20th September 2015 Working with The Jewish Telegraph, we asked four Liberal rabbis for their tips on ‘how to survive Yom Kippur’. Below, they give their advice from both a spiritual and fasting point of view. Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk (Finchley Progressive Synagogue): Despite what you may imagine, Yom Kippur … Read More
Campaigns to help refugees growing
The JC 17th September 2015 The Jewish community’s response to the refugee crisis expanded this week, with the announcement of plans for a public meeting to canvas opinion on the most productive ways to help. More than £180,000 has been raised in the past week by World Jewish Relief’s appeal … Read More
LJ’s senior rabbi tells BBC Radio why Britain must accept more refugees
7th September 2015 Liberal Judaism’s senior rabbi, Rabbi Danny Rich, has been on BBC Radio over the last few days urging the British Government to accept 20,000 refugees. Speaking on the BBC World Service this morning, Danny said: “If you’re facing an emergency, then I believe the goodwill, skills and … Read More
St John’s Wood community offers lifeline to asylum seekers
The JC 27 August 2015 Member of a Liberal Jewish community have spent the past year offering legal, financial and practical help to hundreds of asylum seekers. Here they explain why. It was a Sunday and inside the usually quiet St John’s Wood Liberal Jewish Synagogue members were franticly organising … Read More
Don’t react to attacks on freedom by restricting it
Lucian J Hudson 25 January 2015 The Jewish News Reflecting on events in France 200-plus years ago, philosopher and politician Edmund Burke was quoted saying: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Recent events, again in France, bring Burke to mind. Violence … Read More
Bienvenue à Finchley!
11 December 2014 The Jewish Chronicle Finchley Progressive Synagogue has appointed its first assistant rabbi. Rene Pfertzel joins Rabbi Rebecca Birk in a job share at the growing shul which now counts 330 households as members. “It’s quite a big step for the shul, and reflects the view that our … Read More
In the media: The new Alliance for Progressive Judaism
23 September 2014 We have received lots of media coverage this week about the announcement of our launch, with the Movement for Reform Judaism, of an alliance for Progressive Judaism. Jewish Chronicle The Reform and Liberal movements have agreed a formal alliance, pledging greater co-operation in order to strengthen … Read More
Putting the picture together
Lucian J Hudson 28 August 2014 The Jewish Chronicle Leadership in a crisis requires not just skill in responding appropriately in the moment but a coherence and consistency of purpose over time. Whitehall and Westminster’s response has lacked strategy, limiting UK’s influence short and long term, and unleashing an anti-Israel … Read More
Lucian talks about his favourite Jewish text for the Jewish News
Lucian J Hudson 7 August 2014 The Jewish News Liberal Judaism’s chairman, Lucian J. Hudson, selects the Numbers 20 and Deuteronomy 3 as the texts that mean the most to him in this commentary article for the Jewish News My favourite story is about God telling Moses he is never … Read More
Gove is right to push prevent
Lucian J Hudson 12 June 2014 The Jewish Chronicle Some family rows are worth having. After a stormy fortnight in Westminister, we should reflect that Michael Gove and Theresa May may in fact have done the British public a favour by surfacing a genuine tension in our approach to combating … Read More