11 April 2018

Lincolnshire Jewish Community filled their ancient synagogue for the region’s first Jewish coming of age ceremony for more than 700 years as Jodie Renaud celebrated her bat mitzvah.

Jodie read her portion beautifully and then made a moving speech, in which she praised her late and much missed grandfather Allan Levene, the long-term secretary and newsletter editor of the Lincolnshire Jewish Community.

The service was held at Jews’ Court and conducted by Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, the chair of The Conference Liberal Rabbis and Cantors, who has played a very significant part in the development of the congregation.

Aaron said: “It was honour to conduct this service and see how this growing community is bringing Judaism back to a place where it hadn’t existed for centuries.

“Everyone at Liberal Judaism is so incredibly proud of Jodie and I am delighted that I could help her tell her own Jewish story.”

Lincolnshire chair Richard Dale added: “This was a historic and memorable occasion, a real milestone for the community.

“It was also very fitting that Allan Levene’s granddaughter was the first young person to celebrate their bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah at Jews’ Court since the Middle Ages, as Allan was such a pillar of our community.”

There was a thriving Jewish Community in Lincoln in the Middle Ages, holding their services at Jews’ Court, until the expulsion of the Jews from Britain in 1290. Lincolnshire Jewish Community was founded in 1992 under the auspices of Nottingham Progressive Jewish Community as part of its Outreach Programme and is affiliated to Liberal Judaism..