16 July 2019

Kingston Liberal Synagogue (KLS) hosted a study session for 50 postgraduate students from 28 countries as part of the Emerging International Leaders Programme run by Cumberland Lodge.

The programme aims to empower international students, who are currently studying in the UK, to become advocates of human rights in their universities and home countries. It equips them with the skills and insight necessary to drive debate, influence policy and build a powerful global network around freedom of religion or belief.

The final part of the course was a ‘freedom of religion’ module which included a visit to KLS. The community’s rabbi, Rabbi Dr René Pfertzel, spoke to the group about the history of Judaism, how Progressive Judaism aims to adhere to modernity and recognise the evolutionary nature of the faith, and about interfaith dialogue. He showed them the Torah scroll and chanted the weekly Torah portion.

René said: “They were truly a group of inspirational and amazing young leaders. We had great conversations on many topics, I was truly impressed with the level of their questions and the depth of their interest.”