2 November 2017 TV star and barrister Robert Rinder has heralded the ‘heroic’ achievements of Liberal and Reform Judaism on LGBTQI+ rights. Speaking at a Service of Celebration, at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, ITV’s Judge Rinder said that the Progressive movements had “paved the way for a new generation who … Read More
Join Judge Rinder at Service of Celebration this Sunday
A special afternoon of celebration and reflection will take place at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, St John’s Wood, this Sunday (29 October) to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial legalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales. A Service of Celebration, led by Liberal and Reform Judaism rabbis, will … Read More
First Shabbat for new LJS student rabbi this weekend
11 October 2017 Student Rabbi Igor Zinkov will spend his first Shabbat as The Liberal Jewish Synagogue’s rabbinic intern this Friday and Saturday. Igor, who is a fourth year rabbinic student at Leo Baeck College, will be working at the LJS until June 2018. Originally from Chelyabinsk, Russia, Igor achieved … Read More
Liberal communities praised by The Jewish Chronicle
26 September 2017 Liberal Judaism’s founding synagogue, and one of the movement’s newest communities, have both been praised by The Jewish Chronicle. The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS), founded in 1911 and the oldest and largest Liberal community, was the subject of the JC’s popular ‘Secret Shul Goer’ column. The anonymous … Read More
Film about LJS dementia projects wins top prize
29 August 2017 A 12 minute movie about The Liberal Jewish Synagogue’s projects to help those with dementia has won a top international award. Memory Songs, produced by Lucy Kaye (pictured), picked up the Grand Jury Prize at the prestigious Rhode Island International Film Festival. The film covers the incredible … Read More
The best Purim pictures from our communities
14 March 2017 From children walking the walls of York to a Cockney Megillah reading in Finchley, Purim 5777 was an action packed one in Liberal Jewish communities. Liberal Judaism’s newest congregation at East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue celebrated their first Purim, with our oldest, The Liberal Jewish Synagogue, … Read More
LJS First World War archive featured in Jewish Chronicle
15 February 2017 The Jewish Chronicle newspaper has run a three-page feature on a major historical find at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS). The virtually unseen archive from 1914-1918, belonging to the LJS, has been brought into public view for the first time in a century. It is running on … Read More
Talking sex at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue
29 December 2016 The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS) will host ‘Judaism and the Sex Question’, five sessions to liven up your winter Tuesday evenings. The sessions are open to all and will run every Tuesday night at 7.45pm, from 10 January until 7 February, 2017. Rabbi René Pfertzel said: “The … Read More
Luciana Berger MP joins Mitzvah Day at the LJS
29 November 2016 Luciana Berger MP joined Rabbis Danny Rich, Alex Wright and René Pfertzel – as well as Reform and Orthodox Jews, and members of three other faiths – to wrap festive presents for refugees at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS) on Mitzvah Day. Hundreds of books were brought … Read More
Help LJS Drop-in for Asylum Seekers gain vital grant
The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS) Drop-in for Asylum Seeker Families has been nominated by insurance broker Heath Crawford and Foster Limited for a grant from the Aviva Community Fund. The Aviva Community Fund offers the chance for local community projects to win funding, subject to a public vote. Voting closes … Read More