Rabbi Dr Charles H Middleburgh

Dr Charles Middleburgh is founder rabbi of Congregation Shir HaTzaphon in Copenhagen and Dean and Director of Jewish Studies at the Leo Baeck College in London. Rabbi Middleburgh has lectured at Leo Baeck College since 1984 and has taught, over the years, Bible, Parshanut, Rabbinic Literature, Aramaic and Practical Rabbinics. He is now Reader in Bible and Liturgy.

Rabbi Middleburgh has a BA Hons in Ancient and Medieval Hebrew with Aramaic and Syriac and a PhD in Targumic Studies from UCL.

His publications include: Siddur Lev Chadash (assoc Editor); Machzor Ruach Chadashah (Co-Editor); High and Holy Days: A Book of Jewish Wisdom (Co-Editor) 2010; A Jewish Book of Comfort Co-Editor 2014; Prayers of Awe, 2010 – 2016 (contributor); Bright and Beautiful: Poems inspired by the Natural World (2015)

His research interests are Liturgy, Animal Iconography in illuminated medieval Hebrew manuscripts, Islamist Fundamentalism and Afghanistan.

He shares his life with his wife and two magnificent dogs. A passion for photography which started at the age of 7, combined with a lifelong love of birds and animals has encouraged him to take wildlife photos wherever and whenever he has the opportunity; he has photographed in many of the world’s great zoos and also in the Royal Chitwan national park in Nepal. There have been two exhibitions of his animal portraits.

A book reviewer for many years, his reviews have been published, inter alia, in the Church Times, the Expository Times, the Jewish Chronicle, and MANNA magazine and the bi-monthly newsletter of Liberal Judaism. He reviews books of specific interest to him both professionally and privately.