Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community
Leicester Progressive Jewish Community
Rabbi Mark L. Solomon was born and brought up in Sydney, Australia. He studied for the rabbinate at the Lubavitcher Yeshivah Gedolah in Melbourne and Kfar Chabad in Israel, then earned a BA (Hons) in English from Sydney University. He came to Britain in 1988 to study at Jews’ College, London, the modern Orthodox seminary where he was ordained in 1991. Having left Orthodoxy and joined Liberal Judaism, he completed an MA in Jewish Studies at Leo Baeck College, where he has taught since 1991, and is currently Senior Lecturer in Talmud, Rabbinics and Jewish philosophy.
He served as minister of Watford United Synagogue (1990-92) then West Central Liberal Synagogue (1992-2000) and The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, St John’s Wood (2000-2009). In 2009 he was appointed the first Interfaith Consultant for Liberal Judaism. At the same time he became part-time Rabbi of the Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community and in 2010 part-time Rabbi of Manchester Liberal Jewish Community. In 2014 left Manchester and became part-time Rabbi of the Leicester Liberal Jewish Congregation. He is Associate Chair of the Beit Din of Liberal Judaism, and has been a visiting lecturer at University College, London, and Heythrop College.
With a deep commitment to interfaith dialogue, Rabbi Solomon is co-chair of the London Society of Jews and Christians, a governor of the Ammerdown Centre (Radstock), a trustee of the London HIV Chaplaincy, and co-convenor of Westminster Scriptural Reasoning. He is a past board member and branch chairman of the Council of Christians and Jews, for whom he frequently gives talks and concerts. He is a regular participant and speaker at the annual Jewish-Christian-Muslim conferences and Jewish-Christian Bible Week in Germany.
Beginning as chorister, and later Reader and Deputy Cantor, at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, Rabbi Solomon has a deep love of synagogue music and biblical cantillation and, in addition to leading services, gives concerts illustrating the different styles of Jewish music.
Rabbi Solomon is an honorary rabbi of the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group, and one of the rabbinic team of BKY (Beit Klal Yisrael). He was the editor of “Covenant of Love: Service of Commitment for Same-Sex Couples”, published by Liberal Judaism in 2005 to coincide with the introduction of Civil Partnerships in British law – the first such liturgy published by any Jewish movement.
For lighter relief he enjoys singing Gilbert and Sullivan. He lives with his partner in North London.
