May/June 2007

VOL. XXXIV No. 3 ljtodayTwo women who have reached the highest ranks of political life addressed nearly a hundred donors and guests at Liberal Judaism’s third annual Patrons’ Dinner, held in the magnificent Drapers’ Hall, in the City of London.

Baroness Neuberger DBE, president of the movement, gave the audience an account of her early life, including how she came to train as a rabbi. She said she had found a home in Liberal Judaism partly because it was so passionate about women’s equality, adding: ‘The thing I’ve had most pride in is that ours is the first faith organisation to have offered a service of blessing in civil partnership ceremonies. Liberal Judaism is about welcoming people and making them feel comfortable.’

At the dinner, in February, she also paid tribute to the late Rabbi John Rayner, ‘my great teacher’, and to the late John Rich, who chaired South London Liberal Synagogue while she was rabbi there and was the father of the

Baroness Neuberger, right, with Gillian Merron MP and Stanley Fink at the dinner in the City of London

More donors back Liberal mission

Two communities welcome new rabbisRachel Benjamin was formally welcomed as rabbi of South Bucks Jewish Community at Berkhamsted Civic Centre in March as part of a Shabbat morning service.

In an atmosphere of huge warmth, Rabbi Janet Burden, a much-loved former rabbi of the community, addressed the 160-strong congregation and performed the induction ceremony.

Rabbi Benjamin, who was brought up in Berkhamsted, referred in her sermon to the day as her ‘special homecoming’.

At a service in Vienna, Walter Rothschild was inducted as rabbi of Or Chadash, the city’s Progressive Jewish community, by Rabbi James Baaden of South London Liberal Synagogue. Rabbi Rothschild was previously rabbi of Beth Shalom, Munich.

movement’s chief executive, Rabbi Danny Rich. ‘What John taught me was to look at what we do honestly – and to have integrity,’ she said.

In a lighthearted note in tune with the relaxed and confident atmosphere of the evening, Baroness Neuberger added: ‘We need to make people laugh. My

challenge is to develop a quintessentially Liberal Jewish sense of humour.’

Gillian Merron, the MP for Lincoln, gave a very personal and frank account of her own Jewish upbringing in Dagenham, Essex, and her later involvement with Judaism. A visit to

Baroness Neuberger tells Patrons of her pride in Liberal Judaism

continued on page 7

This edition of LJ Today contains two reports from the World Union for Progressive Judaism convention in Jerusalem. We also publish opinion pieces from two Liberal rabbis about the Independent Jewish Voices group. And the LJY-Netzer page carries a report on the biggest ever gap-year group to visit Israel.WUPJ, page 3; Why I signed the IJV statement, page 4; LJY-Netzer, page 11

Israel in focus

Page 2 LJ Today May/June 2007

I’m already looking forward to 2009Connections 2007 was an amazing experience for me, a lay member of a medium-sized congregation in north London (Finchley Progressive Synagogue). The programme looked interesting and I felt it was time to visit Israel after three years’ absence, but I was not prepared for an event on this scale: nearly 600 delegates plus hundreds of day-participants – and so many youngsters among them!

It started with a ceremony at the packed hall of the Jerusalem YMCA, with flags representing World Union countries brought in by young delegates, video images on a huge screen, recorded greetings from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert thanking Progressive Jews for their support for Israel, upbeat speeches, singing and enthusiastic applause. The main convention venue was Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel, the World Union’s education complex and headquarters built in Jerusalem stone.

There was a lot to choose from: 33 workshops and panel discussions, and 15 field trips and study sessions. Friday night was spent with relatives and friends or allocated families but we all gathered for the Shabbat morning service in the beautiful top floor synagogue of Beit Shmuel, overlooking the walls of the Old City. Although we had rain and even snow that week, the sun came out for part of the service, accompanied by a bird singing loudly near the top of the high dome. The service was conducted in several of the many languages represented at the convention and Torah scrolls from America were presented to communities in Ukraine and Germany.

Hearty Israeli meals and coffee breaks offered opportunities to chat to like-minded people from Brazil and Singapore, Poland and India in between listening to some first-class scholars. I particularly enjoyed the long walk through the different quarters of the Old

Jews across the globe have historically looked to Jerusalem as a point of reference for their religious beliefs. On the 28th of Nissan (16 May) we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem in the state of Israel. But are the city, and the country, in tune with the hearts of Jews around the world?

As Jewish communities outside Israel have developed and strengthened, that country has trailed behind with its Jewish identity. I would argue that Israel has a lot to learn from a Jewish community that has thrived and flourished for 2,000 years.

Israel has a responsibility to set an example to the Jewish world and to the world at large. A country that defines itself in its declaration of independence as a ‘Jewish democratic state’ needs to tackle the questions those outside Israel tackle on a day to day basis: who is a Jew? And how does Judaism tackle modern issues?

Unfortunately, discussion in Israel of domestic policital issues is dominated by the Orthodox stream of Judaism, with the result that the state has been prevented from accommodating the rainbow of thoughts that developed before its existence, and therefore does not tap into the thoughts of modern, non-orthodox Jews around the world.

I believe that Liberal Judaism needs to continue to focus on educating its congregations on different aspects of Israeli society, including culture, language and the Progressive movement in Israel.

With knowledge of the history of the religious conflict within Israeli society and politics, Liberal Jews can oppose the religious monopoly and promote change. I hope that those who feel Israel is a burning topic and who would like to see more done in their community will contact me so we can work together to see this happen.

SHLICHA’S CORNER

by our Israeli emissary Noa Marom

New curriculumLiberal Judaism’s education consultant, Judy Thwaites, is working with a small group of rabbis and experienced educators on developing a curriculum for synagogue religion schools, together with the Lokey International Academy in Haifa. It is hoped that this curriculum will be made available electronically later this year.

Marketing portfolioPaula Scott, a member of Nottingham Progressive Jewish Congregation, is to join the Liberal Judaism Officers’ Group, taking on responsibility for marketing.

City, with the travel writer Jeremy Leigh as our guide. I also opted to visit an army base of the Israeli Defence Force. We were briefed by its commander (who is studying to be a Progressive rabbi) on security and the ethical dilemmas of army life and had interesting talks with the soliders; several from the FSU discussed the problems of conversion.

We dined at the new Mishkenot Ruth Daniel in Tel Aviv-Jaffa – an impressive community centre and guest house which is the Progressive movement’s contribution to this underprivileged neighbourhood. The moment when a mezuzah was fixed to the doorpost and 600 people sang the shehechiyanu at the top of their voices was one of true celebration.

It is difficult to believe that Progressive Judaism in Israel is still marginal; its rabbis and the status of its conversions are not recognised and many Israelis are not even aware of its existence.

My highlight was the ceremony in which the novelist Amos Oz – described by World Union President Uri Regev as ‘Israel’s conscience’ – received the Maggid award. In his acceptance speech, Oz expressed the view that Israel had ‘millions’ of Progressive Jews – and he counts himself as one of them. ‘They don’t call themselves Progressive Jews,’ he said, ‘but Progressive Jews they are.’

Connections 2009 will be held in San Francisco from 18 to 23 March. Preparations are already under way.

Viktoria Dorosz

WUPJ Convention in Jerusalem

May/June 2007 LJ Today Page 3

The World Union for Progressive Judaism biennial convention is a strange combination of razzmatazz and serious work. Apart from encounters with colleagues from other movements and institutions, local and international, I listened to speeches, addressed a workshop, went to a Kabbalat Shabbat service at a local shul, shared a Shabbat meal with a local family, shared Shacharit with 400 overlooking the roof tops of the Old City and generally ate, slept and drank Progressive Judaism.

There were three keynote speakers at this year’s convention, Connections 2007: Rabbi David Ellenson, the president of Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem, gave an insightful talk on Progressive Judaism and how it has developed over the past 200 years. His theme focused on the fundamentals of the religious non-Orthodox streams where ethics becomes more important than ritual – a very Liberal view.

Rabbi David Saperstein (brother of the principal of Leo Baeck College), director of the Religious Action Centre in Washington, focused on the importance of social action and advocacy as underpinning our basic tenets. His speech included suggestions as to where the Union might be creative in

developing ways to enable Diaspora Jews and those in Israel to work together to give real meaning to tikkun olam.

Professor Naomi Chazan, head of the School of Government and Society at the Academic College in Tel Aviv, gave an analysis of the political situation in Israel and the wider Middle East. Basing her exposition on the urgent need to create a viable Palestinian state, she suggested that the local political landscape would change over the next few months and discussed the proposals coming out of Saudi Arabia and the need to keep channels of communications open with the new Palestinian Authority government.

During lunch on the penultimate day, Rabbi Uri Regev described one of the next big challenges for Progressive Judaism to be the issue of recognition of Jews of patrilineal descent. This continues to be a difficult point for many constituents of the World Union who feel constrained by their desire to remain connected to an Orthodox past, rather than a Progressive future. I wanted to stand up and explain just how to do it, for as a Liberal, I don’t see the problem.

Isaac Herzog, Israel’s minister of

Linking 1.7 million people across 42 countries is no mean achievement

social affairs and son of the former president, Chaim Herzog, stressed how important it was for the Progressive movement to enter every sector of Israeli society.

The ceremony also saw the formal launch of the Israel Development Commission, which intends to raise more than $100 million over the next seven to 10 years to strengthen Progressive Judaism in Israel. A primary purpose will be to develop communities and institutions for the significant numbers of Israelis who identify with the principles of Progressive Judaism but have no access to its practice.

Finally, Danny Maseng, the multi-talented Israeli musician, well known for his compositions of contemporary liturgical music, who was present throughout the five days, closed the ceremony with his own rendition of Ma Tovu. The sound of 500 voices in harmony was deeply moving.

The convention is a wonderful event which not only strengthens the connections between 1.7 million members from 1,200 communities in 42 countries spread over six continents, it also reaffirms the importance of Progressive Judaism in the developed and developing world.

Nigel Cole

Harrow goes tribalTwo tapestries made by a Holocaust survivor are among items with which Harrow and Wembley Progressive Synagogue has enhanced its sanctuary, writes Frances Spiegel.

Ruth-Eva and Gideon Fiegel discovered the appliqué tapestries, by artist Kopel Gurwin, while travelling in Israel, and donated them to the synagogue. Gurwin, who was born in Vilna, survived

concentration camps and later studied at Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Art and Design.

The third item, now decorating thebimah, is a birthing cloth donated by Rina and Leon Rosselson. It belonged to Rina’s grandmother, who came from Turkey, and was probably used to decorate the wall next to the bed during labour.

The final item is a Bakhtiari rug, donated by Ron Collins, who discovered it while working in the region. These rugs are

woven by a villagers and nomads of Kurdish, Luri and other ethnic backgrounds from the area southwest of Isfahan, in the

Chahar Mahal region of Iran. It has been mounted on the synagogue wall.

These textiles are a wonderful addition to the synagogue’s sanctuary, always a place of peace.Spotlight on Harrow and Wembley, page 9

Above: the tapestries depict the tribes of Naphtali and Judah Photographs by Ron Spiegel

WUPJ Convention in Jerusalem

Page 4 LJ Today May/June 2007

Why I signed the IJV declaration

Why did I sign the IJV statement? Why would I not have signed? It was innocuous enough. A defence of the right, even the obligation, to articulate dissent from institutional voices that claimed to speak in my name, but patently did not so speak – what was the problem? Still, I waited a few days, and thought. What I thought was, ‘It’s about time,’ and signed. It seemed the least I could do.

For years I have been seriously exasperated by the tone and substance of the discourse about Israel that prevails in the institutional quarters of our sector (Anglo-Jewry, American Jewry) of the Jewish world. The very best that can be said of it is that it is sensitively ‘liberal’. The worst is that it continually colludes with mistaken pieties and a truly dangerous misreading of political realities.

From a more personal perspective, the prevailing discourse around Israel (never mind the actualities of the situation there) violates my deepest sense of myself as a Jew and of how, as a Jew, I am connected to others in the world. At the same time, Israel is not the centre of my Jewish world, or of my attention. I belong to the diaspora. So, yes, I could have spoken up more, but have not. I have, I hope, been doing other things. But I have been painfully conscious that those voices with whom I would have spoken up have been muted, sidelined, ignored, traduced, all under the rubric of ‘So who’s stopping you from speaking?’ Hence the need for the IJV statement, and hence my decision to sign it. I could, so I did.

A bit of background. I grew up in New York, in a largely Yiddish-speaking family. If I had been 20 years old in 1946, instead of 10, I have no doubt that I would have become an Israeli. It was being a child, not how much I knew, or how much I understood, that kept me back. I was a

precocious child, and either went myself or got taken to a lot of movies.

There was, invariably, a newsreel. I don’t remember ever turning away. I do remember being sick and angry. I grew up with an acute consciousness (if not the words for it) that it was a kind of existential fluke for me to be: a) alive in the diaspora, and b) alive at all. I don’t say that in order to produce any kind of ‘credentials’, but simply to situate myself and acknowledge a reality that has always been part of my life. I neither can nor really want to disentangle myself from the claim on my heart of that other, unlived life, the one I would certainly have lived had I been 10 years older, and in which, had I lived it, I believe, though of course I cannot know, I would have had an analogously critical stance.

Like so many Jews of my generation, my heart, my mind, my whole consciousness, was always ‘on the Left’

where – through many permutations, through the usual litany of crushing and/or shocking disillusionments, the occasional ups (like ’68 and ‘coming out’ into the first 10 years or so of the Women’s Liberation Movement), the many downers (too many and too lamentable to list), and with many caveats – my whole being remained and is still.

Politically speaking, that means almost nothing these days. There’s hardly anything left of any active Left with which I have any sympathy. Would there were. What remains for me, however, is a critical consciousness, and a sense that criticism is important and necessary, whatever the context. As Edward Said said: ‘The history of thought, to say nothing of political movements, is extravagantly illustrative of how the dictum “solidarity before criticism” means the end of criticism.’ To me, the ‘end of criticism’ would mean the end of the right and the necessity to challenge, to oppose, at least in speech and/or writing, positions, situations,

actions which for conscientious reasons I find repugnant. ‘For in the main…criticism must think of itself as life-enhancing and constitutively opposed to every form of tyranny, domination, and abuse; its social goals are non-coercive knowledge produced in the interests of human freedom.’*

To bring things down to earth a bit, shortly after the massacres at Sabra and Chatila, the supposedly socialist-feminist magazine Spare Rib came out with an article (or it may have been several; I don’t remember) full of the vilest anti-semitism in its usual British Left guise of ‘anti-Zionism’. Furious, several groups of women from various Jewish feminist groups (myself included) demanded the right to reply, to clarify their egregious misreporting, and to point out the nature and kind of their antisemitism. Spare Rib insisted that we could not reply unless we prefaced anything we said with the declaration that we ‘were not Zionists’. None of us was, especially, but we’d be damned if we’d give in to such bald-faced antisemitism. So we made a lot of noise, and eventually were vouchsafed a two-page spread, without the declaration. After which Spare Rib continued right on in the same vein. So we (and I don’t know who else) boycotted the magazine for at least two years. I did permanently.

Now, I’m not entirely sure I see the difference between that unedifying episode and the current discourse in institutional Jewish quarters that seems to require a declaration of Zionist commitment of some sort prior to any utterance critical of Israel, and in the absence of such a declaration, will immediately make accusations of ‘Jewish self-hatred’, or of giving ammunition to the antisemites.

Being a Jew with integrity is not synonymous with Zionism or with unqualified support for the State of Israel, and the demand (however expressed) for ‘solidarity before criticism’ is not the way to healthy dialogue.

*Edward W Said: The World, the Text and the Critic (Faber and Faber, 1984, pp. 28, 29)

Sheila Shulman is rabbi of Beit Klal Yisrael, which meets in Notting Hill, west London

Sheila Shulman

A furore erupted over the recent launch of Independent Jewish Voices, a the whole community ‘put support for an occupying power above the

‘Solidarity before criticism’ is not the way forward

enemies. We suffer from the mipney chateynu galinu meartzeynu complex. As our High Holy Day prayer has it: ‘Because of our sins we were exiled from our land.’ If we are suffering, we must have done something wrong – a Jewish form of the battered wife syndrome.

But perhaps the greatest division in the Jewish world today is that between the political Left and Right. From the list of IJV signatories it appears that the Left’s hatred for Israel’s right-wing government and Israel’s patron, the United States, is greater than its love for Israel itself.

Many Jews on the Left seem to have lost their way today. Today’s ‘neo-libs’ walk hand-in-hand with Islamist-Fascists who support suicide bombers, are anti-homosexuals and are opposed to women’s liberation.

Our desire to associate ourselves sympathetically with historic tragedies, such as that of the Palestinian Arabs, is potent and noble. But we should resist the urge to accept responsibility for a problem which could have been avoided had the Arabs made wise choices. Contrary to the IJV statement, the ‘occupation’ is not the cause of the problem. Even according to the revisionist historian Ilan Pappé, the first violent attack by Arabs against Jews was on 29 March 1886 at Petach Tikva; that’s 81 years before the ‘occupation’.

There have been many opportunities since when the Arab world could have proclaimed a Palestinian state alongside a Jewish state. Had the Arabs accepted Prime Minister Levi Eshkol’s offer in 1967, just after the war, to return the captured territories in exchange for a comprehensive peace treaty, there would have been no ‘occupation’. Instead, the Arab reply from its summit in Khartoum was the infamous three no’s: ‘No peace, no negotiations, no recognition,’ of Israel.

Is it not time for the Arab world finally to accept the blame for the consequences of those decisions? For Israel’s detractors to demonise and accuse Israel alone, relieving the Palestinians of any responsiblity for their situation, does a grave disservice to historical realities and destroys any hope for peace in the region.

May/June 2007 LJ Today Page 5

FADE UP: 1967 None of us living during those fateful days in June 1967 will ever forget our emotional response to the Six-Day War. Five days after the end of that war, Rabbi John Rayner (z’l), the senior minister of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, in a passionate sermon delivered to his congregation, had this to say:

‘Anglo-Jewry has been magnificent. Every synagogue became overnight a hive of feverish activity. Mass rallies have been organised. Emergency meetings have been held daily. Young people, including members of our congregation, have volunteered to go to Israel to help on the depleted kibbutzim or as doctors or nurses ... It has been an extraordinary period. And, incidentally, it has united Anglo-Jewry as never before. Let us hope that the newly found unity will outlast the present crisis’ (my italics).

CUT TO: 2007 That ‘unity’ did not last. We have become a house divided against itself. What is it about the current crisis in the Middle East that has now divided the Jewish community as never before? What has provoked some Jews to set up Independent Jewish Voices (IJV)?

IJV claims that it was formed to give a platform to those who felt disfranchised: that their views are at variance with the Anglo-Jewish establishment and are not heard (as if Anglo-Jewry speaks with a monolithic tongue). The Board of Deputies is composed of representatives from diverse organisations with dissenting views and opinions, yet it is not divisive; IJV is. Why? The BoD is a forum for healthy debate. If anything, IJV speaks as one voice. Its very name, Independent Jewish Voices, is an oxymoron. One has only to scroll down to the signatories of the IJV ‘statement of principles’ to find a round-up of those whose political views and persistent Israel-bashing have become only too familiar through the media. One suspects, therefore, that it is not for want of a vehicle for independent expression

that IJV was formed, but because they resent being a minority. It is not debate they want, rather to stifle debate. It is reminiscent of the rebellion of Korach.

The first four principles of the IJV statement are unexceptional. Who would not applaud their commitment to social justice and universal human rights? But it is only as we scroll down past the bold print that we find that this document is not about ‘universal’ human rights at all. ‘Human rights’ has now become the default phrase exclusively for Palestinian rights. Not a word about Jewish rights.

We must ask ourselves what motivates Jews to malign Israel so critically to the exclusion of all other places? Is it that they are more sensitive to injustice and human rights abuses than the rest of us? I hardly think so. We could, perhaps, be more sympathetic to their cause if they expressed some pain for an Israeli mother escorting her children to school

who confided to me how she must decide daily how to protect her children in the event of a terrorist attack. We could, perhaps, be more approving of their position if they commiserated with the people of Sderot being targeted daily by rockets from Gaza instead of castigating Israel for not ‘really’ evacuating Gaza.

There are all sorts of reasons for the apparent shift by some of Israel’s former supporters to become her harshest critics. It may be because, back in ’67, Israel appeared as a vulnerable David, the victim of Arab Goliath aggression. Today, Israel is perceived as the aggressor, not as the victim – even, ironically, when under daily attack. The perceived underdogs – today the Palestinians – inevitably attract greater sympathy.

Clearly, some Jews today are embarrassed by Israel’s image in the media and want to distance themselves from it. Others are tired of the Middle East conflict, want a quick-fix solution and demand concessions from Israel. What is most disturbing is the joy-fix some Jews get most when bashing Israel.

Then again, we Jews are our own worst

Frank Hellner

group of British Jews concerned that institutions claiming to represent rights of an occupied people’. Two Liberal rabbis express their views

Dr Frank Hellner is rabbi emeritus of Finchley Progressive Synagogue

It is not debate they want, rather to stifle debate

Why I would not have signed

Page 6 LJ Today May/June 2007

A reminder of why we are proudLiberal Judaism: A Judaism for the Twenty-First Century

Pete Tobias, published by Liberal Judaism, £9.99, ISBN: 978-0-900521-23-2

As Pete Tobias makes clear at the beginning of this guidebook to Liberal Judaism, its immediate antecedent is Judaism for Today, written by the much missed Rabbis John Rayner and Bernard Hooker, and published in 1978, and further back Israel Mattuck’s The Essentials of Liberal Judaism, published in 1947. That is important because Tobias places modern Liberal Judaism bang in the middle of the conception that Rayner, in particular, had of it, and dedicates the whole volume to his memory.

For Tobias, ‘Liberal Judaism is the only branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom that seeks to rediscover and emphasise the underlying principles that have been at the heart of this ancient faith since its inception more than three thousand years ago.’ A bold claim, and one which the Masorti movement might well contest pretty keenly, given their desire to be true to principle rather than the letter of the law. Equally, much of Reform Judaism would see itself as trying to rediscover the underlying principles of Judaism, though it is less concerned with internal consistency, and with making the liturgy ‘fit’ to modern-day beliefs, than Liberal Judaism is. That is important, because Tobias sees Liberal Judaism as quite distinct religiously from other non-orthodox movements in Britain, and uses Rayner’s 42 ‘Affirmations of Liberal Judaism’, written in the early 1990s but reworked in 2006, to shape this volume. In those affirmations, 22 are those shared with other branches of Judaism, whilst the last 20 are unique to Liberal Judaism.

That division is not quite accurate, however. Chapter 23 discusses the

dynamic, developing character of Judaism. Reform Jews certainly accept that definition, as do Masorti Jews, for otherwise they could not have been party to, and inspired by, Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs’ extraordinary work, written as an orthodox Jew in the 1960s, entitled We Have Reason to Believe, and arguing that the Torah was not a one-off piece of revelation, but had different sources and had developed over time. Not so different from us, in fact, and both hugely influenced by 19th-century German scholarship.

And in chapter 26, on progressive Judaism, the chapter heading is the affirmation that ‘we affirm our commitment to the movement known as Progressive Judaism, united in the World Union for Progressive Judaism, and especially to the liberal strand within it whose pioneers have included Abraham Geiger, Kaufmann Kohler, Claude Montefiore, Lily Montagu and Israel Mattuck.’ One can see all too well why the list of ‘pioneers’ is as it is. Yet in terms of liberal thinking, one very important figure is left out, the Reverend D W Marks, first minister of the West London Synagogue, the first Reform synagogue in the United Kingdom. It was Marks who first broached the subject of equal education for and the status of girls and women in UK Judaism, back in 1842. His ideas were fiercely radical at the time, deeply influenced as he was by the embryonic girls’ school movement.

These are quibbles, maybe, although a re-examination of where we sit intellectually in modern Jewry is long overdue. I often feel we have more in common with the Masorti movement’s intellectual honesty than with the

Reform movement’s desire to be near the centre Jewishly, but others, including Tobias, disagree. Whoever is right about this, this book will make its readers think about what they believe and why, where individual concepts have come from and why Liberal Judaism has stood up for them; it will also serve to remind us all why we are Liberal Jews and proud of it. The fact that it is written in memory of John Rayner, beloved rabbi to so many, who shaped modern Liberal Judaism with his ideas, his learning and sheer determined hard work, will bring a smile to many faces and be a reminder to us all of just what a huge contribution he made, and how much we owe him.

Julia Neuberger

First ‘tent’ babyThe ‘tent’ community has been celebrating the arrival of its first baby. Abraham (Abe) Aaron is the first child born to parents who met at tent.

Though Abe’s parents, Alice Mayers and Joel Wolchover, are members of The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, they did not meet until 2004, at a service led by Rabbi Aaron Goldstein at the Montagu Centre. The couple, who are engaged, held a blessing for Abe at The LJS. Abe’s

second name was given as a tribute to Rabbi Goldstein.

Tent, which holds Friday night services for young adults and single people, was set up by Rabbi Goldstein. It now meets in Brighton, Leicester and Manchester, as well as in several London locations. Contact a.goldstein@liberaljudaism.org.

£1,200 for charity Following a charity auction held as part of the successful cross-communal

Chanukkah party for young adults, ‘Eight Nights in One’, a cheque for £1,200 was presented to the Karen Morris Memorial Trust. Liberal Judaism’s young adults worker Avivit Katzil and Rabbi Malcolm Cohen presented the cheque to Sylvia Morris in April.

Summer institute This year’s Leo Baeck College Summer Institute takes place from 2 to 4 July. Contact Rabbi Michael Shire 020 8349 5603 or info@lbc.ac.uk.

Liberal Judaism: A Judaism for the Twenty-First Century will be launched on Thursday 24 May, 6.15pm, at the Montagu Centre. The book’s author, Rabbi Pete Tobias, will be in discussion with the actor and broadcaster Aled Jones. All are welcome to attend.

To order a copy, send a cheque, payable to Liberal Judaism, for £9.99 – or for the special price of £8.50 before the end of June – to: The Montagu Centre, Maple St, London W1T 4BE.

Phone 020 7580 1663 for a discount on bulk orders.

May/June 2007 LJ Today Page 7

Liberal Judaism’sCouncil of Patrons

PLATINUM

Stanley & Barbara Fink

GOLd

Michael & Claire FranciesMichael & Shirley Gerson

Sir Evelyn & Lady de RothschildAnonymous

SILvER

Andrew & Janet HartThe Lord & Lady Haskel

Paul & Ann LevinsonMichael & Effie RomainRonald & Judy Thwaites

Anonymous

BRONzE

Mikko & Erika ArevuoAlan & Trish Banes

Peter & Leanda EnglanderDavid & Vivien Ereira

Michael FlynnWalter & Rosemary Goldsmith

Dr Leo Hepner Lucian Hudson

Hilton & Elaine IsraelsohnEdward & Trish Kessler

Willie & Jo KesslerLionel & Sheila King Lassman

David & Jennie KirkHoward & Jennifer Leigh

Shirley LivingstoneFrank Maxwell

Len & Myrna SamsonRichard & Ellen Schmidt

Gerald & Roberta SolomonsAndrew & Anjelika Somper

Sir Sigmund & Lady SternbergSam & Christine Stevenson

Michael & Susie UllmanPeter & Alicia White

Liberal Judaism thanks all Patrons for their generous support

Auschwitz had left a deep impression on her, changing her forever.

Ms Merron had recently joined the Lincolnshire Jewish Community, where she felt welcomed not as a member of parliament but as a local Jew who enjoyed taking part in communal events. Recalling how, with trepidation, she had read in Hebrew at a Shabbat service, she said: ‘I felt very accepted and appreciated. I say thank you to every member who was there – I owe them a lot.’

She had come to Drapers’ Hall straight from a vote in the Commons and had taken pride, as a Liberal Jew, in telling colleagues in the House that she was leaving to address the dinner. One told her, tongue-in-cheek: ‘Don’t forget to tell them you are a Labour Liberal Jew.’

A member of Labour Friends of Israel, she felt a strong personal connection to the country, which she had visited at the beginning of the year.

In his speech, Stanley Fink, chairman of the Council of Patrons, said he was hugely impressed especially by the outreach work being done by the movement, and the Patrons felt assured that their money was being well spent.

Rabbi Danny Rich told the audience that the Council of Patrons had 20 members after its first year in operation, and that he had recently received a cheque from the 39th Patron. Their generous support was enabling the movement to forge ahead with its mission: to bring an inclusive Liberal Jewish way of life to men and women throughout England, Scotland and Ireland.

Beatrice Sayers

For information about the Council of Patrons, please email Rabbi Danny Rich at d.rich@liberaljudaism.org or telephone 020 7631 9835.

Patrons’ dinner in the Citycontinued from page 1

Sumptous evening at Drapers’ Hall: clockwise from top left, Len and Myrna Samson; Sheila and Lionel King Lassman; Sir Sigmund and Lady Sternberg with chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich; Frank Maxwell with Rosita Rosenberg; Antonia and Ralph Cohen

Photographs by John Bernard

Page 8 LJ Today May/June 2007

Whether it’s for a board meeting or a banquet, book a Liberal venueSeveral constituent synagogues – and the Montagu Centre – have superb facilities available for hire

London

Finchley Progressive Synagogue, Hutton Grove, N12 8dRThe synagogue has a function room suitable for simchas which can hold up to 100 and a smaller hall suitable for a reception. These are also available separately, together with various classrooms, which are available during the day, from Monday to Friday, for meetings. The premises have kitchen facilities; outside caterers are permitted.Telephone 020 8446 4063 or email administrator@fps.org.

The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, 28 St John’s Wood Road, NW1 7HAThe synagogue can accommodate from 10 to 300 people. It has meeting rooms and a formal board room in addition to the impressive Montefiore Hall. The sanctuary is also available for concerts, talks and lectures. Details at www.ljs.org.Telephone Ann Woodham, events co-ordinator, on 020 7432 1298 or email a.woodham@ljs.org.

The Liberal Synagogue Elstree, Elstree High Street, Herts, Wd6 3BYThe main synagogue hall, which will seat up to 100 people for a dinner, is available for hire, as well as a smaller hall, which is ideal for a reception or buffet. Individual classrooms are also available to rent on an hourly basis. The kitchen is non-meat. Details and charges are on the website: www.tlse.org.uk, click on lettings.

The Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street, W1T 4BEA meeting room and small function hall are available in this central location, off Tottenham Court Road and five minutes’ walk from Warren Street Tube.Telephone Chris Walters on 020 7580 1663 or email chris@liberaljudaism.org

South London Liberal Synagogue, Streatham, SW16 1zWThe Lily Montagu Hall is available for hire. This accommodates up to 100 people and has an equipped kitchen adjacent to it. The

hall is bright, welcoming and fully heated. Details at www.southlondon.org. Telephone Ruth Edwards, synagogue administrator, on 020 8769 4787 or email office@southlondon.org.

Oxford

Oxford Jewish Centre, 21 Richmond Road, Oxford, OX1 2JLThe whole of the recently refurbished and extended centre is available, on flexible terms. There is a large function hall with partitions and raised stage; an elegant carpeted meeting room; an airy ‘youth hall’ as well as classrooms, a milk kitchen and Bagel Bar café area. Catering is available.Telephone Louise Gordon on 01865 514356.

BANQUETING SERvICES

Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue, Oaklands Gate, Northwood HA6 3AAFollowing a refurbishment of the building, the synagogue has developed the Oaklands Banqueting Suite, all or part of which is available for members of Liberal Judaism to hire at a discount. The recently launched Oaklands Event Services offers a complete celebration package by a team of established associates.

Shaun Russell of SR Kosher Catering, licensed under the Sephardi authority, offers traditional and contemporary cuisine for milk and meat menus. Unsupervised kosher menus of Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine are available from Lockman Catering. However, any caterer of your choice will be welcome.

Oaklands Event Services has assembled professionals in music and entertainment, video and photography, flowers and balloons, invitatio+ns and stationery, table linens, chair covers and celebration cakes. It can create ‘personalised themed celebrations’ at competitive prices. No event is too big or too small and the synagogue will provide as much help as you need. Charities are encouraged, and are charged at a nominal rate. For further information, telephone the lettings office: 01923 829772.

Film nights at the Montagu CentreThe Liberal Judaism Film Club held a successful launch evening in March, with the screening of an Argentinian comedy, The Lost Embrace.

Some 30 people attended the event, which was in support of the charity HelpArgentina and raised £200.

The club meets at the Montagu Centre once a month. Everybody who is interested is welcome to come and watch a film in a relaxed setting. Drinks, popcorn and pretzels are provided. Each film is followed by an informal discussion. Time: 7.15 for 7.30pm. Cost: £4, of which £2 will be donated to a charity. Additional donations are welcome for Liberal Judaism’s Social Action programmes.

Films will be shown on the following dates: 30 May and 27 June. Please telephone 020 7580 1663 for film titles.

Hebrew retreat

Liberal Judaism is organising a Hebrew retreat for pre-batmitzvah/barmitzvah children (10-13-year-olds) who attend religion school, together with their teachers. It will take place on the weekend of 6-7 October. For details, contact: j.thwaites@liberaljudaism.org.

Real-life Exodus There will a screening of Exodus (starring Paul Newman) at 1pm on Sunday 3 June at the Odeon Swiss Cottage, London. It will be introduced by Yossi Harel, real-life Commander of the Exodus. Tickets (£15), in aid of the Leo Baeck Education Centre - Haifa, from Carol Roberts: 020 7328 8303 or caroleahroberts@yahoo.co.uk.

Lincoln growing

Pictured are some of the 30 children who attended Lincolnshire Jewish Community’s Purim party. It was the best attended, noisiest and – by all accounts – most enjoyable Purim party the synagogue has experienced.

LJ Today Page 9May/June 2007

In 1946, Lily Montagu asked Max Salter, formerly a member of South London Liberal Synagogue now living in Wembley, whether he would like to be involved in trying to establish a Liberal synagogue in the Wembley area. About 100 people attended an initial meeting at the town hall and the Wembley & District Liberal and Progressive Group was formed. Mr Salter was the first chairman, a position he held until 1963.

Who was the synagogue’s first minister?The Rev Vivian Simmons, who was appointed in 1956. He was followed by Rabbis Bernard Hooker, Fred Pomerantz, Albert Friedlander, David Goldberg, Harry Jacobi and Charles Middleburgh.

How did it acquire its first building?It bought the Preston Lawn Tennis Club, consisting of five hard courts, a putting green and a small pavilion, in 1954 for the sum of £1,700. A building appeal was launched and a hall with a seating capacity of some 200 was built.

A Youth Club was formed which proved to be the source of many lasting friendships (including a number of marriages). Club reunion weekends still take place every five years. The synagogue grew and a new building was built on the site in 1965.

How is the synagogue celebrating its 60th anniversary?With a Civic Service on 2 June and other events later in the year.

Spotlight on Harrow & WembleyWhere is the synagogue?Just off Preston Road, on the borders of Harrow and Wembley. The synagogue building, a light and spacious two-storey structure, was completed three years ago; it is the synagogue’s third building on the same site. With a dedicated sanctuary and offices on the upper floor, it has a large hall, kitchen, council room and library below.

Who is the current minister?Rabbi Frank Dabba Smith. A former teacher from California, he joined Harrow & Wembley in 1997 from Northwood, where he had served as assistant rabbi. Rabbi Dabba Smith is very involved in local interfaith relations. He has also organised a number of Jewish-interest trips abroad for members and others.

When are services held?Each Shabbat (every Friday at 7pm and every Shabbat morning at 11am), and for all the festivals. The synagogue has a professional choir.

Is there a cheder?Yes, there is a flourishing cheder, currently attended by nearly 30 five- to 15-year-olds. As well as teachers of Jewish studies for the different age groups, the synagogue has a Hebrew Squad consisting of adult volunteers who teach Hebrew to the children on a one-to-one basis. Once a term there is a Shabbat service led by cheder children. Adult education is also provided.

What about the very young ones?Once a month there is a Torah Tots event

before the Shabbat morning service during which children aged five and under are welcomed on to the bimah to begin learning about Liberal Judaism.

What goes on socially?As well as quizzes, talks, visits and other functions, there is a monthly Luncheon Club for older members, with guest speakers; an active book club; a long-established singing group, which puts on an annual show; a wine-tasting group; and a photo group.

Why the interest in photography?Rabbi Smith brought his passion for photography to the community. He has been researching for 10 years the altruistic activities of Ernst Leitz of Wetzlar (the renowned camera maker) during the Shoah and he is currently

working on a master’s degree in photography and critical theory.

What else happens in the new building?A variety of art classes take place in the hall, which has also been the venue for art exhibitions and concerts.

How and when was the synagogue founded?

Right: Rabbi Frank Dabba Smith (centre, back) and Rita Asbury, deputy head teacher of the cheder, with some of the religion school children. Hanging to the left of the ark is the Sephardi birthing cloth recently donated to the synagogue

Below: the synagogue building, completed in 2004

Page 10 LJ Today May/June 2007

Peter Phillips (Liberally Speaking, LJ Today March/April) has a point. Liberal Judaism accepts children as Jewish where both parents are Jewish regardless of upbringing but denies similar acceptance where only one parent is Jewish.

Baroness Neuberger wrote in her book On Being Jewish that ‘the only honourable thing would be to include all who, in one way or another, identify themselves as Jewish. To exclude people who want to be part of the community — because they had the “wrong” Jewish parent or no Jewish upbringing — seems to me to be short-sighted, narrowly exclusivist and unkind.’

Maybe it is time for a change to the rules: why cannot Liberal Judaism accept all those who in one way or another self-identify as Jewish — as Jewish?Byron Simmonds Chair, The Progressive Jewish Community of East Anglia

I cannot agree with much that Peter Phillips wrote. If in later life any of Peter’s grandchildren chooses to pick up on his or her Jewish heritage – and on the law of averages this will happen – then I do not think there would be a Liberal rabbi or congregation who would not welcome them with open arms.

In the 50 plus years that I have been a member of a Progressive Synagogue, I have always been impressed by the willingness of our rabbis to accept as Jews those who wish to be Jews. Michael LeaverNorthwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue

Peter Phillips says let my grandchildren make their own decision on how Jewish they want to be. That will happen anyway when they go to university or into the wider world, but they need to know about their religion to make that choice.He also says that on their school entrance forms they put Jewish. But if they do not belong to a shul or attend cheder to learn their history and their faith, how can they do that? It could be embarrassing for them when asked about Jewish customs and festivals, and what Judaism is about.

I have four children, two of whom have continued with their religion and their children attend cheder. They know who they are and where they belong. My other two children have chosen not to

continue being a member of shul. Their children cannot consider themselves Jewish. They know little of their parents’ religion. I have to accept this even though it saddens me greatly.

Peter’s daughters and sons have a choice: to belong to a unique and precious religion. He cannot expect rabbis to accept his grandchildren just because a parent was Jewish. Pauline zissmanBirmingham Progressive Synagogue Rabbis Margaret Jacobi and Rachel Benjamin, chairs of the Rabbinic Conference, write: Peter Phillips raises questions about our policy on Jewish status and its effect on his granddaughters. Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, we would like to explain our policy, which is meant to be both fair and inclusive.

Our approach is ‘bilineal’, that is, we accept as Jewish, individuals who have one Jewish parent, whether that is the father or mother, and who are brought up as Jews. It means that where a person’s father is Jewish and their mother is not, but they have always been brought up to think of themselves as Jewish, we will accept them as Jewish, but where the mother but not the father is Jewish, and the child is not brought up as Jewish, the child is not regarded as Jewish. This reflects the principle, set out with characteristic clarity by Rabbi John Rayner, that ‘Judaism is not transmitted genetically but culturally and within families through example and influence. The process of transmission is one of education in the broadest sense, so that what is transmitted is not merely knowledge but beliefs and values, attitudes and ideals, and above all, a

Letters to the editor Letters for publication are welcome. Email ljtodayeditor@liberaljudaism.org or write to: The Editor, LJ Today, The Montagu Centre, 21 Maple St, London, W1 4BE. Letters may be edited.

Is it time to change the rules on status?sense of identification and commitment.’

The question arises of what is meant by a Jewish upbringing. There is a spectrum from full involvement in cheder and synagogue life to knowing one is Jewish without experiencing any aspect of Jewish life. In the second case, where children have always thought of themselves as Jewish, we will not deny their Jewish identity. We may, however, ask of them some study of Judaism so that they have some basic knowledge; usually people who have had no Jewish education welcome and appreciate the opportunity to learn. In such circumstances there is no conversion, rather a confirmation of Jewish status for individuals who have always thought of themselves as such.

Each case is judged individually and sympathetically. Our guidelines state that ‘The benefit of the doubt should be afforded [to children of mixed marriages].’ When confirming Jewish status, we follow the recommendation of the local rabbi, who knows the individual best, and there is a brief meeting with three rabbis, to affirm the person’s Jewish identity.

Byron Simmonds raises an interesting question with regards to those who have two Jewish parents but no Jewish upbringing. If they have two Jewish parents, children are at least likely to think of themselves as unambiguously Jewish, and so have a sense of identification and commitment.

We live in a world of complexities and, as Liberal rabbis, our aim is to be both fair and inclusive, and so live up to the values of our movement.

Saddam had no dignityWith reference to Rabbi Danny Rich’s article (From Saddam Comes A Lesson In Dignity, LJ Today March/April), Saddam Hussein was an unrepentant murderer. The new Iraqi government had to make certain his body was shown on TV so his own people could be sure he was dead, such was the fear he inspired.

Nigel Bowness, South London

Circumcision surpriseI was surprised to read in the context of the Rabbinic Board (LJ Today March/April) that Liberal Judaism ‘strongly recommends circumcision’. In the 21st century do we still ‘recommend’ a surgical operation to potential Jews? As the Rev Vivian Simmons said in his book The Path of Life in 1961 (with a foreword by Rabbi Leslie Edgar) ‘the idea of initiation...by means of a physical operation is entirely primitive and alien to our modern outlook’.

Surely we should inform converts of the arguments for and against circumcision and let them make up their own minds.Monty Alfred, Kingston

May/June 2007

LJY-NetzerThe youth movement of Liberal Judaism

Contact Jenny Walton or Jordan Helfman at The Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street, London W1T 4BE. Check out our website: www.ljynetzer.org

T: 020 7631 0584F: 020 7631 9838E: j.walton@liberaljudaism.org or j.helfman@liberaljudaism.org

LJ Today Page 11

LJY-Netzer’s 10-month gap year programme in Israel, Shnat Netzer, has record numbers this year, with all nine participants who started the programme in September having the experience of a lifetime.

Up till now the Shnatties have been experiencing Israel and independ-ence through living; learning and volunteering in Jerusalem for four

months; volunteering on Kibbutz in the Arava (desert) for three months; and attending a peoplehood seminar. They are now embarking on the final stretch of the year, either volunteering in a develop-ment town in the north or hiking the length of Israel from south to north. Above: the Etgar group on tiyul (hike) with RSY-Netzer companions.

What’s new

Shnat’s the way to do it!

YOUTH CLUBS BLOSSOMING

In the past six month, youth clubs have been sprouting up across the Liberal Jewish community.

While Southgate Progressive Synagogue’s SPY has been a fixture for a long time, it has only recently affilated to LJY-Netzer. Most of the other original Liberal Jewish youth clubs around the country have until recently been dormant.

Some of the most notable growth has been at Finchley Progressive Synagogue. There, under the leadership of Leah Grayson, an ULPSNYC bogeret (graduate), the club has seen attendances of up to 20 participants.

A great youth club now also meets at Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue; discussions are taking place about starting a monthly club at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue; and plans are under way to form clubs in Leicester and Nottingham.

For more information about starting a club in your community, or perhaps a joint youth club with another community, or if you’d like to join a youth club near you, please contact Joshua Lassman Watts, j.lassmanwatts@liberaljudaism.org

RICHARd RUNS FOR RELIEF

LJY-Netzer’s own Richard Rees has set off on a 126km run to raise money for charities.Rich, a rosh (division head) on Kadimah, has already run the first of the three marathons – in Barcelona – that will make up his journey. Still left for him to run are marathons in the Arctic Circle (in Finland) and in Dublin.

Rich’s goal is to raise £10,000, to be split between a local, a national and an international charity. To help Rich achieve this, please visit www.justgiving.com/my3marathons_lauracrane, www.justgiving.com/my3marathons_crisis, or www.justgiving.com/my3marathons_hopeandhomes

Kadimah here we come Machaneh Aviv was a blast, and Machaneh Kadimah is just around the corner. The office is heating up with anticipation for camp! (Either that or the heat is due to a natural phenom-enon called ‘summer’…)

There are some great surprises in store for camp this year, and this reporter has been tipped to the words ‘music’ ‘dance’ and ‘Israel’.

The office tzevet (team) would like to remind everyone to send their applica-tion forms in soon, as spaces are still available! If you need a new application form, or have any questions about Machaneh Kadimah, please email or phone Selina O’Dwyer: s.o’dwyer@liberaljudaism.org, 020 7631 9822.And... is there a doctor in the house? Do you know a doctor, nurse or medical

student who would like a two-week all expense paid trip to Machaneh Kadimah? We are looking for someone with medical training to assist us on camp with the needs of our children. Please contact Jenny Walton: j.walton@liberaljudaism.org.

A future rabbiLJY-Netzer’s education officer, Jordan Helfman, is to take up a place at the rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR).

After a year studying in Jerusalem, he will continue his training in the United States. Jordan will be sorry to leave Britain, and LJY-Netzer, but adds: ‘Perhaps I might be able to do a year back as an exchange student!’ He starts at HUC-JIR in July 2008.

Page 12 LJ Today May/June 2007

Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue (Rodef Shalom), 01234 218387, bedsps@liberaljudaism.org, www.bedfordshire-ps.org.ukBeit Klal Yisrael, PO Box 1828, London W10 5RT020 8960 5750, bky@liberaljudaism.org www.beit-klal-yisrael.org.ukBet Tikvah Synagogue, 129 Perrymans Farm Road, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex IG2 7LX, 020 8554 9682, bttkv@liberaljudaism.org, www.bettikvah.org.ukBirmingham Progressive SynagogueJericho House, 196-198 Edward Road, B12 9LX, 0121 446 5273, bps@liberaljudaism.org; branch: Leamington Spa, 01926 421300Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue 6 Lansdowne Road, Hove BN3 1FF01273 737223, bhps@liberaljudaism.orgwww.brightonandhoveprosynagogue.org.ukBristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation 43-45 Bannerman Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 0RR bwpjc@liberaljudaism.org, www.bwpjc.orgCrawley Jewish Community, 01293 534294Dublin Jewish Progressive Synagogue, PO Box 3059, Dublin 6, 00 3531 2856241, djpc@liberaljudaism.orgEaling Liberal Synagogue, Lynton Avenue, Drayton Green, W13 0EB, 020 8997 0528, els@liberaljudaism.org, www.ealingliberalsynagogue.org.ukEastbourne Progressive Jewish Congregation01323 725650, fax: 01323 417645epjc@liberaljudaism.org, www.epjcong.org.ukEdinburgh Liberal Jewish Community0131 777 8024, eljc@liberaljudaism.org, www.eljc.orgFinchley Progressive Synagogue Hutton Grove, N12 8DR, 020 8446 4063, fps@liberaljudaism.org, www.fps.orgHarrow and Wembley Progressive Synagogue 326 Preston Road, Harrow, Middx HA3 0QH, 020 8904 8581, hwps@liberaljudaism.orgwww.hwps.orgHerefordshire Jewish CommunityEnquiries: 07789 218823 Kent Liberal Jewish Community07952 242432, bulletin.kljc@liberaljudaism.org,www.jewishkent.org.uk/communities/KLJC/kljc.htmlKingston Liberal SynagogueRushett Road, Long Ditton, Surbiton, Surrey KT7 0UX, 020 8398 7400, kls@liberaljudaism.org Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation, The Synagogue, 24 Avenue Road, LE2 3EA, 07875 123744lpjc@liberaljudaism.orgThe Liberal Jewish Synagogue, 28 St John’s Wood Road, London NW8 7HA, 020 7286 5181, ljs@liberaljudaism.org, www.ljs.org

Liberal Judaism congregations

dIARY dATES ...........Liberal JudaismThe Montagu Centre, 21 Maple Street, LondonW1T 4BE, 020 7580 1663 Fax: 020 7631 9838montagu@liberaljudaism.org, www.liberaljudaism.orgYouth Department 020 7631 0584 Fax: 020 7631 9838www.ljynetzer.org

President The Baroness Neuberger DBEChairman Nigel Cole Vice Chairman Joan ShopperJoint Treasurers Tony Kerron and David Pelham Hon. Officers Penny Beral (communications); Roz Bott (administration and logistics); William Glassman; Amanda Grant (youth); Paul Infield; Elsbeth Mendes da Costa (social action); Michael Romain (regions); Paula Scott (marketing)Senior Vice-President Rabbi Dr Sidney BrichtoVice-Presidents Jeromé Freedman, Louise Freedman, Rabbi Dr David Goldberg, Jeremy Jessel, David Lipman, Rosita Rosenberg, Tony Sacker, Beverley TaylorHon. Vice-Presidents David Amstell, Geoffrey Davis, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, Willie Kessler, Corinne Oppenheimer, David Pick, Harold Sanderson, Clive WinstonJoint Chairs of the Rabbinic Conference Rabbi Rachel Benjamin and Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi Chief Executive Rabbi Danny Rich Chaplain Rabbi Melinda Michelson-CarrOutreach Director Rabbi Aaron GoldsteinCommunications and PR Executive Alexandra MankowitzShlicha Noa Marom Mazkira, LJY-Netzer Jenny WaltonOved Chinuch, LJY-Netzer Jordan HelfmanLiberal Judaism promotes the religious and cultural traditions of our faith within the framework of progressive thinking and ethics. Donations to support our work are always welcome. Liberal Judaism is a registered charity, number 256390

LJ Today is edited by Beatrice Sayers The deadline for the July/August issue is 4 June. Articles or letters for publication are welcome. Please send to: ljtodayeditor@liberaljudaism.org

Printed by Freedman Bros.

Sign up now for Ulpsnyc ReunitedFormer members of ULPSNYC who are interested in coming to an ULPSNYC Reunited event, currently being planned, should send an email to the organisers to ensure that they are sent details.

Please email tony.halle@hotmail.co.uk asking to be put on the list.

Southgate to host Maccabi GB teamSouthgate Progressive Synagogue will host the best Jewish table tennis players in the country when the Maccabi Great Britain team take part in an exhibition event at the shul.

The team, who will compete in the European Maccabia Games in Rome in July, will be displaying their talents from 8pm on Sunday 20 May. Tickets, costing £5 including refreshments, are available from Gordon Greenfield: gordon greenfield@lineone.net.

Paul OppenheimerPaul Oppenheimer, a survivor of Belsen and a long-standing member of Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, died on 8 March.

Born in Berlin in 1928, he was well known for his work in Holocaust education. He was also a world-renowned expert in automotive braking standards.

Liberal Judaism extends condolences to his wife Corinne and his children, Nick, Simon and Judith. An obituary will appear in the next edition of LJ Today.

13 May (Sunday)Liberal Judaism’s annual inter-synagogue quiz

20 May (Sunday)Fundraising Concert for the LJS. Baritone David Wakeham sings Mahler and Vaughan Williams song cycles. Tickets £25 inc wine. 020 7286 5181.

24 May (Thursday)Book launch with Aled Jones Liberal Judaism: A Judaism for the 21st Century by Pete Tobias, 6.15 for 6.30pm, The Montagu Centre. All welcome.

30 May (Wednesday)Liberal Judaism Film Club 7.15 for 7.30pm at the Montagu Centre. All welcome. £4

2 June (Saturday)60th Anniversary Civic Service Harrow & Wembley

22-24 June (Friday to Sunday)Arts Weekend An event ‘inspired by Frances Sacker’, at Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue. Details at www.npls.org.uk

27 June (Wednesday)Liberal Judaism Film Club 7.15pm for 7.30pm at the Montagu Centre. All welcome. £4

6-7 OctoberHebrew Retreat for pre-bar/batmitzvah children

2008

4 to 6 April Biennial Weekend in Bristol

The Liberal Synagogue Elstree, Elstree High Street, Elstree, Herts WD6 3BY, 020 8953 8889tlse@liberaljudaism.org, www.tlse.org.ukLincolnshire Jewish Community01427 628958, ljc@liberaljudaism.orgManchester Liberal Jewish Community, 08709 917327, mljc@liberaljudaism.org, www.mljc.org.uk North London Progressive Jewish Community020 7403 3779, nlpjc@liberaljudaism.orgwww.nlpjc.org.ukNorthwood and Pinner Liberal SynagogueOaklands Gate, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 3AA01923 822592, npls@liberaljudaism.orgwww.npls.org.ukNottingham Progressive Jewish Congregation Lloyd Street, Sherwood, Nottingham NG5 4BP0115 9624761, npjc@liberaljudaism.orgwww.npjc.org.ukOr Chadash Liberal Jewish Community of Luxembourg, 00 352 31 65 94 lljc@liberaljudaism.orgPeterborough Liberal Jewish CommunityEnquiries: 020 7631 9826The Progressive Jewish Community of East Anglia (based in Norwich), 01508 538666pjcea@liberaljudaism.org, www.pjcea.org.ukReading Liberal Jewish Community www.rljc.org0118-375 3422, rljc@liberaljudaism.orgSouth Bucks Jewish Community 0845 644 2370 sbjc@liberaljudaism.org, www.sbjc.org.ukSouth London Liberal SynagoguePO Box 14475, London SW16 1ZW, 020 8769 4787slls@liberaljudaism.org, www.southlondon.orgSouthgate Progressive Synagogue75 Chase Road, London N14 4QY, 020 8886 0977sps@liberaljudaism.org, www.sps.uk.comWest Central Liberal Synagogue21 Maple Street, London W1T 4BE, 020 7636 7627wcls@liberaljudaism.org, www.wcls.org.ukWoodford Progressive SynagogueMarlborough Road, George Lane, London E18 1AR 020 8989 7619, wps@liberaljudaism.orgwww.woodfordprogressive.org.uk

Associated congregationsOxford, for details of Liberal Jewish Services:01865 515584 or 01865 765197www.oxford-synagogue.org.uk

New communitiesThe Suffolk Jewish Community020 7631 9821, sjc@liberaljudaism.org

Israel trip 12-22 July 2007, £600

Get ready for an exciting, alternative Israel trip with Anna and Avivit. We’ll have a Kabbalat Shabbat on the beach, a spiritual retreat in the desert and a dialgoue with Palestinians and settlers. Plus you’ll experience Israeli nightlife, drag shows and much, much more…This is a unique trip for people in their 20s and 30s.

Book now! Contact Avivit Katzil, Liberal Judaism’s young adults worker: 07866 501787 or a.katzil@liberaljudaism.org

the meeting placetent