Nottingham Liberal Synagogue (NLS) had three reasons to celebrate during the festival period – as they welcomed a new rabbi and held an Open House Shabbat service to mark Liberal Judaism’s 120th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the NLS building.

The newly appointed Rabbi Gili Zidkiyahu was joined by Liberal Judaism CEO Rabbi Charley Baginsky to lead the special service. It was dedicated to the congregation’s founding members, who had the vision to build the synagogue all those years ago, and those who will carry on building the community in the future.

There were archive materials on display, including a photo of the original dedication service led by Rabbi Sidney Brichto, then Executive Director of Liberal Judaism, and Rabbi Dr David Goldberg.

You can watch a video of the service below.

The celebrations continued into the evening with a lively 1970s-themed party that featured lots of dancing, laughing and, of course, eating.

Rabbi Gili Zidkiyahu comes from an Israeli family with roots in Iraq, Riga, Hebron and Jerusalem. She served as shlicha (emissary from the Jewish Agency) to Liberal Judaism from 2004-2006. During that time she attended classes at Leo Baeck College. She was ordained as a rabbi by Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem in 2008 and has served communities in Israel.

• Picture: Party organisers Gill Clark, DJ John Kingsley, Cath Shipsides and Allyson Kingsley in their 1970’s outfits.