LJ’s Surat-Shaan profiled by best-selling magazine

Liberal Judaism’s Twilight People project manager, Surat-Shaan Knan (pictured), has been profiled by Attitude Magazine. He featured in a lengthy article in the UK’s best-selling gay publication, looking at LGBTQI+ people of faith. Speaking about coming out as trans, he told the magazine: “I’m very, very blessed because I’m a … Read More

Letter telling women how to dress is ‘unacceptable’

Liberal Judaism’s Rabbi Charley Baginsky (pictured) has criticised a letter sent by an ultra-Orthodox rabbi to 5,000 Jewish women, which stated that it is a sin to wear fitted blouses, short skirts or bright colours. Charley, Liberal Judaism’s director of strategy and partnerships, said: “In the month of Elul we are called … Read More

Rabbis welcomed at South Bucks and York

20 September 2016 Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Student Rabbi Deborah Blausten have been welcomed at South Bucks Jewish Community (SBJC) and York Liberal Jewish Community (YLC). South Bucks inducted Charley in a moving Shabbat service on Saturday, which was attended by dignitaries including Cheryl Gillan, MP for Chesham and Amersham, and … Read More

Rabbi Rebecca Birk ‘one of London’s most influential’

19 September 2016 Finchley Progressive Synagogue’s Rabbi Rebecca Birk has been named as one of London’s most influential people. Rebecca was featured in The London Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 list, praised by the newspaper for leading a campaign to persuade Barnet Council to take in refugees. Rebecca said: “I am … Read More

Rabbi Charley Baginsky to lead global Shabbat

16 September 2016 Rabbi Charley Baginsky – Liberal Judaism’s director of strategy and partnerships – will lead the Shabbat service at next year’s World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) conference. Held in Jerusalem from May 17-20, the Connections 2017 event promises to be an exciting and inspiring gathering of the … Read More

We are not at liberty to abstain from the Jungle

Rabbi Danny Rich 16 September 2016 The Jewish News Until a fortnight ago, I resisted many invitations to visit the ‘Jungle’ in Calais, primarily because I was not sure of what use I could be other than to observe in a voyeuristic sense. But a combination of anger, and the possibility of … Read More

Jewish schools: End of 50 per cent cap is a bad idea

Rabbi Danny Rich 16 September 2016 The Jewish Chronicle Leadership is sometimes about the difficulty between principle and practice, the balance between maintaining one’s pure values and the pragmatism of working with others to achieve the possible. The question of faith schools for the Liberal Jew may be such a scenario. … Read More

[Book Review] The Jewish Community of Golders Green

Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein The Jewish Community of Golders Green by Pam Fox (ISBN: 9780750965873) Pam Fox – who has previously written books on Rabbi Dr Israel Mattuck and The Liberal Jewish Synagogue – has published an incredibly well-researched account of the history of Jewish settlement in Golders Green. It … Read More