May/June 2017 VOL. XLIV No. 3
Liberal Judaism is a constituent of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
www.liberaljudaism.org
ljtoday
Day of Celebration speakers announced
Key speakers Lord (Danny) Finkelstein, Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Lord (Alf) Dubs
L
IBERAL JUDAISM’S Day of Celebration will have one of the strongest sets of speakers in its history. The Reverend Rose HudsonWilkin, Lord (Alf) Dubs, Lord (Danny) Finkelstein, Board of Deputies’ chief executive Gillian Merron and sociologist and writer David Hirsh will all address our movement’s biggest event of 2017. The Day of Celebration will be held at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue (NPLS) on Sunday June 11 from 9:30 to 16:30. Tickets are available now from www.doc2017.eventbrite.co.uk Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin is chaplain to both the Queen and the Speaker of the House of Commons, leading prayer in the House and carrying the responsibility for the pastoral care of MPs and staff. She will speak on ‘The role of faith in leading opinion and action’. Labour peer Lord Dubs is known for his incredible work fighting for the rights of refugees. A former child refugee himself, brought to Britain from Czechoslovakia on the Kindertransport in 1939, he is a tireless campaigner for those fleeing terror and persecution today. He will deliver the day’s keynote speech.
Lord Finkelstein describes himself as “The Times’ political columnist, football columnist, Conservative member of the House of Lords and father of three... but not necessarily in that order.” He is a favourite at Liberal Judaism events, having previously given insightful and entertaining addresses at the Patrons’ Dinner and the 2011 Day of Celebration. This year’s Day of Celebration – which is themed around the question ‘Is Liberal Judaism Political Judaism?’ – will also see our movement’s rabbis leading sessions and discussions. The full programme can be found on page 5. Addressing the event’s theme, Rabbi Danny Rich, Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, said: “Religion and politics are both compatible and complementary in that their advocates seek, amongst other things, to create a means of organising society based upon a set of values. “Nevertheless, in spite of the clear connection between politics and religion there is a danger when one becomes too closely aligned with the other. That is why I am so proud that the Day of Celebration will showcase a whole range of political, and indeed religious, opinion.”
First northern service a success
THE FIRST combined service of Liberal Judaism’s northern communities was attended by 120 people. Liberal Judaism members and friends from Cumbria, Northumbria, Nottingham, Durham and Manchester gathered for the event, hosted by York Liberal Jewish Community and led by Rabbi Tanya Sakhnovich, Student Rabbi Deborah Blausten and Rabbi Robert Ash. Addressing the large congregation, Rabbi Danny Rich, Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, promised that the service would be the first of many joint projects.
YOUNG Progressive Jews Elias Kviat-Driscoll and Gabriel Ashworth-Steen show you’re never too small to start helping others, as they campaign outside Downing Street for the rights of unaccompanied child refugees.
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News
May/June 2017
Rabbis express Brexit concerns
MORE THAN 50 Liberal and Reform Judaism rabbis have written to Prime Minister Theresa May asking her to put human beings first in the conversations she will be having over Brexit. The Progressive rabbis urged the Prime Minister and her European partners to recognise that the decisions they make will impact millions of lives. They also reaffirmed their own commitment and contribution to Britain and its values. The letter reads: Dear Prime Minister, We are all rabbis serving Jewish communities around the United Kingdom. Most of us were born and educated in this country, and some of us came here as a matter of choice. We represent a large group of Jewish communities made up of Jews coming from various backgrounds and countries of origin.
In that respect, we represent both the diversity within British society and within European society. As rabbis, we are loyal to the United Kingdom, its institutions and its values, and our congregants share the same British values as we all do. Some of us are citizens from another European country. We came here to study at Leo Baeck College, an institution that trains rabbis and Jewish educators for this country and beyond. We have decided to stay in the UK for various reasons, and we are all happy with this choice. We love Britain, its culture, its language, its history and its people, and we gladly contribute to its life. As you have triggered Article 50, which begins the process of exiting the European Union, we wanted to remind you and your government not to forget in the years ahead that you and your European partners will make decisions that will impact millions of people: EU citizens living in the United Kingdom, and UK citizens living in the EU. They have all made amazing contributions to their host countries, and added to their grandeur.
Liberals help educate thousands of children about the Holocaust MOSAIC JEWISH COMMUNITY and Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue (NPLS) were part of one of the UK’s biggest Holocaust education programmes, as the synagogues opened their doors to help educate 3,000 pupils from 50 schools and colleges across Hertfordshire. Holocaust survivor Hannah Lewis (pictured) spoke to school children at NPLS, telling her remarkable and chilling story. Hannah told of a happy childhood in Poland until the Nazi invasion and her family’s subsequent imprisonment in a forced labour camp in 1943. Although her father and a cousin escaped, Hannah’s mother was shot and many other family members disappeared. She was liberated in 1945 and eventually found
by her father, who later moved to Israel. She has spent her life since the war in England, has four children and eight grandchildren, and regularly speaks to young people on the impact of the Shoah. At Mosaic, Helen Aronson – one of only 750 Jews who survived the Lodz ghetto – spoke movingly of her father, who was tragically gassed at Chelmno extermination camp, together with all of her hometown’s children, whom he had volunteered to accompany. She also talked about the “miracle” of her own survival, along with her mum and brother. Sessions also took place at other synagogues in the area. At the end of each, pupils wrote their feelings about what they had learned on postcards. The talks were described as “truly inspiring”, “insightful” and “moving”, with children saying that they “now realise why we must never discriminate or stand by.”
“Above all, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs). According to the Jewish tradition, a leader serves the needs of their followers by empowering them. “One who is appointed over a community becomes the servant of this community” (Babylonian Talmud). Please bear in mind the human dimension of the current situation, and put human beings first in the conversation ahead. Signed by Rabbis Aaron Goldstein, Adam Frankenberg, Alexandra Wright, Amanda Golby, Andrea Zanardo, Barbara Borts, Benji Stanley, Charles Middleburgh, Charles Wallach, Charley Baginsky, Colin Eimer, Daniel Smith, Daniela Thau, Debbie Young-Somers, Deborah Kahn-Harris, Elli Tikvah Sarah, Esther Hugenholtz, Fabian Sborovsky, Harry Jacobi, Helen Freeman, Howard Cooper, Irit Shillor, Jackie Tabick, Janet Darley, Jeffrey Newman, Jonathan Magonet, Judith Levitt, Kate Briggs, Kathleen Middleton, Larry Becker, Larry Tabick, Lea Muehlstein, Margaret Jacobi, Maurice Michaels, Michael Hilton, Miriam Berger, Monique Mayer, Rachel Benjamin, Rebecca Birk, René Pfertzel, Reuven Silverman, Richard Jacobi, Roderick Young, Steven Katz, Sylvia Rothschild, Tanya Sakhnovich, Tony Bayfield, Warren Elf and Yuval Keren, and Cantors Gershon Silins and Zoë Jacobs.
A GROUP of Liberal Jewish grandparents are at the forefront of a campaign to end the “silent heartbreak” of those prevented from seeing their grandchildren. More than a million children in the UK are currently believed to have no contact with their grandparents. Causes include family disputes, divorce/separation, death of a parent or the child being adopted. The law does not presently convey an automatic right for grandparents to have a relationship with their grandchildren. When prevented from seeing them, they must apply for leave (permission) and then make an application to the courts for contact. The group is appealing to everyone to sign their petition to change this, with 100,000 signatures needed to trigger a debate in Parliament. Please Google ‘petition 188381’ or email organiser Lorraine Bushell on hendongrandparents@gmail.com
News
May/June 2017
LJ Today Page 3
Archbishop praises Lionel Blue, Eastbourne’s ark as he delivers Memorial Lecture
The Archbishop of York with Rabbis Dr Deborah Kahn-Harris and Dr Charles Middleburgh, and the Leo Baeck College rabbinic students, ahead of the inaugural Lionel Blue Memorial Lecture
MORE THAN 230 people heard the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, deliver the first Lionel Blue Memorial Lecture. The event was part of the 60th anniversary celebrations for Leo Baeck College, the pre-eminent institution for the training of Progressive Jewish rabbis and educators, of which Rabbi Lionel Blue OBE was the first alumnus in 1958. The Archbishop started his address by praising Lionel, who died in December at the age of 86 after a long and distinguished career. The Archbishop said: “Rabbi Lionel Blue was a man of warmth, humanity, faith and wisdom. His wonderful ability to share the truth and humour of his experience of life, and God, endeared him to audiences across the world.” Dignitaries at the event included the Mayor of Barnet David Longstaff, TV and radio personality Vanessa Feltz, leading Progressive rabbis including Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, Rabbi Danny Rich, and the principal and dean of Leo Baeck College, Rabbis Dr Deborah KahnHarris and Dr Charles Middleburgh. The Archbishop delivered a powerful lecture – entitled Wisdom, Futility, Death and Time: the Voice of Religion in the 21st Century – covering topics including knowledge as a commodity, the explosion of social media, celebrity culture, globalisation, nationalism and terrorism.
In one passage, he explored the Jewish word ‘simcha’, which appears in Ecclesiastes 17 times. He said: “It isn’t easy to give a precise translation. Simcha doesn’t mean pleasure, satisfaction, gratification, amusement, entertainment or even happiness. It means ‘joy,’ specifically the joy we share with others. When the book of Deuteronomy talks about festivals as days of national rejoicing, it uses the word simcha. “When Jews today talk about a wedding or a barmitzvah, they say, ‘We’re having a simcha,’ meaning a joy we share with friends and the community. You can find happiness in solitude but you can find joy only in the company of others. “The pursuit of self will not satisfy even the self. We need the Divine other to open our eyes and hearts to the human other. And there we will discover simcha, the joy that only exists in virtue of being shared.” The Archbishop’s lecture can be read in full at www.tinyurl.com/LBClecture • A Memorial Service to celebrate the life of Rabbi Lionel Blue OBE will be held at West London Synagogue, 34 Upper Berkeley Street, London, W1H 5QE, on the evening of May 8. The event will include tributes and a short film. All are welcome and tickets are free, but places must be reserved in advance by emailing RSVP@rjuk.org
• THERE was an unlikely congregant at Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue (BPS) in March – a young swan. The swan landed in BPS chair David Young’s neighbour’s garden. David, pictured left with the swan, checked it for injuries and housed it in his shed overnight – before releasing it back into Bedford River the next day, so that it could rejoin its siblings and friends.
A NEW portable folding ark was inaugurated by Rabbi Danny Rich, Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, at Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community (ELJC). The ark was commissioned with the help of a grant from the NLPS Trust. It has two curtains, designed by ELJC vice chair Larry Navon (pictured above with Danny and the ark), a blue and white everyday curtain and a multicoloured version for High Holy Days. The ark was built by local carpenter Mario Zalew.
London’s Tent
A SPECIAL Shabbat service was held at South London Liberal Synagogue (SLLS) , as the community launched their fundraising appeal to turn part of the building into a home for a refugee family. The event was attended by faith and community leaders from across London, including former Mayor of Lambeth Donatus Anyanwu (pictured with SLLS chair Alice Alphandary and Rabbi Janet Darley), Reverend Alan Gadd, Rabbis Julia Neuberger and Danny Rich and members of the Muslim and Hindu communities. Liberal Jews are encouraged to donate at www.southlondon.org/tent
• IF YOU would like to mark the loss of a child, or the loss of the prospect of a child, please join our communal Memorial Service at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, 28 St John’s Wood Road, London, NW8 7HA, on Sunday 7 May at 15:00, in partnership with West London Synagogue. For details, or to have a confidential conversation, email Rabbi Alexandra Wright on a.wright@ljs.org
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Day of Celebration
May/June 2017
When Judaism meets politics Rabbi Aaron Goldstein on the thinking behind the Day of Celebration programme SIR BERNARD CRICK, the political theorist, once stated that “politics is ethics done in public” and sought a politics of action, rather than one that remained just an ideology. Although he was not a Liberal Jew indeed Crick was the vice president of the British Humanist Association - his approach to politics is one we share. Ours is a Judaism that believes in personal freedom and responsibility for the common bonds that unite us as a people and members of humanity; one that aims to place the ethics of the Israelite prophets alongside universal values to impact and improve the world we inhabit. It is important that, as Liberal Jews, we contribute positively to politics and citizenship. I see my motivation for an action and its outcome, if not defined by, then given a range of shade by my religion. Yet I admit that there is a note of hypocrisy when I see it as reasonable for such involvement of ‘my’ religion in politics, but problematic when more ‘orthodox’ versions seek influence. This will be just one of the questions being pondered through the thoughtprovoking and hopefully action-inducing programme at the Day of Celebration.
Dr Laliv Clenman, senior lecturer in rabbinic literature at Leo Baeck College, will explore the role the ancient rabbis took with their Roman rulers and others. Rabbi Mark Solomon will look at how our rabbis acted in disputations when Christendom ruled, and sought to diminish Judaism, in medieval Spain. We will bring things up-to-date by investigating how Liberal Jewish congregations today are creating change around Britain, in partnership with Citizens UK, and consider how to advocate in Parliament with Carers UK. Adam Sutcliffe, a lecturer at King’s College London and regular on BBC Radio 4, will be asking ‘What is a Jew for’ and looking at how we, as Liberal Jews, can be a light unto nations. If you prefer to explore the politics of Israel, we will looks at the legacy of the 1967 Six Day War through the eyes of both those who celebrate the unification of Jerusalem and those who see its aftermath as the beginning of a negative spiral for Israeli society. As you will see in the full schedule, on the next page, there will also be sessions looking at the economic politics of society in the UK via the Talmud, whether CULTURE
The Day of Celebration takes place on Sunday June 11 at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue. The cost is £35 for adults and £15 for students and children. A family ticket (for two adults and up to three children) can be purchased for £70. Lunch is provided. Book your place at www.doc2017.eventbrite.co.uk
Celebrate music
The future is almost here...
2067 – Hard New World See the multimedia musical projecting the future of faith in a hard new world. Performances 7pm Saturday & Sunday 10 & 11 June Northwood Methodist Church – next door to NPLS in Oaklands Gate Tickets £5 via www.npls.org.uk/hnw with an original score by NPLS members played by a live rock band, plus film as well as onstage action, featuring a large community cast from both NPLS and NMC aged 8 to 80 to tell a story for and featuring all generations.
Experience a post-apocalyptic world … … where resources are scarce, yet computer technology is so advanced that digital and real life blend seamlessly. Everyone has a glamorous online avatar
university is the new breeding ground for antisemitism, and how Jews can respond to Brexit, Donald Trump and upcoming elections in France and around Europe. We will consider congregational politics including potential future trends. And, most importantly, we will ask whether each one of us is political: just in our being, being Jewish, by our gender and sexuality, explored discursively and through music, writing and prayer. Oh, and to finish with a bit of namedropping. You will hear from Lord (Alf) Dubs, Lord (Danny) Finkelstein, Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Gillian Merron and David Hirsh. You may even get to play the Rabbis Goldstein at ping pong and Frisbee during lunch! I look forward to welcoming you to Northwood.
5th and 6th Commandments, ‘Honour your parents that your days may be long…’ and ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ Can the young people gate-crash the meCloud to
ONE HIGHLIGHT of the Day of Celebration will be the opening of the Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue Online Music Library, where Liberal Judaism members can sign up to access hundreds of songs. The library’s creation is thanks to the tireless work of Ruth Colin, who took over the NPLS choir in 2003 and began gradually digitising the community’s tunes, reflecting how they are sung today and preserving the music for the future. A labour of love, Ruth has now digitised the scoresheets for Shabbat, festivals, High Holy Days and celebration services. As Liberal Jewish music constantly evolves, so the project is ongoing with new composers and pieces being added. For more information, please email Ruth on music@npls.org.uk • A Day Celebrating Liberal Jewish Music takes place on Saturday 10 June, also at NPLS, and offers the chance to work with a wide range of our own homegrown music leaders; helping develop new ideas and songs. Book your place at www. tinyurl.com/LJMusicDay
Day of Celebration
May/June 2017
LJ Today Page 5
Day ofJUDAISM Celebration - thePROGRAMME full programme LIBERAL DAY OF CELEBRATION - 11 June 2017 09:30 - 10:00
Registration
10:00 - 10:30
Welcome
10:30 - 11:00
Keynote: Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin - The role of faith in leading opinion and action
11:15 - 12:30 SESSION ONE
Rabbi Alexandra Wright
Jackie Richards
Shaan Knan
Panel chaired by Rabbi Danny Rich
Vivi Lachs
Prayer as a Liberal Jewish response to crisis
Identity through movement
Gender politics: Liberal Judaism at the vanguard
The politics of communal collaboration
Jewish resistance through song: East End Jewry and Cable Street
Rabbi Mark Solomon
Lord (Danny) Finkelstein
Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah
Daniel Reisel
Robin Moss
Why anti-Zionism Is it good for Liberal Jews? The is antisemitism and Zionism is political events of 2016 & 2017 anti-Palestinian
50 years since 1967: Hope, success & responsibility
Being a young Liberal Jew in 2017
A Liberal view: Revisiting Spanish disputations
Lunch
12:30 - 13:45
Rabbi Tanya Sakhnovich with members from Nottingham Liberal and Finchley Progressive Synagogues
Laliv Clenman
Yerushalyim Shel Zahav: 50 years of Nomi Shemer
Finding a voice: Citizens UK in practice
Ancient precedence: Politics of the early rabbis and their effect on Liberal Judaism
Rabbi Margaret Jacobi
Graham Carpenter
LJY-Netzer
The Liberal Jewish reading of Talmud on economic justice
Uplifting your soul
Not just for kids: Instilling Liberal Jewish values
Rabbi Yuval Keren
12:45 - 13:30 BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Keynote: Lord (Alf) Dubs - The power of empathy
13:45 - 14:30
14:45 - 16:00 SESSION TWO
16:00 - 17:00
Student Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen
Adam Sutcliffe
Nicola Nathan & Rabbi Janet Burden
Michael Crabbe & Rabbi Aaron Goldstein
Mimi Konigsberg
Feelings and texts: The Tanakh as a call for political action
What is a Jew for: A light unto nations?
Writing your life: Liberal Jewish identity
The synagogue as next of kin: A new kind of care
Responding to the call: Synagogue governance and playing your part
Rabbi Rebecca Birk, Tamara Joseph & Amelia Viney
Danny & Aron Finkelstein
Rabbi Charley Baginsky & BICOM
Student Rabbi Daniel Lichman
Gillian Merron & David Hirsh
Strong relationships, strong communities and LJ leading the way
Passing the baton: Intergenerational belonging as a political act
Liberal Judaism: The constructive irritant
Being a Liberal Jew on campus
Security on the gates: Is antisemitism a real problem in the UK?
Closing ceremony and LAFTA awards
May/June 2017
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Around the commun
The knights, dragons, police officers, pirates and fairy princesses of York Liberal Jewish Community all walked the city’s walls
Crouch End Chavurah had a fun afternoon of face painting, shaker making, hamantaschen eating and a crazy game of Jewish bingo
The ‘Haman Din’ at Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue got chair David Young’s dogs barking, while his cats stayed outside in the wet
Havdalah, a Cockney Megillah reading and Donald Trump all featured in the Purim Spiel at Finchley Progressive Synagogue
At the Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community Purim party, members donated food and toiletries to Peterborough Foodbank
Katie Smullen and Talia Jones were among the kids in fine fancy dress enjoying Purim activities at The Liberal Synagogue Elstree
The new community at East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue celebrated their first festival with the Purim Spiel That Goes Wrong
LJ Today Page 7
May/June 2017
nities - Purim 5776
There was palpable excitement at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue as all the young, and young at heart, celebrated Purim
Wessex Liberal Jewish Community’s spiel was done as a glove puppet show, with highlights including a pink horse for Mordechai
Oxford Jewish Congregation enjoyed a truly original Purim spiel Much a Jew About Nothing by guest writer William Shakesberg
Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue’s Purim spiel saw Vashti as a human rights lawyer and an episode of Persia’s Got Talent
Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community celebrated Purim with members in fancy dress as various Biblical and cartoon characters
Nottingham Liberal Synagogue’s Horrible Histories spiel included a ‘special guest’ appearance by Cilla Black hosting Blind Date
Jewish and Muslim storytellers Jumana Moon and Adele Moss regaled The Liberal Jewish Synagogue with tales from both faiths
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Books
May/June 2017
Book reviews by Rabbi Dr Charles Middleburgh Makers of Jewish Modernity: Thinkers, Artists, Leaders and the World They Made (ISBN: 9780691164236) THIS IS probably the most important collection of essays on modern Jewish thinkers to have been published for many years, and an eloquent testimony to the importance of Jewish scholarship, science and philosophy in the shaping of the modern world. The editors have amassed a collection of 44 essays by eminent scholars on the seminal figures of Jewish modernity including Sigmund Freud, Theodor Herzl, Franz Kafka, Walther Rathenau, Martin Buber, Judith Butler, Albert Einstein, Leo Strauss, Hannah Arendt, Jacques Derrida, Philip Roth and Joel and Ethan Coen.
Each carefully annotated essay considers the main themes in the life and work of the cited individual and they are uniformly well-written and informative. The editors have strived to achieve as good a gender balance as possible and set the whole book in context with a masterful introduction, which considers the development of notions of Judaism and Jewish identity in modern times - a rich source of discussion in its own right. Makers of Jewish Modernity is a masterpiece collection that deserves to be on the bookshelf of every serious Jew, and is a source for years of gratifying learning.
After One Hundred and Twenty: Reflecting on Death, Mourning, and the Afterlife in the Jewish Tradition by Hillel Halkin (ISBN: 9780691149745) THIS addition to the Tikvah Fund sponsored Library of Jewish Ideas series is an excellent and very personal passage through the highways and byways of Jewish teaching on death, mourning and the afterlife. Hillel Halkin, at his lyrical and readable best, traces the development of these key concepts of Judaism from biblical times onwards, introducing a cast of important characters – biblical, rabbinic, medieval and modern, rabbis, scholars, writers and poets – who have contributed to the richness of the material around the subject. He intersperses it with personal reflections, dreams and experiences from his own life, which enrich the text further. It is hard to single out any part of this excellent book as being primus inter pares, but were I forced to do so I would choose chapter three which ranges from Bar Kokhba across several subsequent centuries, taking in such luminaries as
Sa’adia Gaon, Maimonides, Alsheikh, Dante, Joseph Karo, Shmuel HaNagid and Immanuel of Rome, and encompassing the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah and other works which have fed in to the ideas and concepts surrounding death in Jewish tradition. It is a minimasterpiece. It is sometimes glibly remarked that Judaism is too concerned with the life of this world to be too bothered, or to have that much to say, about death and the afterlife. Hillel Halkin’s After One Hundred and Twenty comprehensively demolishes this assertion but, much more importantly, opens up an avenue of learning about a very rich seam of Jewish tradition.
BREAKING NEWS: Liberal Judaism’s LGBTQI+ Project Manager, Surat Shaan Knan, was named as a role model by human rights group Stonewall, as part of Trans Day of Visibility.
A spokesperson for Stonewall – which campaigns for equality – said: “We’re proud to work with lots of inspirational trans people. Their stories help to challenge prejudice and assumptions.”
• Rabbi Dr Charles Middleburgh is dean of Leo Baeck College and rabbi emeritus at Dublin Progressive Jewish Congregation
Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah, 1626-1676 by Gershom Scholem (ISBN: 9780691018096) GERSHOM SCHOLEM is a legend of early Israeli academia, a paramount scholar of Jewish mysticism, a fine poet and famed for his biography of the 17th century pseudo-Messiah Sabbatai Sevi. In his preface to the book, Scholem sets out his intentions with regard to his biography, noting that a study of this kind was missing from Jewish historiography. Originally released in Hebrew in 1957, when the biography was published some years later in an English translation, further sources had come to light on which Scholem drew for the new edition. What makes this new Princeton Classics edition (translated by RJ Zwi Werblowsky) special is the excellent new introduction by Professor Yaacob Dweck. Dweck notes that Scholem spent 20 years researching and writing the biography, but when it was published it aroused a firestorm of scathing criticism in the Hebrew press and academia. Yet when the English translation was released in 1973 that was forgotten and the book was hailed as a masterpiece! Dweck traces Scholem’s academic career before this monumental volume, gives background to the Hebrew version and provides more detail about its postpublication reception, particularly at the hands of the literary critic Baruch Kurzweil, and the contrast to the reception accorded to the English version. In the final section Dweck asks the question ‘Why read this book?’ He describes it as a monument to two great heresies: the first that of Sabbatai Sevi himself, the other that of Gershom Scholem, author of a book shot through with his own anarchic nihilism, antipathy for Maimonides and ambivalence to the Halacha. There can hardly be a better incentive to read this new edition. Shaan is also part of the new Vision for Change plan, launched by the Stonewall Trans Advisory Group, which aims to ensure all trans people in Britain can live full authentic lives.
Comment
May/June 2017
LJ Today Page 9
Much of Liberal A look back at the Six Day War On day two, after a big military success, interest in this Rabbi Dr Andrew I recall our prinicpal, Rabbi Dr Van Der Zyl, walking into a lesson and saying: “We Goldstein on have won the war”. We pupils were not so important book why Liberal Jews sure, but we began to have hope. Christian and Jewish Women in Britain, 1880-1940: Living with Difference by Dr Anne Summers (ISBN: 9783319421490) By Alison Turner I WAS delighted to represent Liberal Judaism at the launch of this book, which is a series of well-researched vignettes of Christian and Jewish women: their friendships, political campaigning and social works. Lily Montagu and Netta Franklin each have a chapter, so there is much of Liberal Jewish interest. Miss Lily’s close ties with Margaret McDonald are explored and Netta’s friendship with Charlotte Mason. The book explores how interfaith initiatives in the 1880s and 1890s came from a wish to help poor women in entirely practical ways, such as the provision of soap, nurses and holidays. This developed into international cooperation. Dr Summers reckons it was these good relations that led to so much help from non-Jews for refugees from Nazism, in particular from Quakers, the National Organisation of Women and Save the Children among others. This is followed by chapters on Rebecca Sieff, on English women and Zionism and finally on the very current topics of refuge and asylum. Dr Summers concludes that in England there was a culture of decency interwoven with the ambiguities that bedevil all private and public relationships. The culture of wishing for neighbourliness must be embraced by senior clergy of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, not just a few liberal individuals. This is a very readable contribution to the history of multiculturalism in Britain, with themes that are just as important today. I highly recommend.
must continue to celebrate Israel’s victory in 1967
I HAVE a sort of confession to make. I went to the Birmingham Hebrew School (primary), never missed a religion school lesson at Birmingham Liberal Synagogue and taught in the cheder for six years after my Kabbalat Torah, or Confirmation as it was called in those days. So I had good basic Jewish knowledge before I decided to become a rabbi. Yet it was only in 1967 that I had any interest in, or knowledge of, Israel. Despite being chairman of Shalhevet, the youth club at the Liberal synagogue, and involved in FLPJYJ, as our LJ youth movement was known in those days, I can’t remember any programmes devoted to Israel. In 1965, I went to Leo Baeck College to begin my rabbinic training. Again I recall no immediate interest in Israel. Our lecturers were, in the main, refugees from the continent and the Holocaust was much on our minds, not Israel. Was my absence of knowledge because early Liberal Judaism was not Zionist? Indeed at least one of our founders, Claude Montefiore, was a notable antiZionist. Or was there still ambivalence amongst Anglo-Jews after the founding of the State and then the Suez Crisis? Whatever the reason, 1967 changed everything. Any Jew living in the early months of 1967 must have been concerned by the increasing belligerence of the Arab leaders. Their repeated threats to “wipe Israel off the face of the map” were real and, by May, their military build up and diplomatic actions were frightening. And then, suddenly, Israel was at war with several Arab nations. The atmosphere at Leo Baeck College was feverish. Some students immediately rushed to sign up to go and fight. Such was my lack of involvement that I didn’t even think of that. Like others I donated blood and collected blankets, never understanding why so many blankets were needed in a hot country. And, for us who remained, College life went on. But for the first time in my life, Israel now really mattered. My whole attachment to it and the Jewish people became immediately more positive... and has been a guiding principle ever since.
By day six, his prediction proved true and we sure did rejoice. Our pride in being Jewish erupted, as it did for almost all Jews. Everything changed. The British newspapers celebrated and, in their headlines, we felt proud to be Jews. Liberal Judaism also changed. Our new prayerbook, Service of the Heart, came out in 1967 and had a brief section for Israel Independence Day. We actually had a dedicated prayer for the State of Israel in our next siddur, Lev Chadash. Our movement became identified more closely with Israeli charities and tours to Israel increased. I also believe that this is the point when Liberal Judaism became more ethnically Jewish with an increase in kippot, tallitim, kashrut, Israeli music and Hebrew in our services. The Six Day War of 1967 certainly had a great impact on Liberal Judaism, as it did on the whole Jewish world. As we approach celebrations and commemoration to mark its 50th anniversary, I know that there will be many who will decry the victory, especially the unforeseen consequences that came from the capture of large tracts of Egyptian and Arab land. Going back to my College days, I recall our Bible lecturer, Dr Ellen Littman – a German refugee and pupil of Leo Baeck - coming in as we rejoiced, saying about these captured territories: “Now we must give them back.” In our euphoria, we students thought she was mad! But now many will, with hindsight, say she was right. I am not convinced, because in 1973 there was another war and had Israel not had breathing space and territory, it could have been overwhelmed. Now in 2017, I know there will be many who are less enthusiastic than I was, and most of the British people seemed to be, about Israel’s victory in the Six Day War. But as we look back and review that event, we must do so with thought to the events leading up to it and the very real threat to Israel’s existence, just 22 years after the end of the Holocaust. We should not let the current political situation stop our giving thanks that in 1967 Israel survived: one can’t begin to think what would have happened to the Jewish people and Judaism itself had that not been so. • Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein is president of Liberal Judaism. He can be contacted on agoldstein@f2s.com
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Social Action
May/June 2017
Finchley Coffee Club makes refugees welcome Angela Wharton on a wonderful initiative that is helping people settle in Barnet
FINCHLEY PROGRESSIVE SYNAGOGUE (FPS) has been hosting its Coffee Club on Friday mornings for several months now. Its purpose is to help the Syrian families being resettled by Barnet, to welcome them into the Borough and into their new homes and lives. The club alternates between sessions for families, usually parents with young children, and those just for women, most of whom come with babies and toddlers. Since the beginning of January, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of these families and their beautiful children. When I started helping out, I really didn’t know what to expect. As the families
arrived and entered our building – somewhat diffidently – they were greeted by our amazing group of volunteers, who’d been planning and setting up from early morning, and I began to appreciate just how much work and thought had gone into creating the Coffee Club. The name is a huge understatement of what is offered. Coffee and cakes, yes, but so much more – games and toys for the children, English ‘lessons’ in the form of Ofra’s painstakingly written-out songs in English and Arabic on a flip chart, accompanied by Dean and guitar with appropriately dressed volunteers. Over the weeks I’ve seen the families start to change. They have a little more confidence and want to give something back. In March, I was told that they would be providing breakfast for their hosts and the dishes began to arrive. ‘Breakfast’ was laid out on our kiddush tables and it was truly a magnificent feast. This project has really caught the imagination, and I think the many volunteers are getting just as much out of it as the guests. We are all beneficiaries of this wonderful initiative.
Lesley Urbach, a member of the Barnet Refugee Welcome Group and coordinator of the Coffee Club volunteers, adds: THIS project is an inspiring example not only, as Angela has so ably described, of the support that can be provided to refugees, but equally importantly of intercommunity cooperation. Although it takes place at Finchley Progressive, the volunteers come from Finchley Reform Synagogue, Masorti Judaism, Finchley Quakers, St Vincentians in Partnership and Barnet Justice and Peace. As well as these Jewish and Christian communities, there is a group of Arabic speakers, originally from Lebanon and Syria, who also volunteer. We are also indebted to Citizens UK for their background support and initial help with this initiative. It is wonderful to experience Jews, Christians and Muslims from Britain, Syria, America, Lebanon and Israel working together in an atmosphere of good fun and harmony. And all taking place in a synagogue. It makes us proud to be human beings.
Nottingham members making water work in Africa NOTTINGHAM LIBERAL SYNAGOGUE’S Jeff Cohen is at the centre of an amazing project to bring safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation to those who need it most. Jeff has been spending several months each year with Water Works, a grassroots charity working in Malawi, which was set up by his son Simon. Jeff helps to manage the project in villages located about 15 kilometres from Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital. The goal is a reduction in diarrhoeal disease, which is the third biggest killer of children under five in Sub-Saharan Africa. Simon set up Water Works in response to the lack of sustainability of the water points in Malawi, where more than 40% of water pumps are broken and too difficult or expensive to repair. He asked Jeff to come on board in 2013 and, to his surprise, his father jumped at the chance. Water Works has now developed water pumps that can be installed and maintained by rural communities themselves, using materials found at local markets. One of these, a rope pump, is based on extremely simple technology – constructed using a car tyre, a metal frame, plastic pipes and a rope.
The simplicity of the pump means that communities easily understand how it works, and are able to fix it with locally available and inexpensive materials. At just over £70, it is a fraction of the cost of conventional pumps. The charity understands that increased access to safe drinking water will only improve the health of the community
when it is combined with improved sanitation facilities and hygiene behaviours. Therefore, Water Works supports households to construct latrines and hand-washing systems. It also runs a hygiene education programme to ensure that the villagers gain the most from their improved water and sanitation facilities. Since 2009, Water Works has assisted 75 Malawian villages to construct and maintain water points, providing safe drinking water for 14,000 people; supported 3,000 families to build hygienic latrines; and run hygiene awareness sessions for 4,000 people. Surveys have found that the projects have helped to cut in half the percentage of children under five suffering from diarrhoea. Nottingham Liberal Synagogue has supported Water Works by nominating it as one of the Kol Nidre charities and running African-themed fundraising events. The community’s Rabbi Tanya Sakhnovich is planning to travel out to Africa to visit the project later this year. You can find out more information about Water Works, or make a donation, by visiting the charity’s website at www.waterworkscharity.org
Youth
May/June 2017
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
Spring camp inspired... Netzer news now bring on the summer
By the LJY-Netzer team JUST as this edition of lj today was being sent to print, our Machaneh Aviv spring camp was coming to an end. And we think that everyone in LJY-Netzer who attended will agree that we had the most amazing time - as the pictures above show. From celebrating Shabbat while watching the sun set, to fighting zombies, to in-depth discussions on Israel, it really was the camp that had everything. Often our youth split into their age groups for activities, such as when Plagim (school years 5 and 6) investigated the differences between Israeli culture and Jewish religion, or when Yamim (years 9 and 10) worked on a project around youth empowerment. But the undoubted highlight of Aviv was the whole camp sessions, which provide a great opportunity for the different age groups to get to know one another.
Our favourite was the last night show, where everyone was encouraged to perform and we got to see great acts ranging from piano playing to apple speed eating. And, being followed by the traditional LJY-Netzer last night disco, meant it will be an evening that will be remembered for a long time to come. Now, as we return home, we are looking forward to Machaneh Kadimah summer camp. Kadimah will take place from August 14-29 in the heart of the beautiful Wiltshire countryside. It will be two weeks of Liberal Jewish fun with swimming, sports, trips, arts and crafts, singing, prayer, music and so much more. Throughout our unique camp we create an inclusive, caring and nurturing environment where everyone can grow, learn and have lots and lots of fun. If you want more information please contact us, using the details below. We would love to tell you all about it.
• MEMBERS of LJY-Netzer from all over the UK met to debate the future of the youth movement at the second part of the Veidah decision-making forum (pictured above). Abraham’s Tent – the project run by South London Synagogue to host a refugee family – was voted as LJY-Netzer’s charity of the year, with Jewish Women’s Aid chosen as the social action project for 2017/18. There were also discussions around working with more Liberal Judaism communities to support more regional projects, and a committee set up to look at running an additional event in the summer. LJY-Netzer movement worker Sam Alston said: “We left for our homes satisfied in having made sensible ideological decisions to secure the future of the movement.” • APPLICATIONS are open for Kayitz Greece, giving those in school year 12 the opportunity to travel with the youth movements of Liberal and Reform Judaism. On Kayitz Greece, which takes place from 16-21 August, participants will learn about what it means to be a European Jew, while having the time of their lives. To find out more, please use the contact details at the foot of this page. • THIS year’s LJY-Netzer Israel Tour is set to be the largest for a decade. Check the next issue for more.
Contact LJY-Netzer: Sam Alston (sam@liberaljudaism.org), Anna Craven (annac@liberaljudaism.org) and Hannah Stephenson (hannah@liberaljudaism.org); Director of Youth - Rebecca Fetterman (r.fetterman@liberaljudaism.org)
May/June 2017
Page 12 LJ Today
Liberal congregations Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue T: 0845 869 7105 E: bedsps@liberaljudaism.org W: bedfordshire-ps.org.uk
Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community T: 01323 725 650 E: eljc@liberaljudaism.org W: eljc.org.uk
Beit Klal Yisrael (Notting Hill) E: bkymailing@gmail.com W: bky.org.uk
Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community T: 0131 777 8024 E: info@eljc.org W: eljc.org
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 E: bwpjc@bwpjc.org W: bwpjc.org Crawley Jewish Community T: 01293 534 294
Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community T: 01242 609 311 E: shalom@gljc.org.uk W: gljc.org.uk Herefordshire Jewish Community T: 01594 530 721 E: hjc@liberaljudaism.org W: herefordshirejc.org
Lincolnshire Jewish Community T: 01427 628 958 E: ljc@liberaljudaism.org W: lincolnshirejc.co.uk Manchester Liberal Jewish Community T: 0161 796 6210 E: mljc@liberaljudaism.org W: mljc.org.uk Mosaic Liberal (Harrow) T: 020 8864 5323 E: office@mosaicliberal.org.uk W: mosaicliberal.org.uk 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: norwichljc.org.uk
Crouch End Chavurah E: info@crouchendchavurah.co.uk W: crouchendchavurah.co.uk
Kehillah North London T: 020 7403 3779 E: knl@liberaljudaism.org W: nlpjc.org.uk
Nottingham Liberal Synagogue T: 0115 962 4761 E: nls@liberaljudaism.org
Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation E: djpc@liberaljudaism.org W: djpcireland.com
Kent Liberal Jewish Community T: 07952 242 432 E: enquiries@kljc.org.uk W: www.kljc.org.uk
Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community T: 07561 331 390 E: info@pljc.org.uk W: pljc.org.uk
Ealing Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8997 0528 E: els@liberaljudaism.org W: ealingliberalsynagogue.org.uk
Kingston Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8398 7400 E: kls@liberaljudaism.org W: klsonline.org
East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8554 9682 (Bet Tikvah) T: 020 8989 7619 (Woodford) E: eastlondonandessexliberal@ gmail.com
W: eastlondonandessexliberal synagogue.org
Finchley Progressive Synagogue T: 020 8446 4063 E: fps@liberaljudaism.org W: fps.org
The Liberal Synagogue Elstree T: 020 8953 8889 E: tlse@liberaljudaism.org W: tlse.org.uk
Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation T: 0116 271 5584 E: lpjc@liberaljudaism.org W: lpjc.org.uk The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (St John’s Wood) T: 020 7286 5181 E: ljs@ljs.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
lj today is edited by Simon Rothstein Send your news to ljtoday@liberaljudaism.org Printed by Precision Printing. www.precisionprinting.co.uk
W: nottinghamliberalsynagogue.com
Reading Liberal Jewish Community T: 0118 942 8022 E: readingliberaljewishcommunity@ gmail.com W: www.readingljc.org.uk
Shir Hatzafon (Copenhagen) T: +45 2370 9757 E: shir@shirhatzafon.dk W: shirhatzafon.dk South Bucks Jewish Community T: 0845 644 2370 E: sbjc@liberaljudaism.org W: sbjc.org.uk
Southgate Progressive Synagogue T: 020 8886 0977 E: sps@liberaljudaism.org W: sps.uk.com South London Liberal Synagogue (Streatham) T: 020 8769 4787 E: slls@liberaljudaism.org W: southlondon.org Stevenage Liberal Synagogue T: 01438 300 222 E: stevenageliberalsynagogue@gmail.com W: stevenageliberalsynagogue.org.uk Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community (Ipswich) T:01473 250 797 E: sjc@liberaljudaism.org Tikvah Chadasha Synagogue (Shenfield) T: 01277 888 610 E: tikvahchadasha@gmail.com W: roshtikvah.com Wessex Liberal Jewish Community (Bournemouth) T: 01202 757 590 E: info@wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk W: wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk West Central Liberal Synagogue T: 020 7636 7627 E: wcls@liberaljudaism.org W: wcls.org.uk York Liberal Jewish Community T: 07469 159 134 E: info@jewsinyork.org.uk W: jewsinyork.org.uk Developing and affiliated Beit Ha’Chidush (Amsterdam) T: +31 23 524 7204 E: bhc.informatie@gmail.com W: beithachidush.nl Lancashire & Cumbria Liberal Jewish Community W: www.northwestjews.org Oxford Jewish Congregation T: 01865 515 584 E: progressive@ojc-online.org W: ojc-online.org
President Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein Chairman Simon Benscher Deputy Chair Lucian J Hudson Vice Chair Jackie Richards Treasurer Rosie Ward Secretary Dr Howard Cohen Israel and the Diaspora Tamara Schmidt Communications Ed Herman Social Justice Amelia Viney Youth and Education Robin Moss Music and IT Graham Carpenter National Officers David Hockman and Ruth Seager Vice Presidents Monique Blake, Henry Cohn, Nigel Cole, Geoffrey Davis, Lord Fink, Jeromé Freedman, Louise Freedman, Rabbi Dr David Goldberg, Sharon Goldstein, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, Willie Kessler, David Lipman, Corinne Oppenheimer, David Pelham, David Pick, Rosita Rosenberg, Tony Sacker, Harold Sanderson, Joan Shopper, Beverley Taylor and Ken Teacher Co-Chairs of Rabbinic Conference Rabbis Richard Jacobi and Alexandra Wright Senior Rabbi and C hief Executive Rabbi Danny Rich PA to Senior Rabbi Daisy Bogod Strategy Rabbi Charley Baginsky Student & Young Adult Chaplain Rabbi Leah Jordan Education Rabbi Sandra Kviat Music Cantor Gershon Silins Interfaith Rabbi Mark Solomon Operations Director Shelley Shocolinsky-Dwyer Lifecycle Alexandra Simonon Archivist Alison Turner Communications Aaron Abraham Website and eBulletin Yszi Hawkings Reception Thomas Rich Director of Youth Becca Fetterman LJY-Netzer Sam Alston, Anna Craven and Hannah Stephenson