November/December 2017
VOL. XLIV No. 6
Liberal Judaism is a constituent of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
www.liberaljudaism.org
ljtoday
Leading world Jewry once more
L
IBERAL JUDAISM has become the first Jewish movement in the world to offer ketubot especially written for same sex couples and those who prefer a non binary or gender neutral format. The ketubah (marriage contract) has been a key part of a Jewish wedding ceremony for centuries - outlining how the couple will support each other and the home they are establishing. However, traditionally, it has used gendered language, including ‘bride’ and ‘groom’, which is not suitable for some couples. Liberal Judaism’s Rabbinic Conference has therefore now approved three new sets of wording – which it will offer alongside the traditional Liberal ketubah – covering same-sex male and same-sex female marriages and those who wish for a gender neutral/non binary ketubah. The gender neutral version will also appeal to all couples who are seeking a truly egalitarian ceremony. Liberal Judaism’s Rabbi Mark Solomon wrote the three new ketubot in consultation with other Progressive Jewish rabbis in England and Europe. They are a continuation of Liberal Judaism’s ground-breaking Covenant of Love: Service of Commitment for SameSex Couples, which Mark edited in 2005 to coincide with the introduction of civil partnerships in Britain, but long before equal marriage became law.
Rabbi Mark Solomon displays the wording for the three new inclusive Liberal Judaism ketubot
Mark said: “It is important that we now have these ketubot, as Liberal Judaism continues to develop Judaism in the most helpful, compassionate and forwardthinking way for the needs of our time. “As a movement we long campaigned for equal marriage and, through projects such as Twilight People, have taken the lead on gender issues within the Jewish and faith communities. “Having these ketubot is a signal that we are doing something very practical and real to help couples who want to bring together Jewish tradition and modern values on gender and sexuality.” JOIN three renowned musicians and support our movement’s future at Liberal Judaism’s inaugural fundraising concert on Thursday November 23. Thomas Carroll (cello, pictured), Abigail Dolan (flute) and David Dolan (piano) present Beyond Text: Interpretation as Meaning – an evening of classical improvisation that will include works by Bach and Debussy.
The ketubot were formally accepted by Liberal Judaism’s Rabbinic Conference at its most recent meeting and now form part of the movement’s official policy. Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, chair of Rabbinic Conference, said: “Our goal is that innovation and inclusivity should not be radical, but the natural evolution of Judaism’s centuries old tradition.” Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, Rabbi Danny Rich, added: “This once again demonstrates that Liberal Judaism leads the worldwide campaign for inclusion, while also seeking to offer equality of opportunity in all of our materials.” This fantastic night of music will also feature a champagne and canapé reception, silent auction and launch of the ‘My Jewish Story’ exhibition. The event takes place at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, St John’s Wood, NW8 7HA. The reception starts at 18:15, followed by the concert at 19:45. To buy tickets for the event, please visit www.tinyurl.com/LJConcert
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Comment
November/December 2017
Why I am a Liberal Judaism donor Ruth Seager on using her money to help provide support for small Liberal Jewish communities WHEN Jews move to new places, either as refugees or because of work, they will often find that there is no established Jewish community. Throughout our history, someone has raised their head above the parapet, searched out fellow Jews and started a nascent congregation. With help and support from distant communities and rabbis, these small groups of Jews can develop and eventually flourish into large communities, which, in turn, can help others. That is the recipe for our success in still being here as a Jewish people. Growing up in Crawley, I came from one of these small communities. I know firsthand that they need nourishment in the form of rabbinic input and they need visits from other Jews. This is partly to learn how to do things, but mostly so that they are included in the wider Jewish world.
Within Liberal Judaism, much of this support is provided with absolute pleasure by lay volunteers. However there has to be a cost for rabbinic services, as well as support from Liberal Judaism’s head office, and these cannot be borne to any serious degree by the little communities themselves. In Crawley’s tiny community, I certainly felt the absence of a rabbi. Our knowledge dwindled, rather than grew, because there was very little input of Jewish history and texts. There was no one who knew why we all confess to sins we haven’t committed while, somehow, certain festivals like Simchat Torah dropped off our agenda entirely. This led me to appreciate the huge role that rabbis have played in the development of Judaism from posttemple days to now. Rabbis also provide the Jewish intellectual knowledge to enable the Liberal Judaism community as a whole to make informed decisions on matters such as equilineal descent and patrilineal Jews, a woman’s right to choose and same-sex marriage. My husband and I see the nurturing and development of new communities, including the training of new rabbis at Leo Baeck College, as essential to the growth and future of Liberal Judaism.
Of course, Liberal Judaism does much valuable and important work but it is these particular elements that are dear to our hearts and why we have become monthly donors to the movement. The generosity of Liberal Judaism’s patrons provides essential and valuable funding. But, like many people, we don’t have the £4,000 a year to become patrons. Instead we can, and do, donate each month to Liberal Judaism via standing order. Such regular donations are a very useful form of funding, enabling Liberal Judaism to plan its work and its programmes more efficiently and over a longer time period. I have been part of Liberal Judaism’s Board of National Officers (BoNO) for some years now so I know that funding is allocated appropriately and effectively. If you would like to join us in becoming a Liberal Judaism donor, then you can find a ‘Donate’ button on the home page of www.liberaljudaism.org - enabling you set up a regular payment starting from just £1 a month. You can stop or change the payment whenever you like; there is absolutely no commitment or strings. Every little helps! • Ruth Seager is vice chair of Liberal Judaism
We shouldn’t wipe away the past Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein on why we must always remember, even as history itself is under attack EARLIER this year I went to the Tyne Cot cemetery in Flanders to visit the grave of my grandfather who was killed during the First World War. Seeing the extensive cemetery, so many rows of white headstones and then the hundreds of thousands of names carved on the walls and later at the Menin Gate (all having no known grave), was a stark reminder of vast devastation. It made me think about how we commemorate war and tragedy. We live at a time of re-evaluation of history. We suddenly face new challenges: some to be applauded, others greeted with bemusement or despair.
In America, the removal of statues of General Lee sparked off tragic riots. In this country, questions are raised about local benefactors who made their fortune in the slave trade and universities discuss removing statues or scholarships. I even saw an argument to take Nelson off his column as his navy protected the slave traders; though what squeaky clean hero might replace him in a renamed Trafalgar Square? The reverse trend is also happening and this feels more worrying. In Slovakia, a movement has arisen to bring back images of Father Tiso, the wartime fascist leader. We are seeing similar with Mussolini in Italy and Stalin in Russia. Nationalism is on the rise everywhere, as recent elections and votes have shown. We are also seeing the spectre of xenophobia, antisemitism and Holocaust denial gaining ground. This is why Remembrance Sunday and Kristallnacht and other Shoah commemorations are more important than ever, even if they record events from decades ago.
As I stood at the Menin Gate in Flanders I thought of another monumental arch, this one in Rome. The Arch of Titus was erected around 82 C.E. to commemorate the victory of the Roman general over Judea, Jerusalem and the Jews. You can still see the carved relief of the Romans carrying away the spoils from the Temple, including the Menorah. The Arch of Titus recorded triumph for the Romans but also despair and destruction for the Jews. Over the centuries it became a custom for Jews never to walk under the gate. And yet when the State of Israel was founded it took the very pattern of the Menorah on that Arch to become the symbol of the new State. Once a sign of death, disgrace and defeat, it was turned into a symbol of defiance, rebirth and hope. There is no need to wipe away memories of the past, rather take the memory and use it for positive effect. • Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein is president of Liberal Judaism
News
November/December 2017
LJ Today Page 3
Helping Holby find a home The sukkah
in a mosque
Sacha Levy’s adult Kabbalat Torah ceremony on a recent episode of the popular BBC One show
LIBERAL JUDAISM’S Rabbi Charley Baginsky has been advising hit BBC One show Holby City with a Jewish storyline. Charley, who is the movement’s director of strategy and partnerships, contributed to scripts featuring the character Sacha Levy. The doctor, played by Bob Barrett, rediscovers his Judaism on the show. In one recent episode, his rabbi was taken ill, leading to a bedside adult Kabbalat Torah ceremony for Sacha. Liberal Judaism was mentioned numerous times in the programme, with Progressive Jewish liturgy used on air for the ceremony.
Charley said: “It was a honour to work on Holby City, a show that I have always loved and which is so popular with many of my friends and colleagues. “As is typical, when working with those outside of Judaism, the scriptwriters initially had a somewhat stereotyped view of our religion. Through working closely with them, we were able to create a storyline that showed a forward-facing modern Judaism fitting with Sacha’s character and lifestyle. “Just like Sacha was helped to find meaning on the show, so many people are finding their Jewish home in Liberal Judaism out here in the real world.”
Phyllis triumphs with her Aleinu MANCHESTER LIBERAL JEWISH COMMUNITY’S Phyllis Alden has won Liberal Judaism’s first ever music competition, with her four part and solo compositions of the Aleinu beating strong competition from around the UK. Phyllis (pictured) was on holiday in France with her husband, celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, when she received the good news. She told lj today: “I think the words of the Aleinu are very beautiful and mean a lot to me. But I never felt that the melody in common use really matched those words. So one day I wondered if I could write a melody to better suit the Aleinu, and a short while later the start of one literally floated into my head. “We now use this new version each week in Manchester. Student Rabbi Gershon Silins has also taught it to the other rabbinic students at Leo Beck College and is using it regularly himself.
“Anyone wanting to try this new Aleinu in their congregation can email me on phyllis.alden@me.com or find it in the Liberal Judaism Resource Bank.” Phyllis has also written new melodies for other traditional Jewish prayers including Adon Olam, Oseh Shalom and Mi Kamocha.
RABBI DANNY RICH, the senior rabbi of Liberal Judaism, helped to build a sukkah inside East London Mosque, assisted by a refugee family and local Muslim leaders (pictured), as part of an event to launch a new foundation for those fleeing Syria. Sponsor Refugees has been set up by Citizens UK to help resettle more refugees in the UK over the coming years, by boosting community sponsorship. This new foundation will advise and support community groups who take on the responsibility of raising funds, finding a home and then welcoming and settling refugee families in their neighbourhoods. Community sponsorship of refugees was launched by the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, in 2016 and groups around the UK have successfully pioneered the scheme. It received a further boost at the East London Mosque event - which took place during Sukkot - when 42 Muslim, Jewish, Christian and non-faith groups pledged to also become sponsors. South London Liberal Synagogue was among those taking the pledge. Danny said: “During Sukkot, Jews live in temporary booths, reminding us of the frailty of our existence. Combine that with our historical experience, and I expect Jews to be particularly sympathetic to those fleeing persecution today. “That is why I am calling on the entire Jewish community to put its considerable intellect, skills and resources behind the community sponsorship scheme. Together, we can make a real difference.” Community sponsorship is based on a successful Canadian programme where community groups have welcomed and supported 300,000 refugees since 1979. Visit www.sponsorrefugees.org for full details as to how you can help, or contact Tamara.Joseph@citizensuk.org
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Communities
November/December 2017
Festivals and High Holy Days
East London & Essex’s shofar blowing team
Members of Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue headed down to Hove Beach for Tashlich
A Rosh Hashanah Seder in Gloucestershire
Carole Sterling, chair of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, visited Edinburgh on Sukkot
Havdalah at Finchley Progressive Synagogue
Sukkot at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue proved to be hungry and messy work
A Rosh Hashanah selfie from Peterborough
Kids in Kingston made HHD appeal posters
The young having fun at Bedfordshire service
Shaking the lulav during Sukkot in Durham
Communities
November/December 2017
LJ Today Page 5
Ruth reads from the Torah for the first time… at 96
BIRMINGHAM PROGRESSIVE SYNAGOGUE member and Holocaust survivor Ruth Shire read from the Torah for the first time, at the age of 96, in front of a packed BPS sanctuary. In a moving D’var Torah, Ruth explained how she had not had the chance to learn Hebrew growing up in Nazi Germany.
The service was led by Ruth’s son and daughter-in-law, Rabbis Michael Shire and Marcia Plumb, along with Birmingham’s Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi. Ruth’s grandchildren read her a specially written blessing on the Bimah. Ruth – pictured (centre) along with her children, grandchildren, great grandchild
Balfour centenary event JOIN Arzenu UK (formerly Pro-Zion) and the Alliance of Progressive Judaism’s Israel Desk at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue at 7pm on Monday October 30 for a celebration of the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. The event will see two distinguished and celebrated speakers in conversation with each other: Matthew Gould and Lord (Danny) Finkelstein. As British ambassador to Israel, Matthew set up the UK Israel Tech Hub, which laid the foundations for the UK and Israel’s powerful tech relationship. He is now the director general for digital and media policy in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Lord Finkelstein (pictured) is a member of the House of Lords, a political columnist for The Times and The Jewish Chronicle and a regular on television programmes including Newsnight. Matthew and Daniel will discuss what it means to be both British and Jewish, 100 years after the 1917 Balfour Declaration laid the foundation for the establishment of the State of Israel. Tickets cost £15, or £5 for members of Arzenu UK, those under 25 and benefit recipients. The cost of tickets includes a drinks reception. To purchase, please email admin@npls.org.uk or call 01923 822 592. Transportation from the Finchely area can be arranged when booking. This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of the World Zionist Organisation and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund.
and wider family – has been a member of BPS for 70 years. She escaped Nazi Germany at the age of 15, being sent to Oxfordshire by her parents. Rabbi Margaret Jacobi said: “This was a very special and truly memorable Shabbat, and the whole community came out to celebrate with Ruth.”
November/December 2017
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LJY-Netzer Israel To
Israel Tour had lots of highlights - like this moment as the group celebrated reaching the top of a mountain in the south of Israel
This hike in the Negev had Tour participants climbing in between the crevasses that have naturally formed over the past 1,000 years
Israel truly is a country of beauty and an opportunity for incredible photos, like holding the sun in your hand in the middle of the desert
An essential part of every Israel experience is a camel riding especially in the Negev, before spending the night in hammocks
On Tour, participants always visit the headquarters of the World Union of Pro a chance to understand Progressive Judaism in a worldwide sense, as well a
Part of Israel Tour involves education on the conflict, including this visit to part of the Gaza Wall which tries to find peace through art
No wonder everyone looks so happy at Ein Gedi, as they have just been swimming in natural waterfalls and fresh water mini pools
LJ Today Page 7
November/December 2017
our 2017 in pictures
LJY-Netzer spend one of the Tour’s Shabbatot on Kibbutz Lotan - an ecological community that aims to be entirely self sufficient
The night before climbing Masada, the group slept under the stars at the bottom of the mountain - experiencing sunset and sunrise
While getting to visit all the major cities across Israel, there’s still nothing quite like local bread delicacy in the old city of Jerusalem
ogressive Judaism and, of course, the global home of Netzer Olami. This is as allowing them to meet other young people from many different countries
This is one of the many fantastic views that those on LJY-Netzer Israel Tour get to enjoy - the red canyon in the south of the country
THESE fantastic pictures can only mean one thing… Israel Tour 2018 is now less than a year away. The trip is an incredible life-changing experience for 16-year-olds, and LJY-Netzer’s is the only inclusive Liberal Israel Tour around, and the very best you can get. For an opportunity to find out more and meet new people, we are hosting an Israel Tour Taster Day on December 10 in London for all those in Year 11. For full details, please register your interest by visiting www.ljy-netzer.org/israel-tour or emailing LJY-Netzer movement worker Ellie on e.lawson@liberaljudaism.org A fun day in one of the most multicultural cities in Israel: Akko where Jews, Muslims, Christians, Bahai and Druze live side by side
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News
November/December 2017
A response to Hidden treasures from history the shootings Alison Turner on gems in the Liberal Judaism archive in Las Vegas By Liberal Judaism’s Rabbinic Conference IN the days after Yom Kippur and before Sukkot, tragedy struck in Las Vegas. The deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in American history left 58 innocent people dead and almost 500 injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and communities of those who died and were injured in the shooting. We also reach out to our colleague Rabbi Malcolm Cohen, a graduate of Leo Baeck College, his family and congregation Temple Sinai of Las Vegas, undoubtedly affected by such a major tragedy. It also left us with a question. How could we allow ourselves to rejoice on our festivals when this latest atrocity in the United States brought unutterable heartbreak to so many families and individuals? That is the question addressed to all of us, whether we are close to such tragic events or far away from them. The guilt of being a survivor, of escaping such acts of violence and barbarism, we imagine, afflicts us all. But we do not live in perpetual darkness; sooner or later, night passes and dawn comes gradually, a thin line on a violet horizon imperceptibly turning into daylight. The festival of Sukkot helped us to hold two lessons in our hands: that of the transience of human life and that of gratitude. The wretchedness of grief is a response to loss in our lives – the little and great losses that diminish a little bit of us each day. But gratitude is the act of restoration to the soul – gratitude for the fruits of the land, celebrated at Sukkot; gratitude for those small, but significant symbols of human love and companionship that help to keep alive our faith in the goodness of humanity and in the infinite compassion of an Eternal Presence. • Rabbinic Conference is where Liberal Judaism’s rabbis meet to discuss pressing issues, learn from and support each other, and forge religious and spiritual messages.
I HAVE had various enquiries recently that have led me to look at Liberal Judaism’s collection of books, leaflets and pamphlets in detail. Within them, I have found some real hidden treasures. The first of these is Rabbi Bernard Hooker’s own copy of the book Jewish Addresses Delivered at the Services of the Jewish Religious Union During the First Session 1902-3. The Jewish Religious Union was the original name for Liberal Judaism when it was founded in 1902. This book includes the introductory address given by Liberal Judaism founder Claude Montefiore at the first ever service, as well as addresses by him and others such as the Rev Simeon Singer, Israel Abrahams and Philip Hartog. Subjects covered include everything from liberty and law to advances in healthcare to the difficulties of bringing up a child in an area without many other Jewish people. These are subjects we still discuss now, 115 years later, so it is instructive to look back at how they preached and responded to these issues at the very beginning. Another founder of Liberal Judaism was the Hon. Lily H Montagu. In addition to her correspondence with some of the leading figures of the day, we have many of her publications. These include a small pamphlet called Some New Year Queries – which contains questions and a few suggestions in the form of answers by Lily and Marian Montagu and CP Lewis – written in September 1936. This is a very small booklet of only four pages, but once again it addresses vital questions that we still debate today, including ‘What can I do for my community?’ and ‘How can I reconcile the existence of God with the suffering of innocent people?’ There is a whole treasure trove of items for all those interested in, and inspired by, Lily Montagu. Another example is Strengthen The Things That Remain – an address given by Lily at the service of thanksgiving for her 80th birthday at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue on January 2, 1954. The address starts with the story of Jacob’s Ladder – the connection between the earth and heaven that Jacob dreams about in Genesis – and goes on to
consider fear, disappointment, growing older and how to leave a legacy that endures. It is all about working with, and making the best of, whatever we have and is pertinent for us all. The archives also contain many items by other luminaries of our movement. In particular we have many of the publications written by Rabbi Bernard Hooker, including The Rabbi Speaks – a series of broadcasts about “life, its problems and challenges, presented from the Jewish point of view”. This dates from his time in Jamaica and was the title of a regular weekly series which he delivered over Radio Jamaica and the Rediffusion Network in 1967. This book also includes a brief account of the Jews of Jamaica to provide some background information on the community. It joins another work by Rabbi Hooker recently redescovered in the archives - Prophets and Seers: Forthtellers or Foretellers? from 1971 - in offering us guidance and teachings based on Biblical themes and characters, bringing them to life and making them relevant to our own days. On a lighter note, the archive also has Me-ah Shirim: A Hundred Songs, a songbook compiled by Rabbi John D Rayner in 1978 for the use of congregations, youth groups and religion schools. It has words in English and Hebrew with transliterations of the Hebrew. This may still be a useful resource for such groups today and serves to show the sorts of songs that were widely sung at the time. If you would like to find out more, there is an introduction to the variety of material in the archives on our website www.liberaljudaism.org under the title ‘LJ Historical Archive’. I urge you to explore it, and also to add to it, by sending me anything marking a special event or anniversary, such as service booklets or histories produced by your congregation. Please do also get in touch if you have an enquiry or research request on Liberal Judaism or any of our communities. • Alison Turner is Liberal Judaism’s archivist. She can be reached on a.turner@liberaljudaism.org
Obituaries
November/December 2017
LJ Today Page 9
East London community’s guiding light
Joe Swinburne (top right) celebrating a recent wedding with members of his community
BET TIKVAH SYNAGOGUE – formerly Barkingside Progressive and now half of the new East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue (ELELS) – lost its founder, mentor and guide when Joe Swinburne passed away at the age of 93. Joe had been life president of Bet Tikvah for many years and was delighted to be invited to become one of the joint life presidents of ELELS when it was formed in January 2017. He recognised the need for change and saw that, by uniting with Woodford Liberal Synagogue, there would be the opportunity to ensure a strong Liberal Jewish presence in East London for many years to come.
For so many in the community, it felt as if they had lost their father or grandfather for a second time: for Joe was a father and a grandfather to so many - admired, loved, revered but also, sometimes, a little scary! More than anything, he loved children and was never happier than when the synagogue was full of them. Joe was brought up in the East End of London. He combined a grammar school education with attending cheder, where he developed his love of Torah. He served in India with the Royal Artillery during World War II and then spent his career in local authority administration, rising to a senior position in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets/Stepney. He was a great servant of Liberal Judaism for many years. He joined North London Progressive Synagogue as a young man and, whilst a member there, noticed the movement of the Jewish population eastwards. He became the driving force behind the creation of Barkingside Progressive Synagogue. Not content with establishing one community, he also helped to develop the Norwich Liberal Jewish Community. For many, Joe was Bet Tikvah and Bet Tikvah was Joe. He set up the administration to run it and was instrumental in developing its minhag (traditions). He worked with, and helped to train, many of the student rabbis who passed through and formed a very strong relationship with the synagogue’s longterm rabbi, Rabbi David Hulbert.
Joe served on council in many capacities including chair, continuing to attend meetings as life president. He planned and led High Holy Days and Shabbat services as a lay reader for many years and was present at almost every service and all special events in the synagogue. He sang, he told jokes usually, but not always, after the service - and he brought his love of life and of Judaism into everyone’s lives. He was a tutor to countless barmitzvah and batmitzvah students down the years and continued to be interested in ‘his’ children’s lives as they grew up. Many chairs and officers of Bet Tikvah and then ELELS benefited from his knowledge, sound advice and masses of experience. As Rabbi David Hulbert said at his funeral: “Joe was the embodiment of the committed and knowledgeable Jew. His knowledge was deep and his faith was grounded in his knowledge and his experience.” Joe was as devoted to his community, and to his football team Spurs, as he was to his late wife Julie, his son Michael, daughter-in-law Sue, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. ELELS and the whole of Liberal Judaism will miss his presence, his singing in the services, his wisdom, his kindness, his knowledge, his stories and even the awful jokes. But we were all honoured to have known him and, in some way, to have been part of his life and for him to have been part of ours.
An iconic figure in the history of Southgate
Hilda Schindler at a Friends of Progressive Judaism event with Rabbi Bob Samuels
By Robert Dulin HILDA SCHINDLER – honorary life president of Southgate Progressive Synagogue – was born in 1920 in Berlin. In 1939, a few weeks before World War II began, she fled Nazi Germany and came to England. Tragically her parents never escaped and died in concentration camps.
In 1946, three years after it was founded, Hilda joined Southgate & District Liberal Synagogue, now known as Southgate Progressive Synagogue (SPS). In a short space of time, she became headteacher of the community’s religion school and taught at SPS for a total of 52 years! She also served on just about every committee in the synagogue. Hilda’s dedication and passion for Southgate was recognised in 2010 when she was presented with a Liberal Judaism Chairman’s Award in a moving Friday night service at SPS. Apart from her beloved religion school, the other great loves of Hilda’s life were The Friends of Progressive Judaism and the Leo Baeck Education Centre in Haifa, where she was held in the highest esteem. Indeed a visitor only had to say they knew Hilda to be treated like royalty.
Hilda did not have any immediate family, but SPS was undoubtedly her surrogate family. She loved and served the community with unceasing commitment and passion. In the evening of her cremation a service was held in the synagogue in front of nearly 100 people. Rabbi Yuval Keren set the tone with his moving recollections of the short span of time he knew Hilda. There were also reminiscences from Pearl Phillips, Jane Greenfield, Robert Dulin and especially Hilda’s great friend from Germany, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, who brought tears to people’s eyes when he told how they were like brother and sister. Hilda Schindler will be very fondly remembered by all who knew and worked with her, and especially those who were taught by her. She was an iconic figure and her like will never be seen again.
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Books
November/December 2017
Book reviews by Rabbi Dr Charles Middleburgh Deep Calls to Deep: Transforming Conversations Between Jews and Christians Compiled and edited by Rabbi Professor Tony Bayfield (ISBN: 9780334055129) IN AN increasingly fragmented world, dialogue between those with differing visions of that world is both a fraught and necessary activity. It follows that those who foster such dialogue, most particularly between Jews and Christians, are worthy of praise for their vision and determination. Such praise is richly deserved by Rabbi Professor Tony Bayfield, co-founder with Marcus Braybrooke of The Manor House Dialogue Group in the 1970s which, since its inception, has led on scriptural reasoning between Jews and Christians and enriched a great many lives.
The structure of Deep Calls to Deep, compiled and edited by Rabbi Bayfield, is extremely adaptable. The book may be read through from beginning to end or specific sections may be selected at random. Providing you read the book’s Dialogical Roadmap, you will navigate your way around it with ease. Deep Calls to Deep is divided into eight parts, each with two interlocutors: one Jew, one Christian. Bayfield then sums up and highlights key points and issues in his Further Reflections, granting the reader three bites of each subject that is under consideration. The sections are as follows: The Third Dialogue Partner: How Do We Experience Modern Western Culture?; How Should Christians and Jews Live in a Modern Western Democracy?; How Do We Cope
Rabbi Akiva: Sage of the Talmud by Barry W Holtz (ISBN: 9780300204872) THIS BOOK brings together one of the most popular of all the rabbinic sages, and a writer and teacher who has brought people to many Jewish texts. From the very beginning, Barry Holtz makes clear what his biography will be and what it won’t: he refers respectfully to probably the most famous biography to date, Akiba: Scholar Saint and Martyr (first published in 1936) by Louis Finkelstein, and others, but hews out new territory in well-trodden ground by taking a different approach. He clarifies that writing a biography of a rabbinic sage is complicated by the fact that there are no systematic, chronological lives in rabbinic literature; what we have are snapshots and vignettes, the joining together of which is unlikely to deliver a complete perspective, even of a Sage who is so familiar, and who has name recognition like no other. As Akiva devotees will recognise while reading through the chapters, Holtz has taken the major stories about aspects of Akiva’s life and investigated them in detail, extrapolating where possible to enhance the man that was, as opposed to the myth that is.
Akiva cannot have been an easy man: a self-made scholar who then took issue with his teachers; a driven man who would not allow the threat of her disinheritance to dissuade him from marrying a rich man’s daughter and then abandoning her to a pauper’s life for his studies; a brilliant mind making legal decisions that have had a timeless relevance. The book also looks at his relationship with three specific sages, Ben Zoma, Ben Azzai and the heretic Elisha ben Abuyah; his involvement in revolutionary politics leading him to proclaim the Messiahship of the rebel leader Bar Kokhba; and his ultimate martyrdom at the hands of the Romans. So far, some might think, so familiar, but it is what Holtz does with these tales - subjecting them to a literary critical approach, looking at variants of the same story to discover the truest text and bringing in the perspectives of others that truly sets his work apart. Finkelstein’s biography from the 1930s is a fine text that has stood the test of time, but Holtz’s biography is its worthy 21st century successor, in my view going beyond its predecessor and powerfully demonstrating the prowess of its author as an educator and enthusiast for ancient tales that still live in the modern world. • Rabbi Dr Charles Middleburgh is dean of Leo Baeck College
with Our Past?; The Legacy of Our Scriptures; Religious Absolutism; What Does Respect Between People of Faith Mean?; Christian Particularity; Jewish Particularism. As these subject headings indicate, this collection shows committed Christians and Jews, clergy and lay, engaging with the most challenging of issues, exposing themselves to the other in a sincere effort to understand and be understood, providing enriching material for those with similar interests and a road map for those contemplating engaging with this vital area for the first time. All of us working in the religious world of the 21st century need to read and re-read Deep Calls to Deep, not least because it sheds much needed light at a time of growing darkness.
The Story of Hebrew by Professor Lewis Glinert (ISBN: 9780691153292) THE Grammar of Modern Hebrew and The Joys of Hebrew brought Professor Lewis Glinert to a much wider readership than senior academics usually attract, and with The Story of Hebrew he will doubtless gain many more devotees. Over nine chapters, with an introduction and epilogue, excellent notes and suggestions for further reading, Glinert sets out to tell the story of Hebrew, its development and extraordinary influence. Working chronologically, he traces this story through the millennia, looking at the people who used it, the key texts and how it developed across the centuries. The content is informative, engaging and occasionally funny, and written in a style that is open to all. The reader is left with an admiration for the capacity of Hebrew to adapt to changing time, place and circumstance, its power in poetry and prose, and its durability, now so bound up with the State of Israel where it is the first language. The Story of Hebrew is a great gift for engaged Jews or Christians, as well as a valuable overview of the current state of Hebrew scholarship for professionals.
Youth
November/December 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
Celebrating 70 years of camp By Simon Lovick LJY-NETZER’S flagship event Machaneh Kadimah - a two week-long summer camp in the heart of Wiltshire - went by in a flash of music, dance, fun, games and Liberal Jewish values. This year’s camp also happened to mark 70 years since the first Liberal youth summer event - meaning that everything was bigger, louder, and more fun than ever before. Every day, our chanichim (participants) were woken up to lots of singing and dancing, choreographed and taught by some of our incredible leaders. For 2017, the campers were split up into teams based around the board game Cluedo, unwittingly launching themselves into a two-week murder mystery in which each side fought to gain points and prove themselves innocent. Ananim (school years 3-4), although the smallest and youngest on camp, were still among the loudest. Between singing their hearts out and proving their artistic abilities, Ananim showed their confidence and brainpower in debating some incredible issues, including searching for solutions for the Israel-Palestine conflict. Plagim (school years 5-6), meanwhile, sought to establish themselves. The sound of their chants filled the corridors and playing fields of Kadimah, while an impressive showing on the football pitch against the older years showed they were a real force to be reckoned with. Nechalim (school years 7-8) became synonymous with the word ‘fun’. Whether playing slip ’n’ slide rounders, or on their bowling and beach day trip to Bournemouth, Nechalimniks couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. Between all this, they grappled with LJY’s educational theme of Reclaiming Zionism, showing their desire as Progressive Jews to take back ‘Zionism’ from some of its negative connotations and establish an ideology to get behind.
Yamim (year 9), in their first camp as a solo group which could stay together for years to come, began to really bond and discover their identity. This culminated in a two-day hike across the Wiltshire countryside, taking them to Stonehenge. Chalutzim (year 10), away from the confines of the main building, set up camp in the fields, taking the opportunity to really build a community of their own. The long walk across the field towards Chalutzim was one of excitement for all, especially for the famous Chalutzim Night – an evening of festivities organised and run by Chalutzimniks, this year being themed around the movie Grease. Kadimah’s birthday celebrations culminated in a day-long Alice in Wonderland extravaganza, in which everyone was shrunk down and
transported down the rabbit hole. An array of inflatables – giant table football, inflatable gladiators and bungee running – meant an afternoon of fun and games before everyone reconvened to sing Kadimah a very happy birthday. Now Kadimah is over, if you’re looking to fill the LJY-shaped hole in your life, we have dozens of fantastic events and sleepovers coming very soon. Biggest of all is Machaneh Aviv, our week-long spring camp, which takes place from April 3-8, 2018, so save the date now. For more information about Machaneh Aviv, and all of our other events, including ‘early bird’ and special offers, please visit our website at www.ljy-netzer.org • Simon Lovick is an LJY-Netzer movement worker
Contact LJY-Netzer: Ellie Lawson (e.lawson@liberaljudaism.org), Simon Lovick (s.lovick@liberaljudaism.org) and Hannah Stephenson (h.stephenson@liberaljudaism.org); Director of Youth - Rebecca Fetterman (r.fetterman@liberaljudaism.org)
November/December 2017
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Liberal congregations Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue T: 0845 869 7105 E: bedsps@liberaljudaism.org W: bedfordshire-ps.org.uk
Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community T: 0131 777 8024 E: info@eljc.org W: eljc.org
Beit Klal Yisrael (Notting Hill) E: bkymailing@gmail.com W: bky.org.uk
Finchley Progressive Synagogue T: 020 8446 4063 E: fps@liberaljudaism.org W: fps.org
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 Crouch End Chavurah E: info@crouchendchavurah.co.uk W: crouchendchavurah.co.uk Dublin Progressive Congregation E: djpc@liberaljudaism.org W: djpcireland.com
Ealing Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8997 0528 E: els@liberaljudaism.org W: ealingliberalsynagogue.org.uk East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8554 9682 / 020 8989 7619 E: eastlondonandessexliberal@gmail.com W: eastlondonandessexliberal synagogue.org Eastbourne Liberal Jewish Community T: 01323 725 650 E: eljc@liberaljudaism.org W: eljc.org.uk
Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community T: 01242 260 497 E: shalom@gljc.org.uk W: gljc.org.uk Herefordshire Jewish Community T: 01594 530 721 E: hjc@liberaljudaism.org W: herefordshirejc.org Kehillah North London T: 020 7403 3779 E: knl@liberaljudaism.org W: nlpjc.org.uk Kent Liberal Jewish Community T: 07952 242 432 E: enquiries@kljc.org.uk W: www.kljc.org.uk Kingston Liberal Synagogue T: 020 8398 7400 E: kls@liberaljudaism.org W: klsonline.org 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 Liberal Synagogue Elstree T: 020 8953 8889 E: tlse@liberaljudaism.org W: tlse.org.uk
The Montagu Centre 21 Maple Street London, W1T 4BE T: 020 7580 1663 E: montagu@liberaljudaism.org W: liberaljudaism.org
Liberal Judaism is the dynamic, cutting edge of modern Judaism. It reverences Jewish tradition, seeking to preserve the values of the past, while giving them contemporary force. Charity Number: 1151090
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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
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
Mosaic Liberal (Harrow) T: 020 8864 5323 E: office@mosaicliberal.org.uk W: mosaicliberal.org.uk
Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community (Ipswich) T:01473 250 797 E: sjc@liberaljudaism.org
Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue T: 01923 822 592 E: npls@liberaljudaism.org W: npls.org.uk
Tikvah Chadasha Synagogue (Shenfield) T: 01277 888 610 E: tikvahchadasha@gmail.com W: roshtikvah.com
Norwich Liberal Jewish Community E: nljc@liberaljudaism.org W: norwichljc.org.uk
Wessex Liberal Jewish Community (Bournemouth) T: 01202 757 590 E: info@wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk W: wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk
Nottingham Liberal Synagogue T: 0115 962 4761 E: nls@liberaljudaism.org W: nottinghamliberalsynagogue.com
Peterborough Liberal Jewish Community T: 07561 331 390 E: info@pljc.org.uk W: pljc.org.uk Reading Liberal Jewish Community T: 0118 942 8022 E: readingliberaljewishcommunity@ gmail.com W: www.readingljc.org.uk
Shir Hatzafon (Copenhagen) 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
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 Durham and North East Liberal Jewish Community T: 079 1008 9981 E: info@nejewsindurham@gmail.com W: www.nejewsindurham.org.uk 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 Vice Chair Ruth Seager 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 Ros Clayton, David Hockman, Amanda McFeeters and Jackie Richards Vice Presidents Monique Blake, Henry Cohn, Nigel Cole, Geoffrey Davis, Lord Fink, Jeromé Freedman, Louise Freedman, Rabbi Dr David Goldberg, Sharon Goldstein, Lucian Hudson, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, Willie Kessler, David Lipman, Corinne Oppenheimer, David Pick, Rosita Rosenberg, Tony Sacker, Harold Sanderson, Joan Shopper, Beverley Taylor and Ken Teacher Chair of Rabbinic Conference Rabbi Aaron Goldstein Senior Rabbi and C hief Executive Rabbi Danny Rich Director of Strategy and Partnerships Rabbi Charley Baginsky Student Chaplain Rabbi Leah Jordan Education Rabbi Sandra Kviat Music Cantor Gershon Silins Interfaith Rabbi Mark Solomon Events and Fundraising Thomas Rich Operations Director Shelley Shocolinsky-Dwyer Director of Administration Alexandra Simonon Archivist Alison Turner Communications and Digital Simon Rothstein and Yszi Hawkings Director of Youth Becca Fetterman LJY-Netzer Ellie Lawson, Simon Lovick and Hannah Stephenson