A group of teenagers from the V’Ahavta Shoham Reform community in Israel spent a week in the UK, strengthening ties with their twinned Progressive synagogue in Elstree and Borehamwood, Europe’s fastest growing Jewish area.

It was part of an ongoing relationship between V’Ahavta and The Liberal Synagogue Elstree (TLSE), which emerged from the formal town twinning in 2023.

The Israeli teenagers were warmly welcomed by local Youth Councillors, Town and Borough Councillors, and leaders from local synagogues. They celebrated Chanukah with members of TLSE and Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue (EHRS) communities, and took in the sights, including the old Jewish East End of London, the JW3 Jewish Community Centre in Hampstead, and a Jewish Care home in Stanmore.

The highlight of the visit took place on New Year’s Day when the Israelis joined their teenage counterparts exchanging powerful testimonies about how their lives had been changed by the events of 7 October 2023, both in Israel and the UK. Keanu Shaffer, a 13-year-old British pupil at Yavneh College, shared how rising antisemitism has made life more difficult for him and his friends, but he also expressed hope for a brighter future.

The Israeli teens delivered moving accounts of how they and their families have suffered since October 7th, bringing many adult members of the Liberal Synagogue to tears. The youngsters also supported the wider Elstree and Borehamwood community by visiting Fairbanks Lodge retirement home, where they met with the elderly residents, and volunteered at a local food bank ‘Gratitude’ (pictured left), handing out food and children’s clothes.

Uma, a 14 year-old participant from Shoham said: “I was very happy to get to know the Jewish community in Elstree and Borehamwood, and I felt very strongly about their commitment to the hostages, their desire to host us and listen to our stories about what is happening in Israel, and what has been happening to us as children and youth in the past year.”

The teens spent the first few days at the Reform youth movement RSY-Netzer’s “Choref” winter camp in Kingswood, Wolverhampton. There, they met other Jewish teens from the UK and around the world, engaging in educational activities and exploring their Jewish identity.

Rinat Safania, the Rabbi of V’Ahavta Shoham Reform led the delegation and was delighted by the experience. She said: “During the visit, we met several Liberal and Reform Jewish communities and in each we visited we were given a warm hug and a loving welcome. Our delegation members were very moved by the warm welcome, the caring, and the fact that everyone we met told us how important Israel is to them, how much October 7th shook them as a Jewish community, how committed they are to the issue of the abductees, and how happy they are for any connection with Israel.”

Rabbi Anna Wolfson, recently appointed as Director of Community Development at TLSE, praised the Israeli teens for their enthusiasm and the positive impact they had on the community: “It was a joy hosting this special group of teens. They threw themselves into the trip and we’re a real credit to their, families, their community and Israel. We loved being able to facilitate them seeing what a snippet of life for Jews outside of Israel and learn so much from them in turn.”

Dan Ozarow, Deputy Mayor of Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council, shared a heartwarming memory of the Israeli youngsters singing and dancing to a Mariah Carey song in the street “It warmed my heart to see their joy and that despite all that they have suffered since 7/10 and the loss of so many innocent people at Nova, young Israelis could dance again, in our town.”