30 June 2017

Rachael Dable made another piece of Liberal Judaism history in the north of England, as she celebrated the first batmitzvah in Preston since the early 1980s.

Rachael celebrated her big day in the presence of family, friends, members of the Lancashire & Cumbria Liberal Jewish Community and the Mayor of Preston, Councillor Brian Rollo.

Rachael, who suffered brain injuries at birth, was commended by Rabbi Robert Ash for the extremely hard work she put in over many months to learn her Torah portion and blessings.

In a touching moment, Rachael was presented with a certificate by Lynn Frank (pictured). Lynn was one of the batmitzvah girls in the old Preston Synagogue, where her family were prominent members and which closed in 1982.

Rabbi Robert Ash said: “The whole day was very special and I was proud once more to see the continuity and revival of Jewish life in Preston.”

Rachael and members of her family recited the prayers and blessings to welcome Shabbat on Friday night in Preston. Rachael and her father, Jeremy, then both read from the Torah at the Menorah Synagogue in Manchester on Saturday morning.

The Lancashire & Cumbria Liberal Jewish Community was launched nearly three years ago and serves Liberal Jews across the North West. You can find more information at www.northwestjews.org