19 November 2015 Surat-Shaan Knan, a UK trans activist and founder of Liberal Judaism’s pioneering project Twilight People, urges rabbis and community leaders to include Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) observance in their Shabbat services. The TDoR is commemorated annually on 20 November, Surat-Shaan appeals to rabbis and service-leaders to light … Read More
How synagogues can make transgender Jews feel welcome
Rabbi Leah Jordan 29 October 2015 The Jewish Chronicle In the past few months, transgender people have moved from the twilight into the spotlight. Thanks to celebrities including Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner and Kellie Maloney, transgender people and issues have found their way into the mainstream press and have been trending … Read More
I fled the Nazis, so why do I still face intolerance from my fellow Jews?
Rabbi Harry Jacobi 29 October 2015 Any birthday is a good time to reflect, especially when it’s your 90th. Reaching that landmark, it gave me the chance to look back on my early years, long ministry with Liberal Judaism and the changes in Anglo-Jewry. I celebrated my bar mitzvah in … Read More
An amazing and engaging way to educate the young
Simon Rothstein 15 October 2015 Simon Rothstein is editor of LJ Today Like any parent with young children, I don’t know where to begin when it comes to teaching them about the Holocaust. How can you explain such horror and evil on such a huge scale? How do you try … Read More
We will rise again to help refugees
Rabbi Danny Rich 17 September 2015 On Yom Kippur afternoon, the Torah reading in all Liberal synagogues is the Holiness Code (Leviticus 19) in which congregants will hear: Lo ta-amod al dam ray’echa (verse 16). Like all Biblical verses, it is likely that its original meaning is lost in antiquity … Read More
‘An empowering and unforgettable summer’
Surat-Shaan Knan 1 September 2015 Twilight People project manager Surat-Shaan Knan reports back after having spread the word about Liberal Judaism’s pioneering LGBT+ work at two global gatherings: This summer, I was invited to attend two major international events – Gender Odyssey and Eighteen:22. Gender Odyssey is an international conference, … Read More
Empathising with Christian plight
Elliot Steinberg 1 September 2015 Taking its title and inspiration from Hillel’s famous question, the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) chose August, and indeed the beginning of Elul, to launch our If Not Now When initiative – to highlight and reflect upon the persecution of Christians in the Middle … Read More
The spirit and character of Liberal Judaism
Lucian J Hudson 1 September 2015 The Guardian In my final commentary as Liberal Judaism chairman, I would like to focus on how holding office has informed my spiritual journey as a Liberal Jew, and thank all those who have worked with chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich and me to … Read More
Liberal Judaism on Jewish status and equilineal descent
Rabbi Alexandra Wright 21 July 2015 Liberal Judaism recognises equilineal descent: namely, that individuals born of a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother should be treated in exactly the same way as individuals born to a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father. The Affirmations of Liberal Judaism state that children of mixed … Read More
Don’t react to attacks on freedom by restricting it
Lucian J Hudson 25 January 2015 The Jewish News Reflecting on events in France 200-plus years ago, philosopher and politician Edmund Burke was quoted saying: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Recent events, again in France, bring Burke to mind. Violence … Read More