22 August 2019 Patrick Moriarty, the headteacher of the Jewish Community Secondary School (JCoSS), will be part of the panel for the next Liberal Judaism Hot Potatoes discussion. The event – titled ‘faith schools: is isolation splendid?’ – will take place on Thursday 19 September at 7pm at the Montagu … Read More
Join our Kabbalat Torah programme for small communities
25 July 2019 Liberal Judaism has launched a Kabbalat Torah scheme for 14-16 year olds in small communities, so that they continue their Jewish education past bar/bat mitzvah. Kabbalat Torah (also known as confirmation) is unique to Liberal Judaism. It is purposely undertaken at a time when it is felt … Read More
Reading community welcome back Rabbi Willy Woolf
15 July 2019 Rabbi Willy Woolf returned to visit Reading Liberal Jewish Community more than 40 years after he originally helped to set up the congregation. The Shabbat service for his return was given added meaning as it was led by Rabbi Rachel Benjamin, who was herself ordained by Rabbi … Read More
[Statement] ‘Rafi Peretz comment was offensive and ignorant’
10 July 2019 Statement by Rabbi Danny Rich Like Jews all over the world, I was shocked and saddened at the comments of Israeli minister Rafi Peretz – who described mixed faith marriages of Jews and non-Jews in the diaspora as “like a second Holocaust”. This is an offensive and … Read More
So, what’s going to be in the new Siddur?
Rabbis Lea Mühlstein and Elli Tikvah Sarah 27 June 2019 So, what’s going to be in the new Liberal Judaism Siddur? Since the draft Shabbat morning service was first circulated more than a year ago, we – that is, the editors – have been asked that question many times. After … Read More
[Sermon] Anne Frank Shabbat 5779
Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein 15 June 2019 Herefordshire Jewish Community There are many sights worth seeing in Amsterdam but, if you are there on a Shabbat I do recommend you go to the Amsterdam Liberal Synagogue. I think it is the most beautiful modern synagogue building in Europe. It was … Read More
Obituary: Rabbi Dr David J Goldberg OBE
Carol Gould 14 June 2019 Rabbi Dr David J Goldberg OBE, who died on 30 April aged 80, was a maverick throughout his long and distinguished career, not afraid to express trenchant views on the conduct of successive Israeli governments. At the same time he had a prodigious knowledge and … Read More
Teenagers lead Kabbalat Torah Shabbat at Northwood
21 May 2019 Eleven young people celebrated the conclusion of their formal cheder learning by leading a special Kabbalat Torah Shabbat at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue (NPLS). Kabbalat Torah is a lifecycle event unique to Liberal Judaism, taking place in a young person’s fifteenth or sixteenth year when it … Read More
Education Hub: Term 4 course details (22 May – 19 June)
Liberal Judaism’s Education Hub returns for a fourth term on Wednesday nights from May 22, with an eclectic range of courses to choose from. An Introduction to Judaism & Biblical Hebrew with Rabbis Janet Burden and Danny Rich is perfect for those who want to learn about Judaism and its … Read More
Rabbi Dr David Goldberg: An appreciation
Rabbi Danny Rich 2 May 2019 The Jewish Chronicle Rabbi Dr David Goldberg OBE approached dying as he lived life: with integrity, realism, mischief, intellectual fascination and a degree of planning. He faced his death without self-pity, and, with the support of his wife of nearly fifty years, Carole. His … Read More