4 November 2015 Rabbi Harry Jacobi was surprised with a festschrift written in his honour, as he celebrated his 90th birthday at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS). Harry, who was born as Heinz Martin Hirschberg in October, 1925, and grew up in Auerbach, Germany, twice fled the Nazis to become … Read More
How synagogues can make transgender Jews feel welcome
Rabbi Leah Jordan 29 October 2015 The Jewish Chronicle In the past few months, transgender people have moved from the twilight into the spotlight. Thanks to celebrities including Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner and Kellie Maloney, transgender people and issues have found their way into the mainstream press and have been trending … Read More
Double celebration at Woodford
19 October 2015 The congregation at Woodford Liberal Synagogue celebrated TWO 90th birthdays this Shabbat. The shul was full on Friday evening for a service to commemorate the birthdays of Peter Benscher, life president of Woodford, and Rabbi Harry Jacobi, father of Woodford’s Rabbi Richard Jacobi and a vice president … Read More
LJS nursery ranked as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted
11 October 2015 The Liberal Jewish Synagogue Nursery School has been upgraded from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ in its latest Ofsted inspection. Gaining the rank of ‘outstanding’ in all areas, the inspectors praised an “excellent commitment to accurate self-evaluation, which results in staff implementing highly effective action plans across the nursery”.The report … Read More
Barnet Council to resettle 50 refugees after FPS action
7 October 2015 Finchley Progressive Synagogue and Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk hosted a successful Barnet Citizens action over Sukkot, which saw Barnet Council agree to resettle 50 Syrian refugees. As part of Liberal Judaism and Citizens UK’s Sanctuary campaign – which began last Sukkot – the event was hosted in … Read More
Gloucestershire wins the LAFTAs
8 June 2015 Gloucestershire Liberal Jewish Community (GLJC) has won the prestigious Liberal Academy of Film & Torah Awards (LAFTAs). The cheder/religion school of every Liberal community was tasked with producing a three-minute film on the theme ‘A Day in the Life of Israel’. GLJC fought off stiff competition to … 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