4 December 2015 The growing community of Tikvah Chadasha (Shenfield, Brentwood & Districts Synagogue) in Brentwood, Essex, celebrated a treble batmitzvah for three women who had missed out earlier in life. Community chair Amanda Burke was the first to be called to the Torah, followed by Joanna Slaney and Kata … Read More
Interfaith award for Northwood & Pinner
26 November 2015 Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue (NPLS) has won the Mitzvah Day Award for Interfaith Partnership of the Year. The trophy was presented to Rabbi Aaron Goldstein and volunteer Marsha Myers, by Mitzvah Day founder Laura Marks and interfaith chair Daniela Pears. It was given in recognition of … Read More
Special service unites Jewish communities
26 November 2015 A service held at Hatherley Village Hall in Gloucestershire on Saturday was very special for two reasons. Firstly, it included 56-year-old Trish Bluett’s batmitzvah ceremony, which welcomed her into the Jewish faith. Trish mastered the Hebrew language to read a section of the Torah, which she followed … Read More
Nottingham Liberal’s Czech mates
25 November 2015 Twenty-five members of Nottingham Liberal Synagogue (NLS), including Rabbi Tanya Sakhnovich, hit the headlines in the Czech Republic after visiting the town that their synagogue is linked to via a Torah scroll. Taking their 10th group trip to the country, the community were based in the small Moravian … Read More
A festschrift for Rabbi Harry
4 November 2015 Rabbi Harry Jacobi was surprised with a festschrift written in his honour, as he celebrated his 90th birthday at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS). Harry, who was born as Heinz Martin Hirschberg in October, 1925, and grew up in Auerbach, Germany, twice fled the Nazis to become … 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
Double celebration at Woodford
19 October 2015 The congregation at Woodford Liberal Synagogue celebrated TWO 90th birthdays this Shabbat. The shul was full on Friday evening for a service to commemorate the birthdays of Peter Benscher, life president of Woodford, and Rabbi Harry Jacobi, father of Woodford’s Rabbi Richard Jacobi and a vice president … Read More
LJS nursery ranked as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted
11 October 2015 The Liberal Jewish Synagogue Nursery School has been upgraded from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ in its latest Ofsted inspection. Gaining the rank of ‘outstanding’ in all areas, the inspectors praised an “excellent commitment to accurate self-evaluation, which results in staff implementing highly effective action plans across the nursery”.The report … Read More
Barnet Council to resettle 50 refugees after FPS action
7 October 2015 Finchley Progressive Synagogue and Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk hosted a successful Barnet Citizens action over Sukkot, which saw Barnet Council agree to resettle 50 Syrian refugees. As part of Liberal Judaism and Citizens UK’s Sanctuary campaign – which began last Sukkot – the event was hosted in … Read More
Gloucestershire wins the LAFTAs
8 June 2015 Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community (GLJC) has won the prestigious Liberal Academy of Film & Torah Awards (LAFTAs). The cheder/religion school of every Liberal community was tasked with producing a three-minute film on the theme ‘A Day in the Life of Israel’. GLJC fought off stiff competition to … Read More