Rabbi Danny Rich appointed Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism

Liberal Judaism is pleased to announce the appointment of Rabbi Danny Rich as the new Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism.

Deputy chairman Nigel Cole said: “We are delighted that Danny has accepted the post of Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism.   His appointment follows a rigorous and transparent selection procedure in which Rabbis, Chairs of Communities and Officers of the movement participated.    Danny’s background is steeped in Liberal Judaism.   His commitment to the values and ideals of our movement is unswerving, and we feel confident that with Danny at the helm, Liberal Judaism’s future looks very bright.

Rabbi Danny Rich is currently the Rabbi of Kingston Liberal Synagogue, a position which he has held since1988.   He will take up the post once a handover date with Kingston Liberal Synagogue has been agreed.

Rabbi Danny Rich said: “I am thrilled to be appointed as the new Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism.   I feel honoured to have been chosen to head a movement which affirms the equality of each individual Jew, regardless of race, gender or sexuality.   Liberal Judaism is a sound spiritual home meeting the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s Jews, including those who are disaffected with the other strands of mainstream Judaism.    I look forward to leading Liberal Judaism in partnership with the Officers, the Rabbis, and the dedicated team of staff and volunteers who are the backbone of the movement.”

Notes:

• Rabbi Danny Rich serves as Jewish Chaplain to Her Majesty’s Prisons, Latchmere House in Richmond, and Coldingley in Bisley;  to Kingston Hospital; and to Surrey Oaklands National Health Service (NHS) Trust. Danny is the founding Chairperson of the Dittons Branch of the Council of Christians & Jews, and the first Chair of the recently formed Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Inter- Faith Forum.

• Liberal Judaism’s main departure from traditional Judaism concerns revelation.  Liberal Judaism believes that the Hebrew Scriptures including the Torah are a human attempt to understand the Divine Will, and therefore uses Scripture as the starting point for Jewish decision making, conscious of the fallibility of scripture and of the value of knowledge outside of Scripture.

• Liberal Judaism emphasizes the universal over the particular, believes ethical injunctions to be of a higher order than ritual instructions, and affirms the equality of each individual Jew, regardless of race, gender or sexuality.