘into’ us in a way that corresponds to haunting. It is also multifaceted. As individuals, we have developed different vulnerabilities in life, and there is endless scope in the Holocaust to evoke feelings which are part of our lives anyway. I also think there is a way in which, as diaspora Jews, we still haven’t fully mourned what was lost in the Holocaust. In psychotherapy, incomplete mourning is associated with hauntedness. When something has not been properly laid to rest, it lives on in an uneasy way. How long did the book take to write? What were your greatest challenges? The entire project took seven years, from first interview to finishing the last chapter. The first two years mainly involved developing the research base and conducting interviews, though I continued to interview alongside writing for another two years. There was a lot of reading to do throughout. My mother died when I was halfway through writing, which obviously presented its own difficulties at the time. Probably the biggest challenge, however, was finding out how to write in a voice that I felt happy with. The other was figuring out my own process of writing: where to write, what time of day suited me best, what my own rhythm was. It took me nearly a year to write the first chapter, but once I understood how I worked best the process got faster.
Themes included are illness, ageing, memory, grief, faith and much more. The authors write: “Whether you are a person of faith or not, there are times in every human life when we need to find comfort to sustain us through pain, loss or bereavement.
LJ Today Page 9
Going West By Bryan Diamond The book A Beacon of Light: The History of the West London Synagogue by historian Philippa Bernard is a useful history of the earliest British Progressive congregation. Although West London Synagogue (WLS) is a Reform shul, this history is of significant interest to Liberal Jews, thanks to several references to our movement, one of its founders Claude Montefiore and others connected to us. The Jewish Religious Union (JRU) – the original name for Liberal Judaism – is mentioned in regards to the proposal to host Liberal services on Shabbat afternoons at WLS, held under the JRU control with modern prayers, but men and women seated separately. The WLS Council were none too happy and refused to allow their senior minister Reverend Joseph to sit on the JRU’s committee. This supplements the account by Rabbi Lawrence Rigal and Rosita Rosenberg in their history of our movement - Liberal Judaism: The First Hundred Years. It was said of Montefiore, after he published his seminal work Liberal Judaism, that “one of the most distinguished members of the WLS was to lead a breakaway to found another new form of Jewish practice”. But it may be queried whether the JRU was really derived from the WLS or rather a radical derivation from orthodoxy. Montefiore is also described as “almost virulently anti-Zionist” and wanting “no part in the nationalism of Palestine”. In 1909 he was, with other members of the WLS, a signatory of a letter to the Jewish Chronicle detailing their patriotism as Englishmen. He is also mentioned in a list of signatories – including Lily Montagu’s father Lord Swaythling – of another letter, to The Morning Post in 1919, intended to counter antisemitism. Another passage of interest to us concerns a motion in 1936 for closer cooperation between the Reform and Liberal movements. Talks took place, but broke down a year later due to differences between the two movements. The author comments that “many at WLS felt they might have had a lucky escape!”
“Throughout three millennia of Jewish history, sages have written words of encouragement, reassurance and hope, borne from suffering endured, faced and overcome.” A full review of A Jewish Book of Comfort will appear in the next lj today.
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Outreach
November/December 2014
Outreach Team Bulletin Board HAVING moved into a new home in the Cotswolds this summer, my High Holy Days with Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community were particularly special. I was so proud as more than half the community’s members took part in the services in one way or another, including children from five to 16 years-old. On Erev Rosh Hashanah we opted to have a Seder pictured below - which was delicious, uplifting and enjoyed by all.
ON THE FIRST Shabbat in September, I made my first ever visit to our congregation in Manchester. On Friday night, I shared a Shabbat dinner with leaders from Manchester Liberal Jewish Community, and on Saturday morning I led a service that was musical and welcoming. I’m looking forward to sharing many Shabbat experiences in the future with this lovely community. To find out more, please email mljc@liberaljudaism.org
Rabbi Anna a.gerrard@liberaljudaism.org
Cantor Gershon g.silins@liberaljudaism.org
ONE OF THE things I hold closest to my heart is education, especially for cheder-aged children. Teaching invigorates and frustrates me in equal measure, and I always leave a session feeling that I have learnt something. For this reason, I particularly enjoy running Liberal Judaism’s Learning Network, created in 2013. The Learning Network ran four training seminars during the last academic year covering the new Jewish Pathways curriculum, autism and challenging behaviour, teaching about the Holocaust and safeguarding.
We are currently undertaking a ‘listening campaign’, through which I will meet with community heads of education to get to know them better and understand what their challenges and goals are. The aim is to strengthen the bonds between communities and their relationship with Liberal Judaism. Our next Learning Network session is on Sunday December 10 at the Montagu Centre. I hope you, or someone from your community, is able to attend. Rabbi Sandra s.kviat@liberaljudaism.org
Outreach comment By Rabbi Leah Jordan “ARE YOU CHRISTIAN?” That was a genuine question asked by a more traditional Jewish student to a fellow Jew on campus. Many Progressive Jewish students can tell you some version of this story. Progressive Jewish students faced a further hurdle at university as they returned in late September - aside from the threat of antisemitism and how best to keep the traditions - they faced misunderstanding and even scorn from their fellow Jews about their own Jewish identity. After this summer in Israel, the political debate on campus is hotter and more divisive than ever. Students have to wade through questions around war, Zionist identity, human rights, Palestinian selfdetermination, BDS and two-state, bi-state and one-state solutions in their ever-increasing fervour and complexity, with unhelpful vitriol and understandable anger. Sadly some also face the further complication of misunderstanding and resentment among ourselves. Many Progressive Jewish students, who grew up in Jewish communities across the country, feel alienated by their university JSocs because their peers are not welcoming of nonOrthodox Jews. Klal Yisrael, the community of Israel, is diverse. There are many different ways of practicing Judaism. Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh, the Talmud teaches at the bottom of page 39a in Shavuot. All of Israel is responsible for one another. I will therefore be working with parents and teachers from every Jewish background to help instil this understanding and make university that little bit more welcoming.
Rabbi Leah Jordan is Liberal Judaism’s student and young adult chaplain. This commentary was first published in The Jewish News
Youth
November/December 2014
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
My summer holiday in a war zone Rebekah Henriques on being part of LJY-Netzer Israel Tour during the conflict
I WAS PART of a group of around 40 teenagers who landed in Israel on July 8 – the same day when, unbeknown to us, the first exchanges of rockets were taking place. One hundred rockets had been fired at Israel and 50 air strikes were placed on Gaza. This was day one of our Israel Tour. After escalating tensions and the kidnapping and murder of far too many Palestinian and Israeli boys, the real war started on the day our flight landed. We were not told much about the conflict during our first week but, after a while, parents started to worry and the itinerary had to be changed for our safety. I have absolutely no regrets of going to Israel at a time such as this. Some places may have been out of bounds – we were not able to go to Tel Aviv at all – but in some ways this allowed our educational experience to be multiplied in value. The leaders ran engaging sessions on the conflict and used the events around us to boost our understanding in discussions. There were only a few times during our month in Israel when we were directly faced with sights of the conflict.
A significant occasion was when we were in the Dead Sea. Military aircraft flew barely 30 feet above us. Nothing happened, but everyone’s hearts froze for a moment. Of course, we were completely safe thanks to the UJIA’s organisation, which meant we could still enjoy the highlights of LJY-Netzer Israel Tour. We climbed Masada in time for sunrise, meditated in a canyon, rode on camels, snorkelled in the Red Sea, toured Jerusalem and the Old City, participated in an eco-workshop in Kibbutz Lotan, hiked the Golan Heights and went rafting down the Jordan River. We did almost everything planned and every day was packed with unmissable experiences. Despite all of the fun-filled days, which included competing for ‘omelette baguettes’ and playing drinking games with water, many of us loved the free time we had in the evenings and on Shabbat. Talking and laughing, while lying in hammocks and making new friends, were what made the trip so memorable. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Whatever is happening in Israel next summer, please don’t let that put you
off attending LJY-Netzer Israel Tour or sending your child on it. I know all those going on Tour 5775 will have an amazing holiday, just like I did.
What’s next... SUMMER 5774 may be over but 5775 has arrived, along with a whole host of exciting new LJY-Netzer events. After the success of the Israel Tour Reunion and Apples and Honey in the Park, we are looking forward to some exciting residential weekend events. We will also be holding a Hadracha Seminar at the end of October to train the next generation of LJY-Netzer leaders. November sees the return of Kinus, our decision making forum for school years 7-10, and we round the year off with Veidah - where our older members come together to shape the future of the movement. If you want to get involved, go to our website www.ljy-netzer.org
Contact the LJY-Netzer team: Tom Francies (tom@liberaljudaism.org), Tamara Silver (tamara@liberaljudaism.org) and Gabriel Webber (gabriel@liberaljudaism.org); office telephone 020 7631 0584
Page 12 LJ Today
November/December 2014
Liberal Judaism congregations Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue T: 01234 218 387 E: bedsps@liberaljudaism.org W: bedfordshire-ps.org.uk
Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community T: 0131 777 8024 E: info@eljc.org W: eljc.org
Beit Klal Yisrael (Notting Hill) E: bkymailing@gmail.com W: bky.org.uk
Finchley Progressive Synagogue T: 020 8446 4063 E: fps@liberaljudaism.org W: fps.org
Bet Tikvah Synagogue (Barkingside) T: 020 8554 9682 E: bttkv@liberaljudaism.org W: bettikvah.blogspot.co.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: bhps@liberaljudaism.org W: brightonandhoveprosynagogue.org.uk Bristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation E: bwpjc@bwpjc.org W: bwpjc.org Crouch End Chavurah E: info@crouchendchavurah.co.uk W: crouchendchavurah.co.uk Crawley Jewish Community T: 01293 534 294 Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation E: djpc@liberaljudaism.org W: djpcireland.com
Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community T: 01242 609 311 E: shalom@gljc.org.uk W: gljc.org.uk Harrow and Wembley Progressive Synagogue T: 020 8864 5323 E: hwps@liberaljudaism.org W: hwps.org Herefordshire Jewish Community T: 01594 530 721 E: hjc@liberaljudaism.org W: herefordshirejc.org Kehillah North London T: 020 7403 3779 E: knl@liberaljudaism.org W: nlpjc.org.uk Kent Liberal Jewish Community T: 07952 242432 E: kljc@liberaljudaism.org W: tinyurl.com/kentljc Kingston Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8398 7400 E: kls@liberaljudaism.org W: klsonline.org
Ealing Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8997 0528 E: els@liberaljudaism.org W: ealingliberalsynagogue.org.uk
Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation T: 0116 271 5584 E: lpjc@liberaljudaism.org W: lpjc.org.uk
Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community T: 01323 725 650 E: eljc@liberaljudaism.org W: eljc.org.uk
The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (St John’s Wood) T: 020 7286 5181 E: ljs@liberaljudaism.org W: ljs.org
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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The Liberal Synagogue Elstree T: 020 8953 8889 E: tlse@liberaljudaism.org W: tlse.org.uk Lincolnshire Jewish Community T: 01427 628 958 E: ljc@liberaljudaism.org W: lincolnshirejc.co.uk Manchester Liberal Jewish Community T: 08432 084 441 E: mljc@liberaljudaism.org W: mljc.org.uk North Herts Liberal Jewish Community (Stevenage) T: 01438 300 222 E: northhertsljc@gmail.com W: northhertsljc.org Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue T: 01923 822 592 E: npls@liberaljudaism.org W: npls.org.uk Norwich Liberal Jewish Community E: nljc@liberaljudaism.org W: www.norwichljc.org.uk Nottingham Liberal Synagogue T: 0115 962 4761 E: nls@liberaljudaism.org W: nottinghamliberalsynagogue.com
Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community T: 020 7631 9822 E: info@pljc.org.uk W: pljc.org.uk Reading Liberal Jewish Community T: 0118 942 8022 E: readingliberaljewishcommunity@ gmail.com W: www.readingljc.org.uk
Shenfield & Brentwood Synagogue T: 01277 888 610 E: tikvahchadasha@gmail.com W: roshtikvah.com
South Bucks Jewish Community T: 0845 644 2370 E: sbjc@liberaljudaism.org W: sbjc.org.uk South London Liberal Synagogue (Streatham) T: 020 8769 4787 E: slls@liberaljudaism.org W: southlondon.org Southgate Progressive Synagogue T: 020 8886 0977 E: sps@liberaljudaism.org W: sps.uk.com Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community (Ipswich) T:01473 250 797 E: sjc@liberaljudaism.org Wessex Liberal Jewish Community (Bournemouth) T: 01202 757 590 E: info@wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk W: wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk West Central Liberal Synagogue (Central London) T: 020 7636 7627 E: wcls@liberaljudaism.org W: wcls.org.uk Woodford Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8989 7619 E: info@woodfordliberal.org.uk W: woodfordliberal.org.uk Developing communities Weymouth, Portland and West Dorset E: wpwd@liberaljudaism.org York Liberal Jewish Community E: york@liberaljudaism.org Affiliated congregations Beit Ha’Chidush (Amsterdam) T: 00 31 23 524 7204 E: bhc.informatie@gmail.com W: beithachidush.nl Oxford Jewish Congregation T: 01865 515 584 E: progressive@ojc-online.org W: ojc-online.org
President Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein Chairman Lucian J Hudson Vice Chairs Simon Benscher and Jackie Richards Finance David Pelham Israel and the Diaspora Tamara Schmidt Communications Ed Herman Social Justice Amelia Viney Youth and Education Robin Moss National Officers Dr Howard Cohen, David Hockman, Ruth Seager and Rosie Ward Vice Presidents Monique Blake, Henry Cohn, Nigel Cole, Geoffrey Davis, Lord Stanley Fink, Jeromé Freedman, Louise Freedman, Rabbi Dr David Goldberg, Sharon Goldstein, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, Jeremy Jessel, Willie Kessler, David Lipman, Corinne Oppenheimer, David Pick, Rosita Rosenberg, Tony Sacker, Harold Sanderson, Joan Shopper, Beverley Taylor and Clive Winston Chair of Rabbinic Conference Rabbi Charley Baginsky Chief Executive Rabbi Danny Rich Outreach Director Rabbi Anna Gerrard Outreach Coordinator Abigail Jacobi Student & Young Adult Chaplain Rabbi Leah Jordan Education Rabbi Sandra Kviat Music Cantor Gershon Silins Interfaith Rabbi Mark Solomon Operations Director Shelley Shocolinsky-Dwyer PR Alexandra Ben-Yehuda Archivist Alison Turner LJY-Netzer Tom Francies, Tamara Silver and Gabriel Webber