Originally given at Brighton Holocaust Memorial Day Public Meeting Good evening, everyone. The theme of this year’s National Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations is ‘Torn From Home’. We are painfully aware that hundreds of thousands of people across the world are torn from their homes each year and find … Read More
Why ‘Torn from Home’ theme for Holocaust Memorial Day resonates
Originally published by The Comet newspaper Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is commemorated annually on January 27 and, each year, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust offers a theme to direct our minds to some aspect of the Holocaust or the subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Dafur. This … Read More
[Blog] New Ways to Remember the Shoah
Having read of a survey that shows an increasing number of people in this country either know nothing about the Shoah or doubt it even happened we know why ever more effort needs to be made to keep alive the memory of this tragedy and the lessons it might teach … Read More
Kingston synagogues unite for Holocaust education project
More than 1,000 Kingston school children are attending a joint Holocaust education project run by the Liberal and Orthodox synagogues in the area. Kingston Liberal Synagogue has teamed up with Kingston, Surbiton and District Synagogue – an Orthodox community that is part of the United Synagogue – for the Holocaust … Read More
[Blog] Lest we forget?
Rabbi Nathan Godleman December 2018 I am writing this month’s column on a flight to Heathrow from Berlin, having spent the last seven days as a guest of the German foreign office. One of five UK-based rabbis, we joined a group of ten Canadians on a tour entitled ‘Jewish Life … Read More
Walk 10,000 steps to honour the 10,000 Kindertransport children
23 October 2018 A special walk will take place on Sunday 2 December to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Kindertransport. Those taking part will walk 10,000 steps (approximately five miles) from The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS) in St John’s Wood to Liverpool Street station. The distance was selected in … Read More
‘I can’t believe the coincidence’
By Alison Turner Liberal Judaism Archivist This is a remarkable story from the archives of war-time memoirs returned to the family that wrote them. Vanessa Wolfman of Rye, East Sussex, phoned me offering books and papers from her late father, Mr J Wolfman of Liverpool. I was glad to have … Read More
Leicester Council makes refugee pledge at Sanctuary Sukkot event
2 October 2018 Leicester City Council has pledged to accept and support at least five child refugees each year, for the next 10 years, after the Sanctuary Sukkot event at Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation (LPJC). Around 70 people attended, with LPJC’s Rabbi Mark Solomon joined in the Sukkah by Reverend … Read More
New scroll mantle honours leading Essex Liberal Jew
17 September 2018 A new year has meant a new mantle for the Czech Torah Scroll at East London & Essex Liberal Synagogue (ELELS). The new mantle was used for the first time on Erev Rosh Hashanah 5779, keeping with the tradition to dress the Torah in white on the … Read More
Northwood members join historic memorial swim in Kolín
5 September 2018 Sixty-seven men, women and children – including many from Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue (NPLS) – took part in a wild river swim in the Czech Republic in memory of an incredible woman who survived the Holocaust. The large group swam down the River Elbe in Kolín, … Read More