1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

November/December 2014
VOL. XLI No. 6
Liberal Judaism is a constituent of the
World Union for Progressive Judaism
www.liberaljudaism.org
ljtoday
An alliance for Progressive Judaism
L
IBERAL JUDAISM (LJ) and the
Movement for Reform Judaism
(MRJ) have announced an alliance
to boost Progressive Judaism in the UK.
Together accounting for nearly a third of
synagogue-affiliated Jews and boasting
82 communities all over the country, the
two movements will now be working even
more closely together.
The alliance will see an expansion
of collaboration in areas such as
student chaplaincy, social justice and
social action. It could also involve a
strengthening of existing joint work
such as rabbinic training, gap year
programming and representation on
cross-communal and other institutions.
Speaking exclusively to lj today, Liberal
Judaism chairman Lucian J Hudson
said: “This is a framework to give
Progressive Judaism a stronger voice
through a proactive concerted approach
to opportunities where both movements
gain more by working together than
working alone.
“After five years of listening carefully
to views from inside and outside Liberal
Judaism, I am pleased to have played
the strategic role behind the scenes
with the MRJ chair, Robert Weiner, to
position this just right with the collective
leadership and broader membership of
both movements.”
While the leadership of both LJ and
MRJ are keen to stress that this is not a
merger, it is seen as a way to capitalise
on the large growth in people identifying
themselves as sharing Progressive values
in the recent JPR studies of Jewish
communal attitudes.
The Liberal and Reform movements,
and their constituent synagogues, will
continue to retain their autonomy and
distinct identities, while working together
to speak for and reach out to the third of
British Jews who describe themselves as
secular, cultural or ‘just Jewish’.
Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich and Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, senior
rabbi to the Movement for Reform Judaism, will now be working even more closely together
Liberal Judaism chief executive
Rabbi Danny Rich said: “The biggest
dividing line in British Jewry is no longer
Orthodox or Progressive, but religiously
engaged or secular. We believe that,
together, the two movements can provide
an outward-looking, modern and relevant
alternative to a merely secular form of
Judaism, which could otherwise become
the primary expression of Judaism within
a couple of generations.”
Senior rabbi to the Reform Movement,
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, added:
“There is so much more that unites the
Reform and Liberal movements than
divides us. The more we can cooperate,
the stronger our voice and the stronger
the expression of the core values we
share in common: inclusiveness, integrity
and informed choice. These are the
values which our movements believe will
enable Judaism to survive and thrive in
the 21st Century.”
The news of the alliance received major
press coverage, with prominent articles
appearing in publications including The
Times, Jewish Chronicle, Jewish News
and Jewish Telegraph.
Page 2: Jews, Christians and Muslims team up at Sukkot to help Syrian refugees
Page 3: Liberal Judaism unites York and Lancaster for the High Holy Days
Pages 6-7: All the pictures from LJY-Netzer Kadimah summer camp (above)
Page 2 LJ Today
News
November/December 2014
Sukkot support for Syrian refugees
Rabbi Danny Rich says...
Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich, Iman Suliman Gani and The Rt. Reverend
Jonathan Clark teamed up during Sukkot to campaign for refugees fleeing conflict in Syria
LIBERAL JUDAISM has taken the lead in
a pioneering project hosted with Citizens
UK, which has united Jews, Christians,
Muslims and others in local communities
to provide a welcome for Syrian refugees.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians
have already fled their country to escape
the triple threat of being targeted by
President Bashar al-Assad’s security
forces, murdered by Islamic State or
being caught in bombing raids against
the terrorists. Many are stuck in camps in
Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, with more set to
arrive as air raids intensify.
Using the festival of Sukkot for
inspiration, Liberal Judaism is working
with Christian and Muslim organisations
to lobby 15 British councils each to offer
sanctuary to 50 people a year. There
has been some success already with
the leaders of Kingston and Redbridge
councils and the cabinet member for
housing in Lambeth expressing support,
and successful actions also taking place
over Sukkot in Birmingham, Nottingham
and Leicester. The campaign has also
been covered by The Sunday Mirror, Big
Issue, Jewish Chronicle, Jewish News
and other national media.
Welcoming Jewish support for the
campaign, Nebal Istanbouly, a Syrian
Sunni Muslim, said: “More refugees
should be accepted in this country
because Syrian people are suffering.
What Britain has done so far is not
enough, it isn’t sufficient at all. They can
do much more.
“Jewish people have experience of
seeking refuge. It is good that they
are supporting us. We need all those
who have experience of such causes to
support us. We are grateful to Jews that
they are working with us. It shows faiths
can come together.”
Donate blood and give the gift of life
LIBERAL JUDAISM has started 5775 by
announcing a month of giving. We are
asking you, our members, to donate
things more important than money.
As part of this initiative, our movement
has joined all the other major strands
of Judaism in supporting The Joely
Bear Appeal’s 5775 for 5775 campaign.
Run in conjunction with NHS Blood and
Transplant, it aims to register 5775 new
blood donors from within the Jewish
community over the next year. We are
also encouraging members to look into
donating bone marrow and organs.
It is a sad statistic that, of those adults
able to donate blood, only 4% actually do.
Blood products are needed for a number
of vital uses other than just transfusion.
Leigh Renak, chairman of the Joely
Bear Appeal, said: “We have set out to
make donating blood as easy as possible.
We run sessions on Sundays, within the
local community, and make substantial
provision for young children. We also
ensure that everyone is well fed.
“Our ambition now is to roll out our
model on a wider scale. Blood donation is
a non-financial tzedakah that all healthy
adults can, and should, be encouraged to
make. It is the gift of life.”
For those unable to give blood, The
Joely Bear Appeal is always looking for
volunteers to help run donation sessions.
For more information on The Joely Bear
Appeal and how you can become a blood
donor visit www.joelybear.org.uk
A UNITED NATIONS programme
aims to resettle the most vulnerable
Syrian refugees. Britain has agreed
to take 750, although only some 50
have so far arrived. Funded wholly
by the European Union, Liberal
Judaism and Citizens UK are asking
the British Government to double
the permitted number to 1,500 and
seeking the support of a number of
local authorities to settle 50 each.
Writing this as Jews around the
world celebrate Sukkot, I reflect that
the main rite of the festival is the
building of, and at least eating in, a
temporary structure built of wood,
leaves and other natural products.
This sukkah reminds us of the
frailty of our existence including our
housing, and calls upon us to share
equitably the bounty of nature. The
Jewish experience is one of exile
and resettlement and Britain has a
history of making welcome refugees,
who in turn make a tremendous
contribution to British society.
Sukkot serves as a timely reminder
that a decent society is one which
welcomes the stranger and offers
appropriate housing for all.
Alone we are weak, but Christians,
Muslims, Jews and people of no faith
standing together are unstoppable.
Rabbi Danny Rich is chief executive
of Liberal Judaism. This commentary
was first published in The Big Issue
LJ Midlands
Shabbaton
LIBERAL JUDAISM’S Midlands Shabbaton
will take place on Saturday November 15
from 10am-5pm at Leicester University.
Those attending will enjoy a musical
and soulful service, tasty vegetarian
buffet lunch and stimulating discussions.
They will be able to share thoughts,
develop ideas and look to the future of
Progressive Judaism in the Midlands. The
day will also include a range of exciting
youth and children’s activities.
The cost is £20 for adults and £5
for schoolchildren including lunch,
preschoolers come free. To book, visit
www.tinyurl.com/shabbatonmidlands
Communities
November/December 2014
Liberal Judaism unites
York and Lancaster
Rabbi Aaron Goldstein explains the Sukkot symbols in York. Picture by Adam Rosenbach
LIBERAL JUDAISM made history twice
over the High Holy Days, with services in
the traditional ‘Roses’ locations of York
and Lancaster.
York Liberal Jewish Community,
founded less than four months ago,
hosted the first High Holy Days services
in the city for 40 years. Led by Liberal
Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny
Rich, more than 40 people attended on
Rosh Hashanah with 60 present for Yom
Kippur. This was followed in October by a
special Sukkot/Simchat Torah service, led
by Rabbi Aaron Goldstein.
York Liberal Jewish Community
organiser Ben Rich said: “This community
continues to go from strength to strength.
It is a clear demonstration of what can
be achieved from a standing start in a
very short period of time with passion, a
welcoming and inclusive approach, and
of course the strong support of Liberal
Judaism nationally.”
The new Lancashire and Cumbria
Liberal Jewish Community is also
receiving active support from Liberal
Judaism as it becomes established. The
community held its first services at Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Twenty-two
people attended these services, even
though the decision to hold them was
taken only a short time beforehand and
there was limited publicity.
Services were led by Rabbi Robert Ash,
who returned to the UK last summer
after six years serving a large Progressive
synagogue in Johannesburg. After
buying a home, he made contact with a
local Jewish group – the Lancaster and
Lakes Jewish Community, which is now
renaming and expanding with the help of
Liberal Judaism.
Lancashire and Cumbria Liberal Jewish
Community will offer regular services,
education and pastoral support for
Jewish people in the region.
Remembering Philip Walker
By Cedric Briscoe
Vice President of SLLS
IT IS WITH
profound sorrow
that we mark
the passing of
Philip Walker,
the president
and chairman of
South London
Liberal Synagogue
(SLLS). Philip
was continuously
active in virtually
every facet of
synagogue life,
spending more
than 40 years in the management of the
congregation and its financial affairs.
He had chaired the SLLS social
activities committee and taught in the
religion school. He had served with great
distinction as treasurer, as chairman
three times, and was elected president in
2013. He represented the congregation
in the wider community and on the
council of Liberal Judaism. All these
activities were combined with an unfailing
friendship and concern for others.
In all this Philip was supported by his
wife Gill and by a loving family, giving
considerable service to the congregation.
Our hearts go out to Gill, Ben, Sophie and
Bess. We will all sorely miss Philip as a
friend, colleague and inspiration.
• Liberal Judaism is also mourning the
death of Herbert Richer. There will be an
obituary in the next issue of lj today.
LJ Today Page 3
A first ark as
ELJC turns 10
By Catherine Lyons
IT FELT LIKE
Rosh Hashanah
had come early
in Edinburgh,
even though it
was still warm
and sunny.
Sukkat Shalom,
the Edinburgh
Liberal Jewish
Community
(ELJC), was
gathered at
its usual yom
tov venue,
a Unitarian
church, and
had a big crowd. The crowd on this
particular September Shabbat was a
microcosm of civic Edinburgh: guests
were arriving to join the celebration of the
Community’s tenth anniversary and the
dedication of the ark.
The Lord Provost was represented by
a Bailie, resplendent in a gold chain.
The community policeman was there
as a guest. The Bishop of Edinburgh
came, along with members of the local
Orthodox congregation - participants in
Edinburgh’s Liberal/Orthodox dialogue
project - Muslims and Christians.
Taking place only five days before the
independence referendum, First Minister
Alex Salmond excused himself on account
of an exceptionally busy schedule.
Back in 2004, Progressive Jews
in Edinburgh resolved to form an
independent community. A scroll arrived
in style, to the sound of bagpipes. Ten
years on, that scroll was placed in an ark
for the first time.
The ark, generously supported by
the NLPS Trust, was dedicated at the
anniversary Shabbat service. Prayers
were led by Rabbi Mark Solomon, who
has made Edinburgh his second home.
Both he and Liberal Judaism chief
executive Rabbi Danny Rich gave warm
addresses. Celebrations continued in the
evening at a klezmer ceilidh, by now an
ELJC tradition.
ELJC members include an architect,
a sculptor and a textile artist, who made
the project happen. Once the door panels
are installed it will take up residence in
the Community’s usual venue, a Steiner
day centre. Thereafter it will travel across
Edinburgh, as required, for as long as the
Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community
wanders through the city.
Page 4 LJ Today
Communities
November/December 2014
Comment
November/December 2014
LJ Today Page 5
Tashlich time Rainbow Jews goes on the road
‘Working together will make us stronger’
This motivated me to start a
crowdfunding campaign in order to bring
the ground-breaking Rainbow Jews
exhibition to Leicester, thus kicking off
a UK-wide tour. Running a crowdfunding
campaign for the first time was a
challenging yet rewarding experience. In
only three weeks, we collected enough
donations from online supporters to fund
the exhibition for an entire month at the
Leicester LGBT Centre.
The exhibition opening was preceded
by a spectacular rainbow-themed cake
and cava reception and film screening.
Cantor Gershon Silins impressed with his
fine voice and was followed by words of
welcome from organisers and sponsors.
Event organiser Reni Chapman, who is
the social action officer for Leicester
Progressive Jewish Congregation, gave a
warm thanks to all those members who
helped support the launch. Nonagenarian
Reni also amazed the reception guests
by sharing glimpses of her wonderful
life – an intriguing story of diaspora, love,
struggles and victories.
She said: “Only in the last couple
of decades, it has become no longer
necessary to hide one’s sexuality. Longlasting, happy and loving relationships
are acceptable and considered as normal,
due to much pioneer work done by older
LGBT people to make it so.”
Rainbow Jews won’t stop in Leicester.
In collaboration with Birmingham
Progressive Synagogue, the exhibition
opened at the Birmingham LGBT Centre
in October. This will be followed by the
Liverpool Homotopia festival at the
Unity Theatre in November, Limmud
Conference in December and finally
Brighton library for LGBT History Month
in February 2015.
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner on her movement’s alliance with Liberal Judaism
LIBERAL COMMUNITIES all over the UK
spent the beautiful autumn afternoon
of Rosh Hashanah symbolically casting
their sins into water, to be washed far
away. Several members of Bet Tikvah
Synagogue in Barkingside, Essex, walked
out to the banks of the River Roding,
pictured above, to perform tashlich.
Life’s a beach
EASTBOURNE LIBERAL JEWISH
COMMUNITY (ELJC) took advantage of
a dry summer by holding a Torah on the
Beach service and barbecue. Members
of ELJC and friends gathered at Langney
Point for prayers, led by lay leader Ruth
Selo, and a delicious buffet and barbecue
provided by chairman Suzanne King, and
cooked by Bobbi King to a ‘secret recipe’.
Suzanne said: “It was wonderful to
see so many people prepared to come
and celebrate a Jewish service and enjoy
a social occasion in the open air to the
sound of the sea. Torah on the Beach is
now firmly established in our calendar.”
Norwich prepares
for Silver Jubilee
NORWICH LIBERAL JEWISH COMMUNITY
will celebrate its 25th anniversary this
month, with an open day and special
Shabbat service at the Old Meeting House
in Colegate. Originally established as the
Progressive Jewish Community of East
Anglia, the name was changed recently to
better reflect the community representing
Liberal Judaism in Norwich and Norfolk.
Chair Sarah Boosey said: “We are very
happy with the way we are developing
as a vibrant, welcoming and inclusive
community. We have a thriving cheder
and a Jewish education class, with more
children and young people than ever
before. We also have a very dynamic
new young rabbi in Leah Jordan and we
benefit from her enthusiasm and energy.”
The community also plans to hold a
Chanukkah Fayre in November. To find
out more, visit www.norwichljc.org.uk
Leicester exhibition organiser Reni Chapman
and Rachel Benn. Picture by Grant Denkinson
By David Walsh
MOVING TO LONDON just over a year ago
has allowed me to get involved in some
unique projects. One such project has
been Rainbow Jews – a pioneering history
and heritage initiative founded by lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
campaigner Surat Knan.
Supported by a one-off grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund and hosted by
Liberal Judaism, Rainbow Jews collects
and tells the stories of LGBT Jews
from all across the country. Its touring
exhibition, launched earlier this year at
the LSE, has been a major success and
its collection is being held by the London
Metropolitan Archives.
While enjoying all that London has
to offer, I remain passionate about
Jewish stories beyond the capital.
Having retained connections to my home
community in Leicester, I felt the strong
desire for the wider audience to discover
our vibrant and diverse LGBT Jewish life.
...with support from Stephen Fry
WORLD RENOWNED actor and comedian
Stephen Fry has donated more than
£2,000 to Rainbow Jews to keep the
ground-breaking project running.
Rainbow Jews had been seeking to
raise funds to continue its great work
through an online crowdfunding initiative.
With just two days left to run, and after
already making one donation, Stephen
gave the exact amount needed for the
project to hit its target. The actor had
earlier tweeted his support for Rainbow
Jews and encouraged his millions of
followers to also contribute.
Stephen also sent a personal message,
saying: “It really is my pleasure and pride
to be able to help.”
Rainbow Jews founder Surat Knan said:
“Now that the two-year Heritage Lottery
Fund grant has finished, we needed to
find further aid to continue. Many within
Liberal Judaism and beyond – including
chairman Lucian J Hudson and Rabbi
Richard Jacobi – had been very generous.
But I still wasn’t sure if we could make it.
Then Stephen’s donation came in. Words
can’t describe how grateful we are.
“His support has really made a huge
difference. Not only financially, but also in
helping us bring this hidden history to the
widest possible audience.”
For more information on Rainbow Jews
and how you can help support the project,
please visit www.rainbowjews.com
SWEET AND SOUR. Smooth and knobbly.
Liberal and Reform. You couldn’t put us
together, could you?
The aarba minim, the four species of
plant that we wave together on Sukkot,
answer this question beautifully and
illustrate the importance of Jewish unity
along the way. Each species is unique, but
also incomplete until bound together with
the others as one. This is because every
plant has something that every other
lacks. Each has either taste or smell or
both or neither. The etrog oozes flavour
and fragrance. The lulav only has flavour.
The hadas, myrtle twigs, only fragrance.
Aravah, willow branches, neither. So
Torah explains that the plants must be
bound together.
Each of these species of fruit is said
to represent a different type of Jew.
The etrog in its flavour and fragrance is
balanced and complete, like a person
who is wise and learned but engaged in
mitzvot and Jewish life. At the other end,
the Aravah symbolises someone engaged
in neither – a person with a less actively
Jewish life. We don’t have a full lulav by
including the fragrant and ripened fruits
alone, whilst neglecting the others.
The aarba minim come to mind as an
effective metaphor for thinking about our
movements’ recent alliance.
We are incomplete if we concentrate on
the most active, comfortable members of
our community but overlook others.
Demographic surveys keep reminding
us how important inclusivity is, because
British Jewry is no longer drawn along
the traditional communal lines of Reform
or Orthodox or Liberal or Masorti alone.
A third of British Jews already describe
themselves as secular, cultural or ‘just
Jewish’, meaning the challenge and
importance of reaching out beyond our
natural constituency is ever growing. We
are here to appeal to these people.
We understand there is a tension
between Judaism and everyday life
and that the Jewish ‘stuff’ can lose out
sometimes. We are also here to say this
tension is good and that negotiating it
through informed choice can lead to a
rich and active Jewish life.
We know Judaism is not a set of tired
responsibilities and that continuity and
collective memory alone don’t do the trick
anymore. Judaism should be a forward
facing and socially conscious way to live.
We pride our movements on
inclusiveness, so this was a core principle
behind our decision to come together last
month.
Working together will enable us to
do our work better: reaching out to
secular and cultural Jews; increasing
opportunities for Jewish literacy;
affecting meaningful change on British
Jewry, Israel and wider society. In these
areas, more unites our movements than
divides them.
Together, we promote Jewish
life that is open and inclusive. We
celebrate difference and are proud of
our 82 communities and their diversity.
Together, we pledge love for Israel but
support two-States as a just solution to
the conflict. Together, we share a vision
for social action and interfaith.
Our tradition teaches that being
Jewish should not be an inward-looking
exercise. We must reach out more to our
neighbours and other faith communities
and mobilise our communities to promote
tolerance and justice across Britain.
We are delightfully distinct and will
remain so. Our communities are an
assortment of fragrance and flavour,
shape and size.
Yet, like the aarba minim, like Jews
across the world in their Sukkot, we are
together too, and stronger for it.
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner is senior
rabbi to the Movement for Reform Judaism
Ba’alei Tefillah 5775-6
Ever wondered what it
takes to lead services
within your community?
Join us to further your skills, experience and knowledge by
learning as part of a diverse and supportive group
FIVE Modules
FOUR Projects
THREE Tutors
TWO Check-in Days
ONE Residential Weekend
The programme will include:
• How to lead Shabbat and festival services
• Exploration of the structure of the liturgy
• How to choreograph a service
• Opportunities to write sermons and Divrei Torah
• Opportunities to practice reading Torah
Launch Day: Sunday 18th January 2015
Expected Graduation: Biennial 2016
(approximate running time:16 months)
Contact Abigail by Friday 21st November 2014 on 020 7580 1663
or a.jacobi@liberaljudaism.org for details on how to apply
Page 6 LJ Today
November/December 2014
November/December 2014
LJ Today Page 7
LJY-Netzer Machaneh Kadimah 2014 in pictures
The ananim (school years 3-4) enjoyed their first ever Kadimah
The troops were raised each morning in typical LJY-Netzer style
This amazing team of volunteer leaders ran the two-week camp
The Yamim (school years 9-10) made posters in the art room
More than 120 young Liberal Jews came together for a Machaneh Kadimah summer camp full of education, prayer, sports, art, music and just plain fun
Whole camp morning activities included this fort building session
Everyone got soaked in the famous annual Kadimah wide game
Plagim (school years 5-6) saw their old friends and made new ones
Nechalim (school years 7-8) won the Kadimah football tournament
LJY-Netzer’s movement workers oversaw another successful event
Shabbat was celebrated with a special outdoor whole camp service
Page 8 LJ Today
Books
November/December 2014
An essential and entertaining biography
ISRAEL ISIDOR MATTUCK - ARCHITECT OF LIBERAL JUDAISM by Pam Fox (Vallentine
Mitchell) Reviewed by Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein, President of Liberal Judaism
I HAVE BEEN a Liberal Jew all my life,
although I suppose it was some time
before I heard of the founding trinity of
Liberal Judaism. The only one I met was
Lily Montagu, who interviewed me for
the rabbinate over a very pleasant cup of
tea. She made a great impression on me.
Claude Montefiore died before I was born
and I never got down from Birmingham
to see or hear Rabbi Dr Israel Mattuck
before he died in 1954.
As I trained and got into my rabbinic
career, these three names increasingly
cropped up. Rabbi John Rayner, in
particular, was always quoting their
views, especially those of his mentor
Mattuck, as the essence of Liberal
Judaism. Later working with Rabbi
Rayner on Liberal Judaism’s liturgy, I had
cause to examine the Mattuck-authored
prayer books of my childhood, but of the
man himself I had no real knowledge. He
published comparatively little and there
was no biography to read.
Now, like the long delayed buses,
two books appear at the same time. A
powerful and insightful introduction by
Rabbi Danny Rich based on Mattuck’s
sermons and a full biography by Pam Fox
of the man and his thoughts, sermons
and influence on Liberal Judaism.
Pam has done extensive research,
not just in the various Liberal Judaism
archives in this country, but also in
resources in America, especially Hebrew
Union College (HUC) in Cincinnati, as
well as interviews with family members
who shared with her their photographs,
ephemera and memories. I am sure it
helped that Pam’s previous work was
on the history of The Liberal Jewish
Synagogue (LJS) for this was the centre
for most of Mattuck’s work and life.
When I read an early draft of the book
I did wonder about the relevance of the
detailed chapters on the Mattuck family
origins in Lithuania and the early years
of the family once they immigrated to
the States. But now I realise they set the
scene and demonstrate the incredible
change in Mattuck’s fortune, from the
impoverished immigrant to the upper
middle class English gentleman. In
reading of this phase in his life, we get an
insight into his determination to succeed
educationally and socially. From an
early cheder education to a scholarship
to Harvard, from immigrant hovel to
lodgings, usually with wealthy families,
and in one of them finding his future wife.
His self-belief led him to battle with
what he saw as HUC’s inadequacies never up to the standards of Harvard. He
left the college before graduating to take
up highly successful pulpits in emerging
American Reform synagogues. He was
persuaded to return to HUC but it was on
his terms and, despite never handing in
his final thesis, he was ordained.
Mattuck was very much a maverick,
but had several early successes
and was clearly a rising star in the
American Reform movement. What
then persuaded him to move to London
to a lone fledgling congregation? Pam
discusses the background to this move,
which led to the LJS becoming one of the
leading congregations in Anglo Jewry.
Mattuck’s drive and personality motivated
the fundraising for the magnificent
building in St John’s Wood Road and the
development of many activities within
the synagogue, some new to English
congregations such as a women’s society
and youth club.
The book details Mattuck’s influence
in founding other Liberal congregations
in London and the provinces and hence
the Liberal Movement. It tells of his
involvement in the founding of the World
Union for Progressive Judaism and the
London Society of Jews and Christians.
There are many fascinating episodes
such as his attempts to persuade Leo
Baeck not to return to Germany before
the war, his relationships with other
religious leaders and ministers, and the
man himself and his family.
I also learned so much: that Mattuck’s
widely reported Sunday services,
attended by up to 1,000 people, Jew
and non-Jew, were not really services,
but addresses followed by free-flowing
question and answer sessions; the details
of his views on Zionism, which came to
affect our movement for decades and
still influence sectors of it today; his
insistence on the primacy of social justice
above ritual and yet his ability to work
with much more traditional rabbis in
Liberal congregations on the continent;
his disagreements with Rabbi Reinhart
of West London Synagogue that might
explain the rifts between Reform and
Liberal Judaism in this country, only now
being healed. So much is revealed!
However Pam does not overlook the
inconsistencies in Mattuck’s character.
Though he was later a leader in the
fight for women’s emancipation, in the
early days in America all five brothers
went to prestigious universities, but
none of the three sisters - who stayed
at home to earn money to allow their
brothers’ education. And though Mattuck
became famous in the interwar years
as a supporter of workers’ rights and
the miners’ strike, he himself lived a
comfortable upper middle class life
with a house in the country and one in
Hampstead, a chauffeur and servants.
An English gentleman, yet never giving
up his American citizenship. Able to
communicate with all people, but perhaps
a bit of a snob.
This book will be valued by American
and British historians and yet it reads
like a novel, keeping one’s interest
throughout. Pam Fox has researched
and composed an entertaining biography
of a fascinating man. It is essential in
understanding the birth and development
of our Liberal Movement. It deserves a
wide readership in Britain and America.
• Copies of Israel Isidor Mattuck:
Architect of Liberal Judaism can
be bought from The Liberal Jewish
Synagogue. Paperback copies are on sale
for £18. Hardback copies are selling for
£37.50, reduced from £50 thanks to the
generous support of Jill Mattuck Tarule,
Israel Mattuck’s granddaughter. Please
email office@ljs.org to place an order.
Hardback copies can also be purchased
from Liberal Judaism.
Books
November/December 2014
Examining the Holocaust and
why it still haunts today’s Jews
EDINBURGH LIBERAL JEWISH
COMMUNITY member Sue Lieberman
will see her first book published early
next year, examining the emotional and
psychological relationship which Jews
with no direct family connection to the
Holocaust, feel with it. Below Sue tells
us about the book, After Genocide: How
Ordinary Jews Face the Holocaust, and
the seven years she spent working on it.
What made you decide to write a book on
this important topic?
Being born in the post-war generation,
I grew up surrounded by oblique
references to the Holocaust, which
became clear through the trial of
Adolf Eichmann. From then on, I read
extensively about the Holocaust, much
assisted because my oldest friend was
the daughter of two Holocaust survivors.
In the 1980s, she attended one of the first
‘gatherings’ of the second generation
in Israel; I remember noting then that
there was no equivalent place for a
wider Jewish population to process the
Holocaust’s impact. When I read Eva
Hoffman’s book, After Such Knowledge, it
became clear that there was no literature
either about the experience of Jews like
me – those I came to call ‘ordinary Jews’.
How did you define an ‘ordinary Jew’?
‘Ordinary Jews’ are Jews with no
immediate family connection to the
Holocaust. As an Ashkenazi Jew, whose
grandparents came to Britain from Pinsk
in the early 1900s, I certainly lost relatives
in the Holocaust; but as a family we have
no idea who they were. The family history
was already lost in my grandparents’
silence. The Holocaust is tangential to
my immediate family’s history, and this is
common among Jews whose families had
left Europe a generation or more before
the war. The term itself came about
because I wanted to refer to such Jews in
a way which didn’t define us in relation to
something that we are not (non-survivors,
non-witnesses etc).
A Jewish Book of Comfort, by Rabbi Dr
Andrew Goldstein and Rabbi Dr Charles
Middleburgh, is a new anthology
presenting a wide selection of poems,
psalms and mediations from all periods
of Jewish history, designed to offer
words of comfort for difficult times.
To give a quick summary of the book –
why are today’s Jews, even those with
no immediate family connection to the
Holocaust, still haunted by it?
There are a number of reasons. One
is simply the nature of the Holocaust
itself: its bewildering awfulness; its
having happened in what was supposed
to be one of the most civilised countries
in Europe at the time; its psychotic
madness; its comprehensive onslaught
on every aspect of Jewish life. It is such
a huge subject, I don’t think we have yet
got our heads around it, so it continues
to get ‘into’ us in a way that corresponds
to haunting. It is also multifaceted. As
individuals, we have developed different
vulnerabilities in life, and there is endless
scope in the Holocaust to evoke feelings
which are part of our lives anyway. I
also think there is a way in which, as
diaspora Jews, we still haven’t fully
mourned what was lost in the Holocaust.
In psychotherapy, incomplete mourning
is associated with hauntedness. When
something has not been properly laid to
rest, it lives on in an uneasy way.
How long did the book take to write?
What were your greatest challenges?
The entire project took seven years,
from first interview to finishing the
last chapter. The first two years mainly
involved developing the research base
and conducting interviews, though I
continued to interview alongside writing
for another two years. There was a lot
of reading to do throughout. My mother
died when I was halfway through writing,
which obviously presented its own
difficulties at the time. Probably the
biggest challenge, however, was finding
out how to write in a voice that I felt
happy with. The other was figuring out my
own process of writing: where to write,
what time of day suited me best, what
my own rhythm was. It took me nearly
a year to write the first chapter, but
once I understood how I worked best the
process got faster.
Themes included are illness, ageing,
memory, grief, faith and much more.
The authors write: “Whether you are a
person of faith or not, there are times in
every human life when we need to find
comfort to sustain us through pain, loss
or bereavement.
LJ Today Page 9
Going West
By Bryan Diamond
The book A Beacon of Light: The History
of the West London Synagogue by
historian Philippa Bernard is a useful
history of the earliest British Progressive
congregation. Although West London
Synagogue (WLS) is a Reform shul, this
history is of significant interest to Liberal
Jews, thanks to several references to our
movement, one of its founders Claude
Montefiore and others connected to us.
The Jewish Religious Union (JRU) – the
original name for Liberal Judaism – is
mentioned in regards to the proposal
to host Liberal services on Shabbat
afternoons at WLS, held under the JRU
control with modern prayers, but men
and women seated separately. The WLS
Council were none too happy and refused
to allow their senior minister Reverend
Joseph to sit on the JRU’s committee.
This supplements the account by Rabbi
Lawrence Rigal and Rosita Rosenberg in
their history of our movement - Liberal
Judaism: The First Hundred Years.
It was said of Montefiore, after he
published his seminal work Liberal
Judaism, that “one of the most
distinguished members of the WLS was
to lead a breakaway to found another
new form of Jewish practice”. But it may
be queried whether the JRU was really
derived from the WLS or rather a radical
derivation from orthodoxy.
Montefiore is also described as “almost
virulently anti-Zionist” and wanting “no
part in the nationalism of Palestine”. In
1909 he was, with other members of the
WLS, a signatory of a letter to the Jewish
Chronicle detailing their patriotism
as Englishmen. He is also mentioned
in a list of signatories – including Lily
Montagu’s father Lord Swaythling – of
another letter, to The Morning Post in
1919, intended to counter antisemitism.
Another passage of interest to us
concerns a motion in 1936 for closer
cooperation between the Reform and
Liberal movements. Talks took place,
but broke down a year later due to
differences between the two movements.
The author comments that “many at WLS
felt they might have had a lucky escape!”
“Throughout three millennia of Jewish
history, sages have written words of
encouragement, reassurance and hope,
borne from suffering endured, faced and
overcome.”
A full review of A Jewish Book of
Comfort will appear in the next lj today.
Page 10 LJ Today
Outreach
November/December 2014
Youth
November/December 2014
Outreach Team Bulletin Board
HAVING moved into a new home in the
Cotswolds this summer, my High Holy
Days with Gloucestershire Liberal
Jewish Community were particularly
special. I was so proud as more
than half the community’s members
took part in the services in one way
or another, including children from
five to 16 years-old. On Erev Rosh
Hashanah we opted to have a Seder pictured below - which was delicious,
uplifting and enjoyed by all.
ON THE FIRST Shabbat in September,
I made my first ever visit to our
congregation in Manchester. On Friday
night, I shared a Shabbat dinner with
leaders from Manchester Liberal
Jewish Community, and on Saturday
morning I led a service that was
musical and welcoming. I’m looking
forward to sharing many Shabbat
experiences in the future with this
lovely community. To find out more,
please email mljc@liberaljudaism.org
Rabbi Anna
a.gerrard@liberaljudaism.org
Cantor Gershon
g.silins@liberaljudaism.org
ONE OF THE things I hold closest
to my heart is education, especially
for cheder-aged children. Teaching
invigorates and frustrates me in equal
measure, and I always leave a session
feeling that I have learnt something.
For this reason, I particularly enjoy
running Liberal Judaism’s Learning
Network, created in 2013. The Learning
Network ran four training seminars
during the last academic year covering the new Jewish Pathways
curriculum, autism and challenging
behaviour, teaching about the
Holocaust and safeguarding.
We are currently undertaking a
‘listening campaign’, through which
I will meet with community heads of
education to get to know them better
and understand what their challenges
and goals are. The aim is to strengthen
the bonds between communities and
their relationship with Liberal Judaism.
Our next Learning Network session is
on Sunday December 10 at the Montagu
Centre. I hope you, or someone from
your community, is able to attend.
Rabbi Sandra
s.kviat@liberaljudaism.org
Outreach
comment
By Rabbi Leah Jordan
“ARE YOU CHRISTIAN?” That was a
genuine question asked by a more
traditional Jewish student to a fellow
Jew on campus. Many Progressive
Jewish students can tell you some
version of this story.
Progressive Jewish students faced
a further hurdle at university as they
returned in late September - aside
from the threat of antisemitism and
how best to keep the traditions - they
faced misunderstanding and even
scorn from their fellow Jews about
their own Jewish identity.
After this summer in Israel, the
political debate on campus is hotter
and more divisive than ever. Students
have to wade through questions
around war, Zionist identity,
human rights, Palestinian selfdetermination, BDS and two-state,
bi-state and one-state solutions in
their ever-increasing fervour and
complexity, with unhelpful vitriol and
understandable anger. Sadly some
also face the further complication of
misunderstanding and resentment
among ourselves.
Many Progressive Jewish students,
who grew up in Jewish communities
across the country, feel alienated by
their university JSocs because their
peers are not welcoming of nonOrthodox Jews.
Klal Yisrael, the community of
Israel, is diverse. There are many
different ways of practicing Judaism.
Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh, the
Talmud teaches at the bottom of
page 39a in Shavuot. All of Israel is
responsible for one another.
I will therefore be working with
parents and teachers from every
Jewish background to help instil this
understanding and make university
that little bit more welcoming.
Rabbi Leah Jordan is Liberal
Judaism’s student and young adult
chaplain. This commentary was first
published in The Jewish News
LJ Today Page 11
LJY-Netzer is Liberal Judaism’s
Zionist youth movement. It gives
young people the opportunity
to develop a strong Progressive
Jewish identity, make lasting
friendships and have loads of fun
My summer holiday in a war zone
Rebekah Henriques on being part of LJY-Netzer Israel Tour during the conflict
I WAS PART of a group of around 40
teenagers who landed in Israel on July
8 – the same day when, unbeknown to us,
the first exchanges of rockets were taking
place. One hundred rockets had been
fired at Israel and 50 air strikes were
placed on Gaza. This was day one of our
Israel Tour.
After escalating tensions and the
kidnapping and murder of far too many
Palestinian and Israeli boys, the real war
started on the day our flight landed. We
were not told much about the conflict
during our first week but, after a while,
parents started to worry and the itinerary
had to be changed for our safety.
I have absolutely no regrets of going to
Israel at a time such as this. Some places
may have been out of bounds – we were
not able to go to Tel Aviv at all – but in
some ways this allowed our educational
experience to be multiplied in value. The
leaders ran engaging sessions on the
conflict and used the events around us to
boost our understanding in discussions.
There were only a few times during our
month in Israel when we were directly
faced with sights of the conflict.
A significant occasion was when we
were in the Dead Sea. Military aircraft
flew barely 30 feet above us. Nothing
happened, but everyone’s hearts froze for
a moment. Of course, we were completely
safe thanks to the UJIA’s organisation,
which meant we could still enjoy the
highlights of LJY-Netzer Israel Tour.
We climbed Masada in time for
sunrise, meditated in a canyon, rode on
camels, snorkelled in the Red Sea, toured
Jerusalem and the Old City, participated
in an eco-workshop in Kibbutz Lotan,
hiked the Golan Heights and went rafting
down the Jordan River. We did almost
everything planned and every day was
packed with unmissable experiences.
Despite all of the fun-filled days,
which included competing for ‘omelette
baguettes’ and playing drinking games
with water, many of us loved the free
time we had in the evenings and on
Shabbat. Talking and laughing, while lying
in hammocks and making new friends,
were what made the trip so memorable. I
couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Whatever is happening in Israel next
summer, please don’t let that put you
off attending LJY-Netzer Israel Tour or
sending your child on it. I know all those
going on Tour 5775 will have an amazing
holiday, just like I did.
What’s next...
SUMMER 5774 may be over but 5775
has arrived, along with a whole host
of exciting new LJY-Netzer events.
After the success of the Israel Tour
Reunion and Apples and Honey in
the Park, we are looking forward to
some exciting residential weekend
events. We will also be holding a
Hadracha Seminar at the end of
October to train the next generation
of LJY-Netzer leaders.
November sees the return of
Kinus, our decision making forum
for school years 7-10, and we round
the year off with Veidah - where our
older members come together to
shape the future of the movement.
If you want to get involved, go to our
website www.ljy-netzer.org
Contact the LJY-Netzer team: Tom Francies (tom@liberaljudaism.org), Tamara Silver (tamara@liberaljudaism.org)
and Gabriel Webber (gabriel@liberaljudaism.org); office telephone 020 7631 0584
Page 12 LJ Today
November/December 2014
Liberal Judaism congregations
Bedfordshire Progressive
Synagogue
T: 01234 218 387
E: bedsps@liberaljudaism.org
W: bedfordshire-ps.org.uk
Edinburgh Liberal Jewish
Community
T: 0131 777 8024
E: info@eljc.org
W: eljc.org
Beit Klal Yisrael (Notting Hill)
E: bkymailing@gmail.com
W: bky.org.uk
Finchley Progressive Synagogue
T: 020 8446 4063
E: fps@liberaljudaism.org
W: fps.org
Bet Tikvah Synagogue
(Barkingside)
T: 020 8554 9682
E: bttkv@liberaljudaism.org
W: bettikvah.blogspot.co.uk
Birmingham Progressive
Synagogue
T: 0121 634 3888
E: bps@liberaljudaism.org
W: bpsjudaism.com
Brighton and Hove Progressive
Synagogue
T: 01273 737 223
E: bhps@liberaljudaism.org
W: brightonandhoveprosynagogue.org.uk
Bristol and West Progressive
Jewish Congregation
E: bwpjc@bwpjc.org
W: bwpjc.org
Crouch End Chavurah
E: info@crouchendchavurah.co.uk
W: crouchendchavurah.co.uk
Crawley Jewish Community
T: 01293 534 294
Dublin Jewish Progressive
Congregation
E: djpc@liberaljudaism.org
W: djpcireland.com
Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish
Community
T: 01242 609 311
E: shalom@gljc.org.uk
W: gljc.org.uk
Harrow and Wembley
Progressive Synagogue
T: 020 8864 5323
E: hwps@liberaljudaism.org
W: hwps.org
Herefordshire Jewish
Community
T: 01594 530 721
E: hjc@liberaljudaism.org
W: herefordshirejc.org
Kehillah North London
T: 020 7403 3779
E: knl@liberaljudaism.org
W: nlpjc.org.uk
Kent Liberal Jewish Community
T: 07952 242432
E: kljc@liberaljudaism.org
W: tinyurl.com/kentljc
Kingston Liberal Synagogue
T: 020 8398 7400
E: kls@liberaljudaism.org
W: klsonline.org
Ealing Liberal Synagogue
T: 020 8997 0528
E: els@liberaljudaism.org
W: ealingliberalsynagogue.org.uk
Leicester Progressive Jewish
Congregation
T: 0116 271 5584
E: lpjc@liberaljudaism.org
W: lpjc.org.uk
Eastbourne Liberal Jewish
Community
T: 01323 725 650
E: eljc@liberaljudaism.org
W: eljc.org.uk
The Liberal Jewish Synagogue
(St John’s Wood)
T: 020 7286 5181
E: ljs@liberaljudaism.org
W: ljs.org
The Montagu Centre
21 Maple Street
London, W1T 4BE
T: 020 7580 1663
E: montagu@liberaljudaism.org
W: liberaljudaism.org
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of modern Judaism. It reverences Jewish
tradition, seeking to preserve the values of the
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The Liberal Synagogue Elstree
T: 020 8953 8889
E: tlse@liberaljudaism.org
W: tlse.org.uk
Lincolnshire Jewish Community
T: 01427 628 958
E: ljc@liberaljudaism.org
W: lincolnshirejc.co.uk
Manchester Liberal Jewish
Community
T: 08432 084 441
E: mljc@liberaljudaism.org
W: mljc.org.uk
North Herts Liberal Jewish
Community (Stevenage)
T: 01438 300 222
E: northhertsljc@gmail.com
W: northhertsljc.org
Northwood and Pinner Liberal
Synagogue
T: 01923 822 592
E: npls@liberaljudaism.org
W: npls.org.uk
Norwich Liberal Jewish
Community
E: nljc@liberaljudaism.org
W: www.norwichljc.org.uk
Nottingham Liberal Synagogue
T: 0115 962 4761
E: nls@liberaljudaism.org
W: nottinghamliberalsynagogue.com
Peterborough Liberal Jewish
Community
T: 020 7631 9822
E: info@pljc.org.uk
W: pljc.org.uk
Reading Liberal Jewish
Community
T: 0118 942 8022
E: readingliberaljewishcommunity@
gmail.com
W: www.readingljc.org.uk
Shenfield & Brentwood
Synagogue
T: 01277 888 610
E: tikvahchadasha@gmail.com
W: roshtikvah.com
South Bucks Jewish Community
T: 0845 644 2370
E: sbjc@liberaljudaism.org
W: sbjc.org.uk
South London Liberal
Synagogue (Streatham)
T: 020 8769 4787
E: slls@liberaljudaism.org
W: southlondon.org
Southgate Progressive
Synagogue
T: 020 8886 0977
E: sps@liberaljudaism.org
W: sps.uk.com
Suffolk Liberal Jewish
Community (Ipswich)
T:01473 250 797
E: sjc@liberaljudaism.org
Wessex Liberal Jewish
Community (Bournemouth)
T: 01202 757 590
E: info@wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk
W: wessexliberaljudaism.org.uk
West Central Liberal Synagogue
(Central London)
T: 020 7636 7627
E: wcls@liberaljudaism.org
W: wcls.org.uk
Woodford Liberal Synagogue
T: 020 8989 7619
E: info@woodfordliberal.org.uk
W: woodfordliberal.org.uk
Developing communities
Weymouth, Portland and West
Dorset
E: wpwd@liberaljudaism.org
York Liberal Jewish Community
E: york@liberaljudaism.org
Affiliated congregations
Beit Ha’Chidush (Amsterdam)
T: 00 31 23 524 7204
E: bhc.informatie@gmail.com
W: beithachidush.nl
Oxford Jewish Congregation
T: 01865 515 584
E: progressive@ojc-online.org
W: ojc-online.org
President Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein
Chairman Lucian J Hudson Vice Chairs Simon Benscher and Jackie Richards
Finance David Pelham Israel and the Diaspora Tamara Schmidt Communications Ed Herman Social
Justice Amelia Viney Youth and Education Robin Moss National Officers Dr Howard Cohen, David
Hockman, Ruth Seager and Rosie Ward
Vice Presidents Monique Blake, Henry Cohn, Nigel Cole, Geoffrey Davis, Lord Stanley Fink, Jeromé
Freedman, Louise Freedman, Rabbi Dr David Goldberg, Sharon Goldstein, Rabbi Harry Jacobi,
Jeremy Jessel, Willie Kessler, David Lipman, Corinne Oppenheimer, David Pick, Rosita Rosenberg,
Tony Sacker, Harold Sanderson, Joan Shopper, Beverley Taylor and Clive Winston
Chair of Rabbinic Conference Rabbi Charley Baginsky
Chief Executive Rabbi Danny Rich
Outreach Director Rabbi Anna Gerrard Outreach Coordinator Abigail Jacobi Student & Young Adult
Chaplain Rabbi Leah Jordan Education Rabbi Sandra Kviat Music Cantor Gershon Silins Interfaith
Rabbi Mark Solomon Operations Director Shelley Shocolinsky-Dwyer PR Alexandra Ben-Yehuda
Archivist Alison Turner LJY-Netzer Tom Francies, Tamara Silver and Gabriel Webber