LJ Today Mar/Apr 2023

Liberal Judaism is a constituent of the World Union for Progressive Judaism

www.liberaljudaism.org

March/April 2023

VOL. L No. 2

End of an era... and the start of a new one

Political leaders pay tribute to LJ

LABOUR Party leader

Sir Keir Starmer (pictured left with Liberal Judaism CEO Rabbi Charley Baginsky) was among the political and faith heads praising Liberal Judaism as we came to the end of our 120th anniversary year.

In a letter, he wrote: “I want to extend my warmest congratulations to you on 120 years of Liberal Judaism. You are a movement that has championed the diversity and richness of the Jewish community since 1902.

ACELEBRATORY event and mass

sing-along showcased the very best of Liberal Judaism’s past, present and future as we closed out our 120th anniversary celebrations in style.

With 100 people in attendance at The Ark Synagogue, Northwood, and a further 200 watching online, the LJ120 Closing Ceremony began with a re-creation of the first Liberal service from 1902.

Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein dressed as Reverend Simeon Singer – who led the prayers that day – with Rabbis Aaron Goldstein and Rachel Benjamin playing the roles of Liberal Judaism founders Claude Montefiore and Lily Montagu.

Highlights of the day included Arzenu International Chair Rabbi Lea Mühlstein leading a discussion on Zionism and Israel, an LJY-Netzer youth programme and today’s rabbis – including Rabbi Danny Rich – sharing their reminiscences on Liberal leaders of the past.

A key moment in the event saw a diverse panel talk passionately about what makes them a Liberal Jew.

how and why they found a home in our movement.

“Your impact has reached far and wide, stretching from Brighton to Edinburgh, London to York, and in so doing has touched communities across the country.

“As you end your celebrations of this special anniversary, I would like to thank and recognise Liberal Judaism’s leadership. There are aspects of leadership that, like you, I hold dear. These include our values of equality, inclusion and acceptance.

“Campaigns that you have led – from the welcoming of refugees to the Living Wage – have demonstrated your importance in our society.

The day ended with members from across Liberal Judaism coming together to sing tunes from the last 120 years, conducted by Ruth Colin.

Liberal Judaism CEO Rabbi Charley Baginsky said: “This celebration was not only a pat on the back, but an amazing springboard into the future. Now we have the real challenge of ensuring that the generations that come are as proud of the next 120 years as we are of ours.”

“As we mark this occasion, we reflect on the wonderful achievements of the last 120 years, but in so doing, we also look forward to the next 120 years and the continued enriching of community and country you provide.”

Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak also sent his compliments, writing: “I would like to send my very best wishes and many congratulations to Liberal Judaism as you celebrate this wonderful milestone.

“I hope the Closing Ceremony was enjoyed by everyone attending.”

Rabbi Rebecca Birk, Shaan Knan, Sophie Leapman, Karen Neman, Paul Hyams, Ruth Seager, Bob Kirk and Tanya Townsend spoke movingly on

Liberal Judaism’s rabbis and (below) panel at the Closing Ceremony (pictures by Keith Gold)

Liberal Judaism CHOOSES DEMOCRACY

LIBERAL JUDAISM, and our youth movement LJY-Netzer, are supporting CHOOSE DEMOCRACY – a campaign to mobilise thousands of people across the British Jewish community to demonstrate solidarity with Israelis fighting for Israel’s democratic future.

We are Jews who care about Israel, whose identities are bound up with Israel.

We want Israel to flourish as a homeland for the Jewish people and a democratic state that seeks to “ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants” – as stated in Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

Our community often finds itself defending Israel from external attacks. But now, more than ever before, the threat comes from within. Our friends and colleagues in the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism have asked for our support.

This is why we cannot be silent as some extremist members of Israel’s new government seek to:

• Undermine the rule of law and curtail human rights.

• Limit the freedom of the press.

• Remove legal protections for minorities including LGBTQI+ people, migrant workers and asylum seekers.

• Prevent the viability of a future twostate solution.

• Rescind the legal status of nonOrthodox conversions and reverse the ‘grandchild clause’, which will deny many Progressive Jews Israeli citizenship.

• Erode religious freedom, pluralism and freedom of choice.

• Endanger women and place restrictions on women’s roles in public life.

We have a choice. We either remain silent or stand in solidarity with those across Israel fighting for democracy. Liberal Judaism chooses to stand on the side of Israelis protesting against an extremist government.

You can also CHOOSE DEMOCRACY and show your support in the fight for Israel’s democratic future by signing up at www.choosedemocracy.org.uk

Other organisations supporting the campaign include Arzenu UK, Habonim Dror UK, Jewish Labour Movement, Masorti Judaism, Meretz UK, Movement for Reform Judaism, New Israel Fund, Noam Masorti Youth, RSY-Netzer, Union of Jewish Students and Yachad.

Community Briefings for 2023

LIBERAL JUDAISM is proud to announce a brand new format for our Thursday evening Community Briefings in 2023.

Launched during the pandemic, the Community Briefings take place on Zoom and are a great way for Liberal Judaism members around the country to receive support, share ideas and find out what is happening in our movement and beyond.

Following a discussion with our congregations, we have changed the format of the Community Briefings. They will now be on the second, third and fourth Thursday of each month and each week will have a different theme.

The second Thursday, open to everyone, will be Charley’s Open House. This is a chance to chat about Judaism, community and life matters hosted by our CEO, Rabbi Charley Baginsky. Bring your favourite coffee, herbal tea, cocktail, mocktail or whatever else you like to drink. Charley’s door is open and she would love to hear from you.

The third Thursday, also open to everyone, is our Guest Speaker Briefing. As before, these will see a fabulous external speaker, informing you about something that can help you or your community develop, build new links and/ or share experiences.

The fourth Thursday, for Liberal Judaism Council members only, is Council Collab: a collaborative lab of ideas and discussion to learn from each other, discuss challenges and opportunities and commission specialist speakers, each hosted by a member of our experienced management team.

See the full schedule on the right.

9 March – Charley’s Open House

16 March – Community Briefing with Daniel Gillis, Head of Services and Deputy CEO of Camp Simcha. Daniel will talk about the work of Camp Simcha, and its applicability for Liberal Judaism communities, particularly those outside of large Jewish areas.

23 March – Council Collab

13 April – Charley’s Open House

20 April – Community Briefing with Nicole Gordon, CEO of Jnetics, and Lisa Steele, CEO of Chai Cancer Care. They will be speaking about the BRCA testing engagement campaign. Find out more at www.jnetics.org

27 April – Council Collab

11 May – Charley’s Open House

18 May – Community Briefing with Jeffrey Ohrenstein, Trustee of Memorial Scrolls Trust. Jeffrey will be talking about their work finding homes for Czech Scrolls and keeping alive the memory of the communities lost in the Holocaust alive.

All Community Briefings start at 8pm. For more details and to register for the Zoom link, please email montagu@liberaljudaism.org

Goodbye Margaret

By Mandy Ross

THERE was a full house – and hardly a dry eye – for Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi’s last Shabbat service at Birmingham Progressive Synagogue (BPS) in January.

Joy and sorrow commingled as we celebrated Margaret’s 28 wonderful years at BPS. We presented her with a commemorative book filled with memories of a treasured rabbi. Margaret has blessed generations of our babies, taught our children into Jewish adulthood, supported us through difficult times as well as our simchas – and is much respected among interfaith and community networks in our city. We cherished visits too from her father, the late Rabbi Harry Jacobi.

It was a memorable service, with Dvar Torah from Rabbi Michael Hilton and honours for many, including Margaret’s family and David Key and Hillel Adusei, our two main security members who rarely get to attend services.

After a delicious kiddush, and a musical interlude from Lisa Duby, we were treated to Margaret’s Desert Island Discs, hosted by BPS President Val Harrison… a shoo-in for Lauren Laverne!

A legacy fund for Jewish learning has now been set up in Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi’s name. If you would like to make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/rabbijacobi

BPS members send Margaret warmest wishes for her three-month pulpit swap with Rabbi Shoshana Kaminsky of Adelaide – who we look forward to welcoming – and then on into a happy, busy and well-earned retirement.

Birmingham Progressive Synagogue will be starting the process of appointing our new rabbi later in the year and are also keen to hear from anyone who might be interested in working with us in an interim capacity. If you wish to find out more then please contact, in confidence, Joyce Rothschild on joyce10@icloud.com

Welcome back Danny

LIBERAL JUDAISM

Vice President Rabbi Danny Rich is the new interim rabbi at Southgate Progressive Synagogue (SPS), as the community begin their search for a permanent rabbinic team.

Danny joined SPS last November and will serve for one year. He was CEO of Liberal Judaism for 15 years, before leaving the post in early 2020. Prior to that, he was rabbi at Kingston Liberal Synagogue for two decades.

He said: “It was always my intention to return to the congregational rabbinate. Southgate Progressive Synagogue has well over 600 members, a committed lay leadership and a fantastic site.

Hello Gabriel

“I am so happy to serve as rabbi to such a community.”

Southgate Progressive Synagogue’s search for a permanent rabbinic team began in January with an event for members to discuss and put forward views about the recruitment process.

If you would like to apply, contact SPS Chair Mark Shaw on chair@sps.uk.com for an information pack.

Mark said: “I am delighted that we have secured the services of Rabbi Danny Rich, one of the most experienced rabbis in the UK, for the next nine months. He has thrown himself into all aspects of communal life from day one.

“We have an open mind as to how our new team will be structured and will consider either one full-time or two/three part-time appointments. We are excited about the journey ahead as SPS seeks to be at the front of Progressive Judaism.”

BRIGHTON and Hove Progressive Synagogue (BHPS) was jam-packed with congregants and dignitaries, as the community celebrated the induction of Rabbi Gabriel Kanter-Webber.

Local MPs, Liberal Judaism leaders and representatives from the Jewish and wider community joined together with Gabriel’s family and friends for the ceremony, which combined the welcome for the new rabbi with a celebration of 120 years of Liberal Judaism.

Liberal Judaism Chair Ruth Seager, herself a former pupil at the BHPS religion school, opened the service, which was led by Liberal Judaism CEO Rabbi Charley Baginsky, BHPS Emeritus Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah and Liberal Judaism Vice President Rabbi Danny Rich.

Gabriel – who was ordained by Leo Baeck College last summer – thanked everyone at BHPS for the warm welcome that he, his wife Manuella and their son Omri have received.

Reflecting on the day, he said: “I first came to BHPS in 2012 as an LJY-Netzer leader, as part of the shul’s tentative experiment in moving its cheder to a youth-movement model. It was that exposure to a warm, welcoming and inclusive Jewish community – as well as the truly inspirational leadership of Rabbi Elli – which made me realise I wanted to live my life as deeply embedded in the Jewish community as possible.

“So now, 10 years later, I’ve finally been ‘promoted’ from cheder teacher to rabbi. My former pupils are now graduating from university, getting married and buying flats. And I’m standing in the footsteps of an admired mentor.

“My induction was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate BHPS past and future, and to showcase our community to partners from across the city.

“With thanks to Rabbis Elli, Charley and Danny - as well as Ruth Seager and Karen Newman - for attending and making it such a special service.”

Rabbis Elli Tikvah Sarah, Gabriel KanterWebber, Charley Baginsky and Danny Rich

Picture by Pete Noons

The Mitzvah continues all year round

MITZVAH DAY may have taken place in November, but Liberal Judaism members and communities have continued the interfaith social action well beyond.

Liberal Judaism Officer and York Liberal Jewish Community Deputy Owen Power took part in the This Is Me Salford project at a local food bank. Owen and other members of the LGBTQI+ support group baked delicious cakes and then served them with coffee to everyone collecting food parcels.

Owen said: “This day was about one struggling community holding its hand out to another.”

Sara Radivan, Regional Manager of the Board of Deputies, was also part of the project. She added: “I was delighted to join This is Me Salford in helping anyone and everyone who needs assistance. There were lots of clothes, games, hot drinks and cakes that members of the local community could come and take, as well as the food parcels.”

Volunteer Vera honoured

By Alan Solomon

MEMBERS of Mosaic Liberal Synagogue have every reason to be very proud of longstanding member Vera Gellman. Many in the Jewish community give up their time and energy for others by volunteering to assist charities and good causes. The Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN) promotes, connects and supports these volunteers to enable charities of all kinds to carry out their important and rewarding work.

So where does Vera (pictured left) come into all this? JVN held its Celebration of Volunteering Awards in January.

Vera has volunteered for the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) – the national charity supporting Holocaust refugees, survivors and the next generations – for more than 25 years and was nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award. The AJR’s Pinner Outreach Team, which she organises, was also nominated for the Volunteer Team of the Year Award.

With the help of the AJR Head Office, Vera organises monthly meetings for the group and has kept them together, even through the pandemic. Members are now once again listening to a speaker inperson on a Thursday afternoon, enjoying a lovely tea, and meeting and talking to each other.

Vera received runner-up prizes in both categories and it was an honour for her to be recognised in this way.

Meanwhile the first delivery of blankets that members of Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue and their friends from other faiths have been knitting have arrived to help people on the Polish/ Ukrainian border.

The kintters started the project on Mitzvah Day and have since carried on from home, keeping in touch by e-mail and sharing photos. The finished blankets form part of monthly shipments sent by the Ukrainian Centre in Luton.

LJS concert for Ukraine

ON Sunday 26 March, The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS) will host The Human Spirit - a concert in aid of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) Ukraine Crisis Fund and the LJS’s DropIn for Asylum-Seeker Families.

Hosted by Dame Maureen Lipman, the concert will honour those we have lost and celebrate the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

The programme includes works by Mahler, Janácek, Bernstein and Schubert, as well as newly-commissioned choral pieces. The conductor is Cathy Heller Jones and performers include Gemma Rosefield, Stephanie Marshall, Maya lrgalina and the LJS Professional and Members’ Choirs.

For tickets and more information, please visit www.the-human-spirit.org

Sara Radivan and York Liberal Jewish Community’s Owen Power at the This Is Me Salford Mitzvah Day food bank project (picture by Tony Knox), and Hilary Fox of Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue with the blankets that their interfaith group have been knitting to help people in Ukraine

Baby blessings return to The Ark

THE ARK SYNAGOGUE held its first communal baby blessing since the pandemic - with 16 babies and toddlers and their families (many pictured above) part of the special day.

They all joined the community’s ministers Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, Rabbi Lea Mühlstein and Emeritus Rabbi

Andrew Goldstein on the bimah at the end of a special Tu Bishvat service.

Andrew told them: “We have so many wonderful families here and, as the slightly older rabbi, it gives me great pleasure to ask for God’s blessing for the children and their parents and their grandparents today.

“The greatest gift we can ask for is that they, and you, will have the blessing of shalom... peace.”

Speaking afterwards, Aaron said: “This was a very special moment, as our first baby blessing since 2019 coincided with the optimism of Tu Bishvat. Together again, we were all able to celebrate life.”

Kingston member wins competition to mark HMD

A MEMBER of Kingston Liberal Synagogue (KLS) is one of the winners of a national competition marking Holocaust Memorial Day 2023.

Ali Simmons, 25, entered the contest with her portrait of fellow KLS member and survivor Bronia Snow (pictured left).

Bronia came to the UK on the Kindertransport from Prague in 1938, aged 11, leaving her parents and younger brother behind.

The drawing – a mixture of soft pastels and oil pastels – shows Bronia sitting in front of her piano upon which are family portraits and a musical score she brought from Prague.

The exhibition – [Extra]Ordinary Portraits – is a collection of artworks that reveal the ‘extraordinary elements of seemingly ordinary people’.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust partnered with The Royal Drawing School and asked young people across the UK to learn about someone affected by the Holocaust, genocide or identity-based persecution and create a portrait of them.

An expert judging panel then chose 30 to be displayed for the exhibition.

Upon hearing the news that she was one of the winners, Ali (pictured below) said: “I’m honoured that my portrait of Bronia Snow has been selected for the [Extra]Ordinary Portraits Exhibition. It was really special to spend time with Bronia and draw her.”

Picture by Victor Shack

Speakers announced as Biennial takes shape

TWO keynote speakers have been added to the Liberal Judaism Biennial Weekend, which takes place from Friday 19 - Sunday 21 May 2023 at the Staverton Park Hotel in Daventry. Rabbi Larry Hoffman (pictured) is Professor Emeritus at the New York campus of the Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion, where he served for almost half a century. He is known internationally for his lectures to popular audiences and his spiritual approach to synagogue consultation.

He has written or edited 49 books to date, including My People’s Prayer Book, a 10-volume edition of the Siddur with modern commentaries which won the National Jewish Book Award. He will speak about how our movement and our communities can develop and evolve, transforming themselves to engage the next generation.

Dr Joel Hoffman is another sought after speaker from the USA. He is renowned for his depth of thought, engaging style and sense of humour. He is a pioneer of applying modern translation techniques to ancient languages and has written a number of acclaimed books and articles. He will share with us the wisdom that the Torah and other ancient texts have for our modern society and Judaism.

Our third Biennial Weekend keynote speaker, Rebecca Soffer, was announced earlier this year. The Co-Founder and CEO of www.modernloss.com – she will explore with us how sharing our personal experience of grief can help us to build stronger communities.

We are also pleased that the Biennial Weekend will again include an Emerging Leadership track. Each community can send one participant, who will receive a subsidised Biennial place and be able attend these additional sessions. Past alumni from this track have gone on to leadership roles within their communities and our national movement.

• Biennial Weekend tickets are on sale now from www.liberaljudaism.org

LJ Matters

THE theme of the Liberal Judaism Biennial Weekend 2023 is LJ Matters. Our movement has had a very exciting few years where we have reached more people than ever before and expanded our offerings. The question is ‘what’s next?’ How do we decide the future of our movement and what the priorities should be?

We are excited to bring you the speakers listed above - but the key to this conference is YOU. The Biennial is an amazing opportunity to ensure the things that YOU care about are on Liberal Judaism’s agenda. We have 10 tracks, each of which examines the statement that ‘LJ Matters because it is…’

• Rooted

• Responsive

• Inclusive

• Diverse

• Collaborative

• Effective

• Proud

• Joyful

• Meaningful

• Accessible

There will be everything you would usually expect from an LJ Biennial - services, spirituality, music, nostalgia, fresh ideas and lots of fun. LJY-Netzer will be running a parallel youth track and there’s a professionally staffed crèche, so it really is an event for all ages.

Ensuring that Zohar’s impact never stops

Rosa Slater on the new trust set up in memory of a beloved LJY-Netzer member

“If I had not fallen, I would not have picked myself up. If I did not sit in darkness, I would not have seen the light.” (Orchot Tzadikim, Shaar Hateshuvah, Shaar 26)

ZOHAR Dean Collins, whose name quite literally translates to brightest spark, was exactly that.

I was lucky enough to have known Zohar for many years. He was a friend, a member of our Liberal Judaism youth movement LJY-Netzer and always felt like family. Everyone who met Zohar was impacted by his immense charisma, pure nature and energetic presence. He was a beautiful person who said yes to all of the experiences that life had to offer.

On 1 June 2022, Zohar passed away in a sudden tragic event and our world changed forever. Despite the challenges of grieving, we are all trying that much harder to be like Zohar and to also say “yes”. We understand now why people say that “grief is love with nowhere to go”.

To try our best to channel this love, we have set up The Zohar Dean Trust, with one primary aim: to ensure that Zohar’s impact does not stop just because he left us before his time. In the wake of this tragedy, through the formation of the Trust, we have created a new community of people whose lives were touched by Zohar and we aim to do justice to the man we knew and loved so well.

The Zohar Dean Trust will be supporting meaningful causes that were close to Zohar’s heart. As a committed and much loved LJY-Netzer leader and an award-winning physics student at the University of Leeds, we are raising funds to support causes which will enable young people to have new enriching experiences and to be able to enjoy them as much as Zohar did.

Our chosen 2023 beneficiaries are Our Second Home, a youth movement for refugees; Youth First, a charity running youth clubs and services for young people in Lewisham, South London; In2Science, an organisation encouraging social mobility within the STEM sector; and our very own LJY-Netzer.

Zohar excelled at having a good time and his energy was truly contagious. Inspired by this, to launch The Zohar Dean Trust, we held an open mic night filled with a showcase of original songs and poems, and then concluding with a raffle run by his siblings.

We also launched the logo for the Trust, which was designed by Sophie Leapman and drawn by Nadir Collins, Zohar’s younger brother. The star replaces the A in his name and represents the continued light he shines on so many lives, as well as being an acknowledgement for his love of astronomy and physics.

Although the world feels dimmer without Zohar, whenever I go to places where we spent time together, the sunlight has an extra shimmer to it. It feels like he left magic behind everywhere he went. I know that we are hurting so much because we loved so much. It is his energy that lives within all of us and that I feel so grateful for.

To support The Zohar Dean Trust, please visit tinyurl.com/zohardeantrust or scan the QR code below.

Rosa Slater (left) with her fellow trustees Adam Aradi and Martha Slater at the Trust’s launch

on the integration of refugees’

Lord (Alex) Carlile writes on the formation of a commission to fix the refugee and asylum system

WHEN the Woolf Institute, of which I am a trustee and with which Liberal Judaism has a long and ongoing connection, invited me to become Chair of the new independent Commission on the Integration of Refugees, I could not in good conscience refuse.

Given the amount of attention given to the refugee and asylum system recently, you might think that some of the UK’s keenest minds were already grappling seriously with the question of how this country should respond to people fleeing their home countries and seeking protection here. So why would we need this new commission?

Civil servants, researchers, think tanks and charities are spending a great deal of time on this topic, as are politicians from all sides of the spectrum. All agree that the system is far from working.

Asylum waiting times and backlogs are longer than they’ve ever been. Living conditions for people in the asylum system can be appalling, while resettled refugees frequently struggle to get the support they need to build a new life here. Refugees are less likely to be employed than the rest of the population and more likely to be in low paid work.

Rabbi Aaron Goldstein on responding to disaster:

AS I write, the known death toll in the earthquakes that have hit south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria is 44,000. By the time you read this, it will likely be much more.

In times of tragedy, our contemporary Judaism offers a plethora of responses. The humblest of which is admitting that one does not know what God wants or where God is at such a time. All we know is that there are lives to be saved in the immediate aftermath and then a commitment to supporting the bereaved, in this case whole villages, towns and cities.

We are also seeing unaccompanied and vulnerable children, seeking safety here in the UK, often not given the protection that all children deserve.

But rather than a genuine exploration of the best solutions for these growing issues, the cacophony of voices in this space are mostly locked in highly polarised argument.

The current way things are debated on these issues is disappointing. It is highly contentious, extremely opinionated and largely led by controversialists looking for disagreement. And when sensible solutions are put forward, they are seen as partisan and too easily dismissed in favour of political point scoring.

So, it is no surprise that the solutions being put in place are often just another way to grab headlines. At best they lack the rigour of thought to determine if they can work, or even if they are affordable. At worst, they have a high chance of damaging already traumatised people further and deepening the antagonism in the public narrative.

It is for all those reasons that I have taken on this role.

My parents and sister were refugees. They survived Nazi persecution in Poland and were able to get to the UK, where, once settled, my father practised as a doctor. I was born here and brought up to believe that Britain is a place where justice is done for people wherever they come from.

But the current system is not working. It’s not working for refugees and asylum seekers, and it’s not working for society.

It is essential that we take a different approach to tackling the question of how

And so, we turn to the question of what humanity can do. There is the short-term humanitarian response for which our community, through the work of World Jewish Relief (WJR), can be proud. Able to channel funding for local response workers on the ground, the strength of feeling we have as individual Jews is translated into support for those who we see broken on our screens.

There is then the wider issue that such natural disasters highlight – that they are not purely ‘natural’, but there is a human element. As I listened to my daughter revising for her geography A-Level, I heard that almost exclusively the destructions brought by nature are exaggerated by a ‘poverty trap’.

the integration of refugees in the UK can best be supported and move away from oppositional debate.

That is why the Commission on the Integration of Refugees is bringing together, and listening to, opposing views and diverse experiences - from refugees, host communities and faith leaders to security forces, politicians and economists.

The commissioners themselves are a diverse group with very different views and political perspectives. We will find a way to work together to overcome our differences and find common ground on how to fix the broken system. And while our own perspectives and experiences will colour the way we examine what we find, it will be a strictly evidential process.

Our hope is that by bringing together 23 reasonable people of appropriate experience to hear different perspectives from across the country, a solid and enduring set of solutions can be found. Solutions that are thoughtfully considered and costed. Solutions that don’t play to an agenda for one political side or another and are unlikely to fuel further hostility and debate.

We intend to produce a set of recommendations that can be easily translated into lasting policy and better law to bring real improvement to everyone – to refugees desperately in need of our support, and the communities ready to welcome them.

It is a mechanism that, according to the Economic Times, “forces people to remain poor… leading to the overexploitation of natural resources and land,” especially in the poorest places.

Lo tuchal l’hitaleim (Deuteronomy 22:3) is translated by Onkelos (the translation of the Torah into Aramaic) as “you may not hide yourself.”

We do not hide ourselves when we donate through WJR. However, while we might try to limit our selfishness, we may admit that, just as we do not know the nature of God, we also do not know the answer to human greed.

• To donate to WJR’s Earthquake Appeal, visit www.worldjewishrelief.org

‘It is essential that we take a different approach

• Lord (Alex) Carlile CBE KC is Chair of the Commission on the Integration of Refugees and a crossbench member of the House of Lords.

Anything but dead boring

Wedding to remember

LIBERAL JUDAISM has long been at the cutting-edge of Jewish practice around death, burials, cremation and mourning.

And while this topic may sound dead boring, those staff members and volunteers who have got involved have found the exact opposite. Now we are calling for more of you to step forward and help in this area.

Liberal Judaism CEO Rabbi Charley Baginsky said: “It may sound strange to some when I say this, but of all the aspects of my role as CEO the work around death and mourning has been among the most fulfilling and interesting.

“I’ve met amazing people, helped families connect with each other, seen people rediscover their Judaism and been able to work collaboratively alongside other Jewish movements.

“Liberal Judaism’s work in this area – from burying mixed-faith couples together to the introduction of woodland burials – has been pioneering, but we can only continue to innovate if volunteers continue to lend us their skills.”

Liberal Judaism holds dear the traditional principle of kavod ha’met (honour/dignity in death). We therefore work to ensure, through our own burial scheme and individual communities, that provision at the end of a person’s life is as appropriate and meaningful as it is during life itself.

In Liberal Judaism, it is very much left up to the bereaved family to decide how they wish to hold the funeral and mourn afterwards. Rabbis and congregational leaders will give guidance where it is required, and explain practices at the time, but no-one within Liberal Judaism is compelled to carry out rituals which they do not want to perform.

Non-Jews can be buried together with their Jewish partners, so those who are together in life are not separated in death. We are also proud to offer burials and cremations to non-members.

Being able to do this is a team effort and we rely on volunteers to help by taking on roles in their own communities, in the operation of the Liberal Judaism scheme and by sitting on the Boards at Edgwarebury and Cheshunt cemeteries.

Phil Stone, of The Ark Synagogue, has done all three over the last 40 years, including serving as Treasurer and Chair of the Edgwarebury Cemetery Board.

Currently the Chair of Liberal Judaism’s Cemeteries Committee, Phil said: “All of these voluntary roles have been extremely fulfilling, especially when helping and supporting individual members at the most difficult of times.

“This volunteering gives opportunities to make a real difference, improve how Liberal Judaism’s work is done and leave a better and lasting legacy for the future. It also provides wide-ranging learning and growth opportunities.”

Something that has come through very strongly from Liberal Judaism’s membership is that more space for woodland burial is needed, in addition to that available at Cheshunt.

We are excited to be close to announcing the securing of a new established woodland burial site – that is not only beautiful but really fulfils the values of us as Liberal Jews. Stay tuned for further details about this tranquil and beautiful environment.

If you would like to get involved in Liberal Judaism’s work around death and burials, please contact Rabbi Charley Baginsky on ceo@liberaljudaism.org

What did you do on Christmas day? Hillel Adusei and his wife Eva Antwi decided to get married… again.

They had already been married several years, but had never had a Jewish wedding. When they heard Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi was retiring, they approached her to conduct one for them and she was very happy to do so.

Eva and Hillel had a long journey to this point. They met in Ghana, where they developed a common interest in Judaism. Then they went to Milan, Italy, and got involved in the Liberal congregation, became Jewish and made many friends.

Their journey then brought them to Birmingham Progressive Synagogue (BPS), where they quickly became a much-loved part of the community together with their children Levi, Sarah and Sharon.

All three children, who attend the BPS cheder, read beautiful poems standing under the chuppah with their parents.

Hillel and Eva both play an active part in BPS and the wider Jewish community. Hillel is trained by CST and covers security for all the Birmingham synagogues. Eva prepares kiddush. They are both often seen quietly helping out with a range of tasks around the building.

Their joyful ceremony was followed by refreshments and finally, as it became dark, with the lighting of the Chanukah candles – truly a wedding to remember!

MOSAIC Liberal Synagogue were honoured to have Rabbi Misha Kapustin from Slovakia as a guest speaker for Shabbat. Read the full report on the Liberal Judaism website at www.liberaljudaism.org

Liberal Jewish poet celebrated at Absence and Loss exhibition

By Janet Berkman

MOST readers of lj today will be familiar with the various writings and poems that form the section Reflections on the Shoah in the additional service for Yom Kippur in the Machzor.

But how many will be aware that the writer of the very moving On Shutting the Door is the oldest member of Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community? Living in a nursing home in Peterborough, Lotte Kramer (pictured right) is now 99-years-old.

After arriving in England, on a Kindertransport, Lotte started writing poetry as a means of dealing with the feelings of loss and dislocation created by her earlier experiences.

She was soon recognised as a highly accomplished poet and her poems are published in several volumes by Rockingham Press (and Amazon).

Her life and work are currently being celebrated as part of an exhibition at Peterborough Museum, entitled Absence and Loss. The exhibition comprises a series of photographs taken by Marion Davies, whose parents escaped from Germany before the Holocaust and who was struck by the number of Holocaust memorials of different kinds in Germany.

Peterborough Museum has enhanced Marion’s collection by dedicating a section of the exhibition to telling the story of Lotte’s arrival in England, her poetry and her contribution to the museum as a volunteer for many years. Her very powerful poem, Exodus, below, is used to highlight the anguish of the mothers who sent away their children:

For all mothers in anguish

Pushing out their babies

In a small basket

To let the river cradle them And kind hands find And nurture them

Providing safety

In a hostile world: Our constant gratitude.

As in this last century

The crowded trains

Taking us away from home

Became our baby baskets

Rattling to foreign parts

Our exodus from death

In another, more light-hearted, poem, Ode to MF, she expresses her gratitude to the eccentric Irish woman, Margaret Fyleman, who provided sanctuary for Lotte and her friends on their arrival in England and the start of their new lives.

The commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day in Peterborough is always a major civic event with contributions from faith groups and schools. This exhibition has been another worthy reminder that we must ‘never forget’.

• Janet Berkman is Chair of Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community

The life and poetry of Sylvia Cohn

LAST YEAR, Eva Mendelsson, a member of Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community (3CLJC), travelled to her native city of Offenburg to be presented with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Eva, now 92 years old, received this award for her 30 years of reconciliation work, regularly visiting schools in Offenburg and the Ortenau region and teaching two generations of pupils about the state terror of the Nazi regime.

She was born Eva Cohn on 27 March 1931 in Offenburg, and spent the first nine years of her life there. But on 22 October 1940, she, her mother Sylvia and sister Myriam were deported to the Gurs internment camp in south west France where conditions were horrific.

The oldest daughter, Esther, was left in the care of a children’s home in Munich where she completed her education.

The two younger sisters, Eva and Myriam, were rescued from the Gurs camp by a French children’s charity.

In March 1941, Sylvia was resettled in the ‘hospital camp’ at Rivesaltes, near Perpignan, from where she was deported to Auschwitz and died there in 1942.

Eva and Myriam were recalled to Rivesaltes expecting to be deported with their mother. However, Sylvia chose to leave them in the camp on the promise they would be saved from deportation. They were subsequently sent to a French children’s home and afterwards escaped to safety in Switzerland. Esther was deported from Germany in 1942 to Theresienstadt and ultimately to Auschwitz where she was murdered.

While their mother was still in the camp at Rivesaltes, Eva was able to write to her, telling how desperately she missed her. In response, Sylvia sent her

the only possession she had, the poems that she had written from her youthwriting them down from memory and adding others that she had composed during her life in the camp.

These poems, together with some of her letters that were subsequently recovered by a loyal German neighbour, have now been published in English. Their poignancy and beauty testify to the love and care of this mother who chose life for her daughters when she took the lonely decision to leave them in the care of strangers, as she herself was forced to travel east to the place of no return.

• Sylvia Cohn (1904–42): Poems and Letters by Eva Mendelsson and Martin Ruch, translated by Marion Godfrey, is out now (ISBN 978-3-7557-9114-0) from your local bookshop or online retailers including Amazon.

LJY-Netzer

Making decisions for the future of LJY

Joe Shotton writes on the debates, decisions and dodgeball at this year’s Veidah

AFTER a three-year break, it was fantastic to be back in person for Veidah, LJY-Netzer’s decision making forum.

This event is the heart of democracy in LJY: members aged 16-25 coming together to vote on how we want our movement to change for the better.

We started by looking at the motions our younger members had voted for at earlier events and how we could implement them going forward.

These motions included spending more time in nature and stricter phone rules for kids on camp. We also brought our own motions – including discussions around no phones for the tzevet (leadership team) on Shabbat; how we can look at the Palestinian people as more than just victims of the occupation; and so much more.

Veidah isn’t just for asephot (debates) though - everyone ran sessions for each other, including Chanukah candle lightings, informal education and even dodgeball.

One of the staples of Veidah is choosing the new TOTY (Theme of the Year) - a subject we educate about on every event for the following 12 months.

We had some great options this year, including ‘tikkun atzmi’ (healing ourselvesself-care post pandemic) and ‘conflicts, big and small’ (from our personal relationships to Israel/Palestine, Ukraine etc).

The winner in the end was ‘Solidarity’, which we can’t wait to start running sessions on!

Look out for informal education on the recent strikes, how our various struggles link together and how we can be effective allies to others’ identities.

One of our 35 attendees summed up Veidah perfectly, saying: “It was such an amazing atmosphere where we were able to make decisions on how LJY will be run in the future. We all made it so creative and enjoyable for each other. It feels so rewarding being able to speak up about your ideas surrounded by your friends.”

• CONGRATULATIONS to our LJYNetzer Israel Tour leaders - Mia Bogod, Mia Harris, Joe McGuire and Ayala Salomen Remem - who were runners-up in the Team of the Year Award at the JVN Celebration of Volunteering Awards 2022. Running the first post-pandemic Israel Tour, they led 40 children from two different year groups - building a strong community and bringing everybody together as one.

• IN FEBRUARY, we attended a vigil for Brianna Ghey. We mourned her murder with thousands of others, all crying out for a world free of transphobia and hate.

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

LJY members enjoying a game during Veidah

Liberal Judaism congregations

The Ark Synagogue (Northwood and Pinner)

T: 01923 822 592

E: admin@arksynagogue.org

W: arksynagogue.org

Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue

T: 0845 869 7105

E: info@bedsps.org.uk

W: bedfordshire-ps.org.uk

Beit Klal Yisrael (London)

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W: bky.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: info@bwpjc.org

W: bwpjc.org

Crawley Jewish Community

T: 01293 534 294

Crouch End Chavurah

E: naomi@crouchendchavurah.org

W: www.crouchendchavurah.org

Dublin Jewish 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: administrator@elels.org.uk

W: elels.org.uk

Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community

T: 07376 916 920

E: eljc.contact@gmail.com

W: eljc.org.uk

Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community

T: 0131 777 8024

E: info@eljc.org

W: eljc.org

Finchley Progressive Synagogue

T: 020 8446 4063

E: fps@liberaljudaism.org

W: fps.org

Kehillah North London

T: 07706 354 602

E: info@kehillah.org.uk

W: kehillah.org.uk

Kent Liberal Jewish Community

T: 07384 993 553

E: enquiries@kljc.org.uk

W: kljc.org.uk

Kingston Liberal Synagogue

T: 020 8398 7400

E: kls@liberaljudaism.org

W: klsonline.org

Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation

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

The Liberal Synagogue Elstree

T: 020 8953 8889

E: office@tlse.org.uk

W: tlse.org.uk

Lincolnshire Jewish Community

W: lincolnsynagogue.com

Mosaic Liberal Synagogue (Stanmore)

T: 020 8864 0133

E: office@mosaicliberal.org.uk

W: mosaicliberal.org.uk

Norwich Liberal Jewish Community

E: nljc@liberaljudaism.org

W: norwichljc.org.uk

Nottingham Liberal Synagogue

T: 0115 962 4761

E: info@nottinghamliberalsynagogue.com

W: nottinghamliberalsynagogue.com

Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community

T: 07561 331 390

E: info@pljc.org.uk

W: pljc.org.uk

Reading Liberal Jewish Community

E: readingliberaljewishcommunity@ gmail.com

W: readingljc.org.uk

Shir Hatzafon (Copenhagen)

E: shir@shirhatzafon.dk

W: shirhatzafon.dk

South Bucks Jewish Community

T: 07377 157 261

E: info@sbjc.org.uk

W: sbjc.org.uk

Southgate Progressive Synagogue

T: 020 8886 0977

E: office@sps.uk.com

W: sps.uk.com

The South London Liberal Synagogue (Streatham)

T: 020 8769 4787

E: office@southlondon.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

W: suffolkljc.co.uk

Three Counties Liberal Jewish Community (Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire)

T: 07900 612 058

E: info@3cljc.org.uk

W: 3cljc.org.uk

Wessex Liberal Jewish Community (Bournemouth)

T: 01202 757 590

E: secretary.wljc@gmail.com

W: wessexliberaljudaism.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)

E: info@beithachidush.nl

W: beithachidush.nl

Oxford Jewish Congregation

T: 01865 515 584

E: connections@ojc-online.org

W: ojc-online.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.

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lj today is edited by Simon Rothstein. Please send news to s.rothstein@liberaljudaism.org

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