FLORENCE by Marilyn Rowland

On a recent visit to Florence, Jethro and I spent a glorious afternoon visiting the famous synagogue in what still appears to be a small but thriving Jewish quarter.

In 1868 David Levi, President of the Hebrew University, bequeathed his possessions for the building of this new synagogue. On first approaching it you are struck by the sight of the huge oxidised dome and you can’t help noticing the similarity to a mosque.

This is because the Sephardis who built it based it on the Moorish style, with a dome flanked by towers. The interior of the synagogue is stunning and walking around is awe-inspiring. The ladies’ galleries are picked out by sun streaming through the beautiful stained glass windows. 

From September 1943, entire Jewish families were deported from Florence, including children and residents of the Jewish Home for the Aged. Almost all of them - over four hundred in number -perished in Auschwitz. The doors of the holy Ark still bear marks inflicted by Fascist bayonets. During the Nazi occupation the synagogue was used as a garage, and it was also mined by the retreating Germans. Outside there is a garden filled with exotic plants and a Sukkah was there too - a very peaceful and moving place. The names of the 248 Jews of Florence who were murdered by the Nazis are memorialised in the garden, where a smaller plaque lists Jews who died fighting for Italy during the First World War. 

The first floor museum is fascinating, with some sections illustrating the history of the Florentine Jews, including during World War Two, and also displaying some very impressive – and very old - religious and ceremonial objects from brit gowns to yads. Next door to the synagogue is a lively Kosher restaurant – we tried to eat there but it was bursting at the seams!

By Marilyn Rowland

LJ Quiz

Just to say thank you so much for a superbly organised quiz yesterday. Southgate was so welcoming, the food was delicious, the hall so well laid out and of course the quiz itself was brilliant! There was such a good atmosphere and it was obvious that it was a great success. Please thank the whole team for me and indeed on behalf of LJ. I did go into the kitchen to say ‘thank you’ personally to all the catering volunteers but there was no one there. It’s been a real pleasure working with you and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 

Warmest regards, Monique 

The Barn Dance - 4th November

I am writing this report following the above event, which I am pleased to say was a great success! We had just under 50 people come along for an evening of fun, food and of course lots of dancing. Our caller was very enthusiastic and had a great sense of humour! We learnt various dance sequences and it was great fun trying to get all the sequences right and our caller kept this going throughout the evening. Halfway through the evening, we held a raffle with many prizes won. The net amount raised was £328.00, which will be going into the Synagogue Roof Fund. I would like to thank everybody who came along to support the event and also to those who gave up their time to come and help set up on the day. I have already been asked when we will hold another Barn Dance, so watch this space! 

SAVE THE DATE: SPS 75th ANNIVERSARY QUIZ – 28.4.18 

Amanda Lesley – Fundraising Group



Over 50 people enjoyed a barn dance held in the Schindler Hall. We swung our partners and “dozy do’ed” the evening away, and as many of us are of a certain age we were very glad to have the many two-minute breaks in between the dances. Actually, I don’t think my knees will recover till next year! We enjoyed plenty to eat and drink and a great raffle with many items donated by local shops all collected by Amanda and her team. Thank you ladies of the fundraising commitiee, a great time was had by one and all. Here’s to the next one and SPS members make sure you are there.

Jane Greenfield 

Emeritus Rabbi Harry Jacobi's 92nd Birthday

92 years young! I felt very privileged to be invited to celebrate Rabbi Harry’s birthday with him together with some close friends at Finchley Progressive Synagogue. We were treated to a wonderful study session given by both rabbis Harry and Margaret about Berashit followed by a sumptuous lunch and birthday cake. May you remain in good health and celebrate many more Harry. 

Jane Greenfield 



In the year 2007 the Synagogue’s competent administrator Jeannine Cohen leB us and the feeling was she would be very hard to replace. After interviewing a number of candidates, Lynda Cowper as she was called in those days was far and away the best, and was given the job. In November this year Lynda Cannon, as she is now called, will have served the community for ten years. In that time she has proved to be every bit as good as Jeanine. Lynda is the friendly, capable, first port of call for members/people who contact the office. Over the years she has integrated well with the community and has served on the Fundraising committee, as well as being on the Kiddush rota. She also has the knack of being a whiz at finding cheaper deals from utility companies, and negotiating insurance policy renewals, saving the synagogue a considerable amount of money. Her only flaw is that she still supports the North London red football team; however we forgive her for that idiosyncrasy. On behalf of the community, I would like to thank Lynda for her hard work and commitment to SPS. Long may that association continue. 

Robert Dulin 

Words From The Chair

The HHD have come and gone for another year, and as some of the services were on normal working days, the attendances fluctuated. For the first time I had the pleasure of leading the Rosh Hashanah Family Service, the reason being that the much loved Gerry Ostermeyer decided to have a rest. Nevertheless his involvement was invaluable. Many years ago when our Rabbi was suddenly taken ill, I had to take over at the last minute. It was quite a daunting experience, but with help from Phyllis Freedman and David Bickler, we managed to get through without too many hiccups. Thankfully the congregation were very supportive. The famous Hollywood actor comedian W C Fields once famously said, “Never work with animals or children”; with that thought in mind I approached my task with a sense of trepidation. “Oh ye man of little faith”, after an initial period of getting used to the noise of the children, I enjoyed every moment. It was such a warmhearted occasion, with parents and grandparents taking part in the service. When the children came up on to the bimah for the scroll procession they were all given small scrolls to carry around. James Mathiason, who was the main scroll holder, led the way; he was akin to the Pied Piper of Hamelin - the smiles and laughter on the children’s faces said it all.

At end of the service the children paraded into the Schindler Hall, and were blessed under a large tallit by Rabbi Yuval - a lovely moment. My thanks to everyone who took part, especially Natasha KaHa who not only led the singing, but also played the guitar beautifully. Well done Ilana Keren who sounded the shofar, and in doing so managed to silence the children. Would I do it again next year, Gerry permitting - you bet I would. On Yom Kippur I helped out in the Family Service, which was very well led by Carol Standfield, and once again Gerry and Natasha played leading roles. My attendance in the main services was obviously curtailed, but thanks to everyone involved in making them successful.

There are some high profile people in the community who work hard, and are praised for their efforts. There are others who never seek the limelight but their contribution to Synagogue life is equally relevant. Ex Synagogue Chair Michelle Golding is not only the editor of the Gate, but once a month she organises a Shabbat service for Jewish residents at Springview Care Home in Enfield. Yearly there are also services on second day Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah. This year in attendance was Rabbi Yuval, shofar blower extraordinaire Michael Henriques, Rabbi Michael, and Carol Standfield. It was very moving to see the reactions of the residents and their families. Kol Hacavod to Michelle for being such a mensch, and bringing a spark of Judaism into the lives of elderly and infirm Jewish people, long may she continue to do so. By common consent in beautiful autumn sunshine our coach trip to Waddesdon Manor was very successful, as thirty three people enjoyed going around the magnificent house and beautiful gardens. Unfortunately Freda and I were unable to go due to a 7am phone call from an ailing daughter, which subsequently led to grandchildren duties, such is life. Next year on Sunday 13 May I have provisionally booked Beth Shalom Holocaust Education Centre in Nottinghamshire. It is a fairly long journey, but well worth the effort. If that does not go according to plan, Disraeli’s Hughendon could be back on the agenda.

A Tale of Three Apples

I am sure you have all discovered by now that I have been on a health and fitness drive in the past year or so. It had been an incredible journey and along the way I discovered many things about myself and broke many self-myths about my age and abilities. One major element of my health drive is food. This is how I rediscovered the Heavenly taste of apples. The history of our relationship with apples goes all the way back to the creation of the world. When Adam and Eve were created 5778 years ago (If you discount evolution and follow the traditional Jewish counting), they were placed in the Garden of Eden. This was a magnificent place, and according to one Midrash, there were a scent of apple trees in the Garden. What follows is a story that almost every child is familiar with. 

God tells them not to touch the ‘apple’ tree. The serpent tempts Eve to eat from the fruit, and Eve tempts Adam. They realise that they are naked, and it ends with their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The apple tree in this story serves as the tree of knowledge. By eating from the forbidden apple humans became wise and had an understanding of the world that no one else in the animal kingdom had before. We learned to grow crops, domesticate animals, harness fire, and more.

However, was the fruit of knowledge really an apple? The Torah gives us no clue as to the nature of the fruit. Jewish tradition does not associate this fruit with an apple. One rabbinic opinion is that it was a fig tree. Indeed, when they realise that they are naked, they grab the first thing next to them, fig leaves. Other views are that it might have been wheat or an Etrog, and more modern interpretations claim for the fruit to be a banana or a prickly pear. The apple is a Christian idea. There is a sexual connotation to the story of Adam and Eve and the temptation of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Red is the colour of temptation, and what is better for temptation than a juicy red apple. Paintings of Christian artists, such as the German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach and the Flemish artist Rubens, feature red apples. Our first apple therefore represents the creation of the world, the formation of human society, and the agricultural revolution.

Our second famous apple belongs to Sir Isaac Newton. Young Isaac was sitting in his garden when suddenly an apple falls from the tree and hits him on the head. This apple and other falling apples around him triggered a brilliant insight in Newton, and he discovered the law of gravity. Newton’s apple, whether it did fall on his head or not, marks a milestone in the scientific revolution that changed the world. It marks the beginning of observation of our world in terms of scientific research and the formulation of theories rather than the reliance on religious and cultural myths. Newton’s apple, and the scientific discoveries that followed, helped us to build instruments that enabled a better observation of our world. It enabled us to harness the forces of nature to our needs, and the construction of mighty machines on land, sea and air. Newton’s observation of the falling apple poses a serious challenge to Biblical stories such as Adam and Eve and their passion for apples in the Garden of Eden. What could not be proven scientifically through empirical research is to be classified as no more than a myth or an allegorical anecdote. The scientific revolution was and still is the most significant challenge to religion.

Our third apple belongs to the realm of modern technology. Ten years ago the CEO of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs, waved a small device that could play music, make and answer calls, and surf the Internet. This was the prototype of all smartphones to come. Although there are so many other candidates before and after it, that particular apple device, the iPhone, represents more than any other device the information revolution. If Adam and Eve’s revolution gave us food, and Newton’s revolution gave us energy, the iPhone revolution placed in our pockets a vast and almost endless sea of knowledge. Yet, it is not only knowledge that it gave us. You can talk to it, and ask it questions, and it will give you good answers. You can ask it (nicely) to take you home, and it will. You can tell it about your aches and pains and it will find a remedy. More than that, these systems are so intelligent that they can even know about you more than you know about yourself and tell you what you want and need even before you even thought about it.

These devices gradually know more and more about your body and your mind. They can take your pulse, check your temperature, and record what you had for breakfast. We live in a world where intelligent phones run our daily lives, intelligent homes set up the heating for us and keep an eye on the neighbourhood while we are out, intelligent robots that clean for us, intelligent fridges that can ensure we are never out you do so there will be nobody to fix it after you.” With the apple from the Garden of Eden we started taking over the habitat of other animals, and clearing forests. We pushed wildlife away in order to clear way for our apple orchards, wheat fields and our domestic animals. With Newton’s apple we caused an incredible amount of pollution on land, at sea and in the air. Our world is increasingly becoming overpopulated.

We are yet to witness the full effects of the third apple. We might gain even more control of the world around us but we might not fully understand that control. We are in danger of losing our occupation and livelihood to machines. There is an increasing worry that technology will end in the wrong hands and the smart home that we installed in order to protect us will be used to attack us. Another worry is that of passive entertainment. We seem to be spending an increasing amount of time in front of screens rather than going out there and being active. Some people find it difficult to engage in conversation with one another, and many of us stopped reading books. As we benefit from all three ancient and contemporary apples that shaped the world, let us recall the blessing and the curse of these apples.  

Let us enjoy the blessing of agriculture and food, but let us avoid clearing more forests and destroying more natural habitats. Perhaps we can even create more natural beauty spots. Let us enjoy the blessing that science gave us, but also the extensive damage we cause to our world, and make an attempt to clean it up. Perhaps it is time to give up these plastic water bottles and supermarket carrier bags. Let us enjoy the blessing of information technology and the wealth of knowledge it brings to us wherever we go. Yet let us not forget to keep our minds sharp, our bodies healthy and our souls pure. And let us continue to enjoy the blessing of apples, not biblical. historical or technological apples, but real apples, that you can make a perfect strudel out of. 

What's The Biggest Synagogue In The World?

Wikipedia would have it as the Belz Great Synagogue in Jerusalem, but for a short time on the Erev Shabbat of 18 August just passed, that certainly wasn’t the case. I know – I was there. 

And where was that? Ruth and I were on board the Royal Caribbean liner “Serenade of the Seas”, celebrating our silver wedding. These days, the Serenade ranks as a relatively modest vessel. Its 90,000 tonnes, twelve decks and space for 2,500 passengers comes well down the list of largest cruise vessels afloat. But for that Shabbat, it (or at least, as small part of it), did become the biggest shul in the world. 

We’d cruised before, and I remember the last time we were aboard I’d seen a line in the day’s cruise calendar saying that there would that evening be a self-led Erev Shabbat service. Wherever it was, I never found it. Perhaps it was in too remote a part of the boat, or there weren’t enough Jews on board to make a minyan. 

But I thought I’d try again this year when I saw the same line in this year’s cruise calendar. And after all, the entertainments team had been boasting of how many different nationalities they had on board. “And 63 Israelis…”, they had said, after going through the list of Yanks, Brits and other assorted Euros afloat. So it had to be worth a try. “I’ll see you in ten minutes” Ruth, ever sceptical, said to me as I set off. 

I found the venue easily enough, a separate area just off from one of the main dining rooms. And there were other people – about twenty. The ship had provided all of the necessaries. Two electric candles (definitely no naked flames at sea), some siddurs (definitely not ULPS), a cholla (definitely large enough to feed the whole ship) and two bottles of kosher wine (definitely not on their regular wine list). 

I thought, “well, we’ll do a few hamotzis and that will be it” – but no, we more or less did the whole service, supplemented at each break by our going around the room, saying who we were and where we were from. And as it happened, almost all of us were either from the States - or Southgate! Yes, there were indeed three families who had never met before, who lived within a 15-30 minute drive of each other and who had other mutual acquaintances. We all spent time comparing notes on schools, shuls and Rabbis. And two of the 63 Israelis - a couple from a kibbutz up near Kinneret - added to our diversity. 

And the funny thing was, I’d never seen any of the people anywhere on the ship before that moment. Perhaps that’s not surprising when there are 2,500 of you. But on the Saturday following, we kept on bumping in to each other at every turn! 

And the other funny thing is that amidst all of those nationalities (and presumably faiths) on board, I never saw publicity for any other similar gathering. No Jumu’ah, no Vedas, no Communion. Why was that? Is it just the Jews who choose to cruise? Or are we more keen than others to connect with fellow believers from around the world? Perhaps that’s something to do with there being fewer of us – we’re that much more keen to make those links. 

And so for that Erev Shabbat, the Serenade certainly was the biggest shul in the world – for me at least. It certainly made for a different and fun Shabbat and if we’re ever afloat again, I’ll look out for a repeat event. 

Julian Sampson 

Religion School News

During the first half of term, we have focussed on the High Holidays. Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we took some of the younger students to Oakwood Park to do Tashlich: symbolically throwing away our mistakes from the past year, in the form of bird seed, which of course pleased the local ducks on the pond in Oakwood Park. However, we didn’t just focus on our mistakes. We celebrated our achievements in the past year, and chose some positive aims for the year ahead, all sealed by eating Honey Cake. Other highlights of the trip were the excellent playground, and the opportunity to wave to the trains from the railway bridge (see photograph), with one train driver whistling in response.

During Sukkot, we had Tefillah in the SPS Sukkah, and found out about the four species that make up the Lulav. Several students waved the Lulav, and we wondered whether we could grow our own Lulav in future. We will be looking into buying a Willow or perhaps a Myrtle to plant in the synagogue garden this Tu Bishevat. However, both the Palm and Etrog are used to warmer climates, and will need to grow in a greenhouse or conservatory. Before Simchat Torah, we had a fantastic visit from the Liberal Judaism youth group, LJY-Netzer, who ran fun educational activities for the students. LJY-Netzer also have a full range of holiday activities, including Hadrachah (leadership training), and you can find more details on their website: www.ljy-netzer.org. 

On Simchat Torah itself, we organised activities for children, including making our own Torah Mantle costumes, and creating model Torah Scrolls out of sweets! During November, Ruach will be visiting the Hugh Myddelton nursing home, as our Mitzvah Day project. Throughout the term, we will be collecting Tsedakah contributions for World Jewish Relief’s International Disaster Appeal. You can read more about the charity’s work at: www.worldjewishrelief.org/support-us/appeals. 

For our very youngest members and their friends, our parent and toddler group, Mini-Ruach, was back in October, after a short break for the High Holidays. The next session of Mini-Ruach will be on Friday 10th November at 10am. Meanwhile, our popular Friday Children’s Service will be on Friday 3rd November at 4.15pm, and our monthly Tots Service will be on Saturday 18th November at 10am. 

Finally, after the Chanukah break, we hope to repeat the success of last year’s History Project, where we asked adult members of the congregation to come into class to talk about their childhood memories. This time the theme will be “Israel,” to tie in with the younger students’ Jewish Studies curriculum. 

Book Club

MONDAY 30TH OCTOBER AT 7.30 P.M. off-site

(PLEASE NOTE NEW STARTING TIME OVER THE WINTER MONTHS)

We will be discussing two of this celebrated writer’s novels - so if you have never read any of her books, or not recently, and would like to discuss them in more detail please join us for what will be an enjoyable evening with refreshments provided.

Cost £1. All welcome. Please contact me for further details and venue:
Marion Smith Email - marionksm@gmail.com

My Cousin Rachel 
Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in making Philip his heir, knowing he will treasure his beautiful Cornish estate. But Philip's world is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries - and then dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances.
Before long, the new widow - Philip's cousin Rachel - arrives in England. Despite himself, Philip is drawn to this beautiful, mysterious woman. But could she have masterminded Ambrose's death?
An extremely clever novel with an ending that will haunt and trouble the reader.


Jamaica Inn 
After the death of her mother, Mary Yellan crosses the windswept Cornish moors to Jamaica Inn, the home of her Aunt Patience. There she finds Patience a changed woman, down trodden by her domineering, vicious husband Joss Merlyn. The inn is a front for a lawless gang of criminals, and Mary is unwillingly dragged into their dangerous world of smuggling and murder. Before long, she will be forced to cross her own moral line to save herself.
First published in 1936, this novel is one of the author’s finest and con?n-ues to enthral its readers to this day.

Happy reading.

Chavarah Supper With Words From The Savoy Butler

Congratulations to Jane Greenfield for organising a thoroughly enjoyable chavurah service in early September. She managed to get over sixty people to come and listen to Sean Devoren, the Head Butler at the Savoy Hotel, regale us with revelations of what his job entails. 

He took us into a different world that most of us could never aspire to. It was fascinating and at times bewildering but great fun. Special thanks to the lovely ladies of the house committee, who as usual made sure the amazing choice of food was served with aplomb. 

Wonder who Jane will come up with next time. What about the life and times of a London Cab Driver? Could be interesting, or perhaps not.

Words From The Chair

On Tuesday 29th August the Synagogue’s revered Hon Life President Hilda Schindler passed away. 
In 1946, three years after it was founded, Hilda joined Southgate & District Liberal Synagogue as it was known in those days, and in a short space of time became Head Teacher. Apart from a period at the old NLPS cheder, she taught at SPS for fifty two years. In 1983 she was made Hon Life President, and in 1986 was presented with a certificate for forty years of service. Hilda also served as Hon Secretary for seventeen years, and was on just about every committee, as well as attending Council meetings, where she did not suffer fools gladly. She was a stickler for protocol as was her dear friend Doris Reese. In 2010 I nominated her for the LJ Chairman’s Special Award; she won hands down, as her CV was far more impressive than any other nominee. Apart from her beloved Religion 
School, the other great loves of her life were The Friends of Progressive Judaism, and the Leo Baeck Education Centre in Haifa, where she was held in the highest esteem. Many years ago I told Hilda I was going to Israel, and she said you must visit Leo Baeck, which I duly did. There was security outside the office and when I asked if I could come in and look around the answer was an emphatic no. When I said Hilda Schindler told me it was ok for me to visit, it was like a magic wand had been waved, and I was treated like royalty. Subsequently I visited Leo Baeck on a number of occasions and was always very well received. 

Hilda retired from Religion School in 1998; throughout the many years of her dedicated teaching career she touched the lives of countless young people, including my two daughters. Even when they reached adulthood they still referred to her as Miss Schindler and always treated her with the greatest respect. Sadly the last few years of her life were in care homes, and at times in and out of hospital, but she battled on because, even though the body “In 1983 she was made Hon Life President” was weak, she had the heart of a lion. As the quality of her life deteriorated and she finally passed, it could be deemed to be a blessed release for someone who once had such vitality and fervour. Inexplicably it took nine days before she was laid to rest. Unfortunately, as the Synagogue had no input with the arrangements of the cremation, it was beyond our control to rectify that sorry state of affairs. Hilda did not have any immediate family, but SPS was undoubtedly her surrogate family and she loved and served the community with unceasing commitment and passion. 

In the evening of her cremation a service was held in the Synagogue in front of nearly one hundred people. Rabbi Yuval set the tone for the evening with his moving recollections of the short span of time he knew Hilda. There were also reminiscences from Pearl Phillips, Jane Greenfield, myself and especially her friend from Germany, Rabbi Harry Jacobi, who brought tears to people’s eyes when he referred to how they were like brother and sister. Hilda Schindler will be fondly remembered by all who knew and worked with her. She was an iconic figure in the history of SPS, and her like will never be seen again, may her memory always be for a blessing. There will be a service to celebrate Hilda’s life on Sunday 26th November; details will be in the next issue of the Gate. Despite our mourning, life must go on, and another towering figure of the Synagogue, the Hon Life Vice President Pearl Phillips was nominated at the September Council meeting to take Hilda’s 
place. Also unanimously nominated to take over from Pearl is another Synagogue stalwart, the indomitable Phyllis Freedman. Both will be put forward for ratification at next June’s AGM. 

Bob Dulin

Words From The Rabbi

In Parashat Vayelech, Moses delivers his final address to the nation he shepherded through the desert for the last forty years. At the beginning of that journey, events unfolded at a very rapid pace. The Ten Plagues were inflicted on the Egyptians for no more than several weeks. It took them three from the time they left the land of Goshen until they crossed the Red Sea. A year later, they stood at Sinai to receive the Torah (and worship the golden Calf); two months later, they sent the spies to tour the Promised Land. It was the report of the spies and the response of the People that convinced God that, although it took only a few to get the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, it would take a lot longer to get the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, and turn them into a nation. Some processes need to take time, experience and maturity. Some mind-sets can only be shifted over the course of generations.

Moses, who gave up on herding sheep at the age of 80, was bidding farewell to the nation he helped form for the past forty years. His last piece of advice to the Nation was: “Be strong and resolute, do not fear or dread the others; for the Eternal your God marches with you. God will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

When Moses delivered this message, he knew that his work was done. During the forty years of the journey through the desert, the People of Israel managed to shed their slave mind-set, the dependency they had on their Egyptian masters, and the fear they had about controlling their destiny. Yet, Moses also realised that what took forty years of hard work to build could take very little time and effort to destroy. This destruction could come from a ‘mighty’ external enemy, and it could come from their fears and weaknesses. Although Moses explicitly talked about an external enemy, he actually aimed at the enemy from within, the self-enemy that doubts our strength and capabilities. It is the enemy of the slogan “Yes we can” that we know from the children’s TV series Bob the Builder, and from Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign. Seventy two years have passed since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. During that time we were busy learning the lessons from the Shoah (the Holocaust) and ensuring that the generations ahead do not repeat the same mistake.
Nearly a hundred years ago women were allowed to vote in the US for the first time, Britain followed ten years after. Since then our society removed many barriers and indeed benefitted from empowering women in many aspects of life: in the workplace; at home; in politics; in business; in the military; and more.

It has been a hundred and fifty years since the 16th US president, Abraham Lincoln, paved the way for the abolition of slavery, and nearly 75 years since Rosa Parks refused to abide by laws of segregation between whites and blacks in Montgomery, US. Both events marked the beginning of the end of racism and exploitation. Recent events in our world mark for me a setback on some of these trends. Antisemitism is gradually raising its ugly head again, even among circles considered to be enlightened and free from prejudice. The barriers to historical revisionism (a.k.a. Holocaust denial) are gradually removed, and the language associated with anti-Semitism is replaced with a ‘cleaner’ anti-Zionism, anti-Communism or anti-liberalism. The march of the Alt-right last month in Charlottesville, US brought to the fore all sorts of old ‘demons’ of white supremacy, segregation and antisemitism.

The declaration, which announced support for the establishment of a "national home" for the Jewish people in Palestine. All this might leave us in a state of despair and a great sense of setback. This is where the words of Moses must echo in our hearts and minds. We must be strong and resolute in our struggle against racism and prejudice. We must have no fear or dread of those who march with torches and Nazi flags, and who wish to march us back to the times of segregation, slavery and genocide.

So long as we believe in our path of freedom, equality and liberation, and so long as we believe in ourselves, God is going to be on the side of the alt-righteous, and not on the side of the alt-right.

Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Yuval Keren.

Religion School News

 In July, Ruach celebrated the end of term with an excellent interactive storytelling workshop, run by Amie Taylor, who came highly recommended by the book charity, PJ Library. 

Congratulations also to our prize winners: Oliver, Andrew, Arthur, Ella, Max and Ilana, and many thanks to the SPS Chairman, Bob Dulin, who presented the prizes. 

The new term starts on 9th September, when we will be welcoming three new teachers. Charlotte Golding and Ben Pick who grew up in our community, and have worked in Ruach as teaching assistants for the last two years. I am delighted to announce that they will be starting their new role as teachers from September, working with the younger students. 

Meanwhile, Peter Luijendijk will be joining us from Leo Baeck College, where he is a second year rabbinic student. Peter will be teaching the older students in the run up to their Bnei Mitzvah. 

For our very youngest members and their friends, our parent and toddler group, Mini-Ruach, connues to grow, with 24 children coming along on the last Friday session before the summer holidays. The next session of Mini-Ruach will be on Friday 8th September at 10am. 

Israel Group

Members of the Israel Group attended the East Barnet Festival to help at the Friends of Israel stall. The event was a great success. More than twenty people signed the contacts sheet on the day and now receive emails. Nearly eight hundred leaflets promoting Israel were given out.

 During the day we had visits from the local MP Theresa Villiers and Deputy Mayor of Barnet Val Duchinsky who showed great interest in our work. It is very important that we put Israel's case to the public so as to counteract some of the misleading propaganda that they receive. 

We always welcome new members.

Barn Dance at SPS!

Come and join the fun! 

Saturday 4th November 2017

7.30pm 

£12.50 per person to include deli-style food and drinks. 

Please contact: 

fundraising@sps.uk.com or office@sps.uk.com 

Please pay in advance by no later than Friday 20th October

Words From Our Rabbi

It is that time of the year. The air is becoming cooler, and daylight is fading away as the days of the week are getting shorter. Autumn is knocking on our doors, and it carries on its wings a spiritually significant time for us: the month of Ellul and the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It is time to celebrate the Jewish New Year, enjoy honey cakes and look forward to the powerful sound of the shofar. It is also time to think and plan how we are going to overcome the twenty five-hour fast on Yom Kippur. This is the peak season in the Jewish calendar and for many of us it is also a time to reconnect to our Yiddishkeit, Jewish traditions, customs, practices and ideas, and the Jewish way of life.

In Biblical times the main concern of Jews who lived in agricultural societies in Eretz Israel (the land of Israel) was the end of summer and the beginning of the rainy season. The Middle East is known for its fluctuations in the amount of rain, and no rain will have meant no crops, resulting in famine and death. The High Holydays therefore signify at that time a time of pleading to God for a new year of rain, food and fortune. Communication with God was conducted in the Jerusalem Temple through animal sacrifice by the Temple priests.

Over the years the core idea behind the High Holydays was preserved yet it lost its sole focus on agriculture, and it gained a new focus on personal and communal. The substitutes to sacrifice that we offer are: teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah – repentance, prayer and acts of charity.

The High Holydays are a high spiritual time where we, as individuals and as a community, must engage in ‘cheshbon nefesh’. Cheshbon nefesh literally means spiritual accounting and stock taking.

Once a year every business needs to produce a set of financial accounts. It helps the business to take stock of assets and liabilities, to know whether it is making a profit or a loss and to determine how much tax it should pay.

The 18th Century Italian Rabbi Luzato gives us good cheshbon nefesh advice. “You should always check your deeds and inspect your ways in order to not let bad habits settle. You should be vigilant with your spiritual paths just as a merchant should always be vigilant with his business paths in order that business remains viable.”

Every day of the year we live our lives; we attempt to make a difference in the world. We have our successes and failures, yet we do not pause to ‘take stock’. Cheshbon nefesh before and during the time of the High Holydays gives us the opportunity to assess our distance from God and God’s commandments, examine our spiritual state and plan for the future. Unlike corporate Balance Sheets and Profit and Loss accounts I cannot offer you any cheshbon nefesh templates. Each individual will have to create his or her own template. Yet I can perhaps provide some guidelines. In Judaism we tend to divide the mitzvot into two sub-categories: Between us and God (ritual) and between us and others (ethical).

On the ritual side we need to think about our connection with God, with spirituality and with Judaism. Did we attend synagogue, light Shabbat candles, engage in study, prayer and other forms of spirituality? Did we encourage others to do so? We need to determine what stops us from reaching our maximum spiritual profit and what steps we need to take to overcome them. A good outcome could be: remember to light Shabbat candles once a week, record my favourite TV programme so I can attend Friday Night service, try to attend the monthly Shabbat morning study session.

The ethical side could be broken down to sub-categories: family, friends, colleagues, my community and even society as a whole. Here we need to determine whether we became closer or got further away from people, whether we conducted ourselves properly or we did anything we now regret. Honesty is essential in this process as human tendency is to shift the blame of our ethical failures onto all but ourselves.

One rule of thumb that I have in conducting cheshbon nefesh is to avoid asking the question: ‘whose fault was it?’ and ask the question ‘what can I do to fix it?’

There are two guiding questions that can help us with our annual cheshbon nefesh. The first: What is my primary aim in life? And the second: If I only have a year to live, what would I want to achieve within that year?

The end result of cheshbon nefesh should be a meaningful action list for the days, weeks and months ahead. It could be asking for forgiveness from someone we wronged, attending synagogue once a week, or reducing pollution by recycling and conserving energy.

Annual stock-taking is so important that some businesses even take me out one day in the year day while they take stock. So it is with our spiritual stock-taking of cheshbon nefesh. The High Holydays offer us a good opportunity to pause, reflect and take ritual and ethical stock in order to realign our spiritual life for the year ahead.

Wishing you Shanah Tovah and a successful cheshbon nefesh.

The SPS Book Club

The next meeting of the BOOK CLUB will take place on MONDAY 17TH JULY at 8 P.M. (THIS IS HELD OFF SITE SO PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR DETAILS -see below)

We will be discussing our next book which is Songs of Love and War by Santa Montefiore

"Welcome to Castle Deverill, and the incredible sweeping story of love and family from bestselling author Santa Motefiore.

Their lives were mapped out ahead of them. But love and war will change everything…

Castle Deverill, nestled in the rolling Irish hills, is home to three very different women: flame-haired Kitty Deverill, her best friend and daughter of the castle’s cook, Bridie Doyle, and her flamboyant English cousin, Celia Deverill. When war breaks out, their lives will change forever. Wrenched apart by betrayal and swept to different parts of the globe, their friendship will be tested a thousand times over. But one bond will keep them together forever: their fierce and unwavering longing for Castle Deverill and all the memories contained within it."

Written by bestselling author Santa Montefiore this is a epic tale of romance, secrets, family and friendship with this, the first novel in the be-loved Deverill Chronicles,

Whether you enjoy the book or not please join us on the 17th for an evening of lively discussion about the together with delicious refreshments. Cost £1.

We will then break for the Summer and we will be reading:
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Parry - plus one other selection
(Full details in the September Gate)

To be discussed at our September meeting (date to be advised)

Happy reading, Marion Smith

The Board of Deputies Meeting

At the Board of Depu$es meeting in May, a surprise guest was Dr. Itzack Ifat, the central figure in the iconic photo at the Western Wall immediately following the capture of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War. He is seen listening to the Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev. Itzack spoke movingly of those desperate days, and the loss of many of his comrades during the war. Amazingly, after making a temporary memorial to the Fallen Jewish Soldiers, him and his fellow soldiers made a similar memorial for the Jordanian dead.

Similar respect had not been shown by the Jordanians, who between 1948 and 1967 desecrated Synagogues and used tombstones for latrines and roads.

Friday Family Service

On Friday 19th May, Rabbi Yuval conducted the first Friday Family Service, after school, in the Schindler Hall.

Unsure as to how many families would attend, word of mouth had done the trick and we were delighted that 17 children from the ages of 6 months up to 9 years, along with their family members, turned up, eager to participate! It was great to see many from the successful 'Mini-Ruach' playgroup and some non-members who'd been invited along too.

The atmosphere was relaxed, yet fun, with everyone singing in a circle following the Shabbat stories, songs and prayers led by our Rabbi, allowing all the children and their parents to join in. At the end of the service, some of the older children helped with the lighting of the candles and everyone said the blessings over the wine (grape juice!) and challah before enjoying a delicious buffet (courtesy of Katie Dack and myself) of pizza, crisps, dips, cakes and much more!

The rest of the time was spent eating, chatting, playing, meeting new friends and making a date for the next family service.

On that note, we do hope you can join us on Friday 7th July at 4.15pm which will be our last service before the summer holidays. Spread the word!

Religion School News

We are now recruiting staff for September, so please get in touch with me, if you are interested in teaching, or if you know anyone who might be suitable: headteacher@sps.uk.com.

A highlight for Ruach in June was the Family Service. While Philip and Jane provided coffee for parents, the students spent the first part of the morning with Graham Carpenter, in a fun music workshop, before joining parents and the regular congregation in the sanctuary for a truly uplifting service. Thank you to everyone who took part.

The next Family Service will be a Friday Family Service on Friday 7th July at 4.15pm. Natalie and Katie will be providing refreshments again. We look forward to seeing you there!

July will also see the end of term for Ruach, and we will be holding a celebration and prize giving (prize winners will be reported in the next issue of the Gate). We will also be welcoming Amie Taylor, who comes highly recommended by the book charity, PJ Library. Amie will be running interactive storytelling workshops for the students on Jewish themes.

Sadly, at the end of term, we will also be saying good-bye to two very valued members of staff. Phoebe Cohen, who has grown up in our community, was a student and an assistant at Ruach, and has been teaching Jewish Studies for the last two years. Phoebe will be starting her university course in the autumn. Rachel Vogler came to us from Finchley Reform Synagogue, and has been teaching the Bnei Mitzvah class this year. Rachel will also be concentrating on her studies next year. We will miss Phoebe and Rachel, and we wish them every success in the future.

Finally, our parent and toddler group, Mini-Ruach, is going from strength to strength, with over 20 children coming on a Friday morning. The last Friday session before the summer holidays will be on 14th July at 10am.

Back to the Ganges - A trip to India

I have just returned from a wonderful trip to India. For the past 45 years I have been working in the Oriental rug trade importing Oriental rugs from many countries including India, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and nearer to home - Belgium.

I have been privileged to be able to visit all of these countries and see a lot of the world during my career.

Having started my travels to India back in the seventies, when things were very different compared with the India of today, I really had no intention of going back. I had more or less retired in 2008 and thought that I had enough of India, so much so that my wife Brenda, who always wanted to go, went with a friend a few years ago because I said I wouldn't go.

However, we were having lunch with friends one Sunday last year and they said they were planning a trip to India. They started asking me all about it and I was trying to give them a few pointers. They were going to the main tourist places which people go to on their first trip known as the Golden Triangle which means Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

They added that they wanted to go to Varanasi which is the most holy city in India. People come to Varanasi aer travelling hundreds of miles to bring their dead to the side of the Ganges for cremation in Funeral Pyres. It is quite something to see, a very emotional experience. Their wanting to go there triggered a spark.

Varanasi is also the place where the rugs I imported were made but really what made me think about going back was the fact that my company had help build a girls’ school back in 1997 which I had never seen. The rugs are made in villages on farms about 100 miles from Varanasi. There were boys’ schools in the villages but no schools for girls. The girls had to travel into Varanasi every day - that meant two hours each way by bus every day. Our manufacturer had a dream about building a school for the girls and we said we would help, along with John Lewis who was our biggest customer at the time.

The school was opened in l997 in a village called Ghoshia with 350 girls attending on that first day. The school has since expanded and now 1000 girls attend.

Well, I did go back, and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. They made me, my wife Brenda, and our friends so welcome. We were met by the head teacher and 1000 pupils - something difficult to describe. They showered us with flowers and garlands, danced for us and sang. We were shown around the school and met nearly all the staff and all the children. It was a day I shall remember for the rest of my life. I was proud that my company had been involved in the making of this wonderful school which I am sure will achieve much more in the future.
By the way, besides going to Varanasi we did visit many other places. India is a vibrant country full of colour and so many other things that I wouldn't know where to start

If you get the chance go, you will not be disappointed.

World union for progressive Judaism convention in Jerusalem

My son, Richard, and I were delegates at the W.U.P.J. 38th International Convention, 17 – 20 May in Jerusalem. I was the oldest and the only one to have attended its Sixth Conference, 1949 in London. Then there were 100 delegates from 13 countries; now over 400 Delegates came together from 32 countries. Founded by Lily Montagu in London in 1926, WUPJ is now the largest Jewish religious movement world-wide.

By common consent it was the best convention ever. Highlights were a service at the side of the Kotel reserved for egalitarian services, with women carrying the Sefer Torah; a Shabbat Eve celebration at the site of the former Railway Station, now a cultural centre, where the eight Reform congregations around Jerusalem came together in song and dance with a thousand participants; and the Shabbat morning service on the top of Bet-Shmuel, the wonderful Reform Centre overlooking the Old City. Like our Shabbat Resouled Service with music, processions, singing and dancing and seven Aliyot, with much enthusiasm it lasted two and a half hours!

Among the main speakers and workshop leaders were Nathan Sharansky (Head of the Jewish Agency), the daughter of Shimon Perez (who recited Kaddish at his funeral), Danny Fessler (Director of the Leo Baeck Educa$on Centre in Haifa) and Gilad Kariv, CEO of the Israel Reform Movement, well-known to us.

While at the 1949 Conference, so soon aer the Shoah, the mood was sober, serious and contemplative; the mood in 2017 was euphoric, confident and optimistic.

So we sang Chasack, Chasack venitchasek at the end of Leviticus with great conviction: “We are strong and will strengthen one another!”.

Harry Jacobi

Ruach Teacher Required

Teacher Required for Ruach - Southgate Progressive Synagogue Religion School

We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and dynamic Religion School teacher to teach Jewish Studies, starting in September 2017.
We are a friendly, caring, Liberal Jewish community with an ethos of inclusion and equal opportunities for all. Ruach meets on Saturday mornings during school term-times.

Children’s safety and welfare is of paramount importance to us and you will require a full Disclosure and Barring Service Check.

For an application form, please apply in confidence to our Honorary Secretary Mrs Jane Greenfield (secretary@sps.uk.com). To arrange a visit or to discuss the job in more detail, please contact the Head Teacher, Gwendolen Burton: Headteacher@sps.uk.com.

Words From Our Religious Activities Committee

Now Shavuot is over, and the Pet Service is done (a massive thank you to Emma Marsh for playing the guitar and keeping me in tune), we are now truly in the summer run up to the High Holy Days. Even this Gate is on its holiday and comes back to you in September. This does not mean that services at SPS cease. We carry on with our Shabbat services even though we allow our Rabbi a holiday!
Without our dedicated layreaders, many of them from RAC, SPS would need to pay visiting Rabbis so please come along and support our friends from 28th July to 12th August as I thank Barry Mathiason, Jonathon Clark, Julian Sampson, Phil Zeligman, Bob Dulin, Barbara Mar$n, and Rabbi Michael Standfield and Rabbi Harry Jacobi.
I know I thanked everyone in the AGM booklet for the work RAC put into making sure SPS’s variety of services is the envy of the LJ community. But for those that don’t know I must thank them again as I am now standing down as Chair of the committee. This is due to a new job and the clash of interests it presents. So my thanks to Jonathon Clark, Max Donen (new member), Bob Dulin, Jane Greenfield, Michael Henriques, Rabbi Keren, Jill Newton, Pearl Phillips, Michele Raab, Julian Sampson, Carol Standfield and Phil Zeligman. The first meeting after the AGM will be electing the new officers and I know they will do a sterling job.
Don’t forget to come to shul on 14th July as Shabbat Resouled takeover the music at SPS and deliver a fantastic experience. See you there!
Have a fantastic summer, take a break from the work-life-cycle but remember SPS is here for your spiritual battery refresh too.

A Gap Year In Isreal

I am currently sat in a lounge in Jerusalem surrounded by peers from Australia, South Africa and other parts of the UK, the sun is shining through a mix-match of colourful curtains and there is an array of guitars, board games and books spread about the place; we are in our Etgar flat. ‘Etgar’ directly translates from Hebrew as ‘challenge’ and is the name of the section of the Netzer gap year programme (Shnat Netzer) that I have just begun. Sitting in my new home, surrounded by new friends and new challenges, I have time to reflect on my experience so far. 

We started our Israel journey on Kibbutz Lotan - an ecological, Reform Zionist kibbutz located in the Arava valley in the south of Israel. The picturesque landscape, along with the ideologically-driven kibbutzniks we were surrounded by, provided an inspirational beginning to our me here. We started each day with a peer-led Ma’amad (creative prayer service) before aending discussions and classes on topics such as ecology, Reform Zionism, Progressive Judaism and Hebrew. As well as these classes, we also partook in practical sessions such as working in the Kibbutz date fields, composing and building a mud wall for the Nursery. In between these activities we got to know the people of Lotan during communal meals in the Cheder Ochel (Dining room), my favourite being Shabbat dinner after a lovely Kabbalat Shabbat service in the synagogue. This constant sense of community and care for one another set the group up well for our move to the North, after having lived on Kibbutz for a month. 

At the beginning of December, our group packed up our belongings, squished them into a minibus and made the five hour journey to the other end of Israel. Once there, we setted into a large house in a Moshav called Meona and began the section known as ‘Tikkun Period’ (Repairing period). Over the following weeks we all took part in volunteering work, some of us attending High Schools (both Arab and Jewish), while others volunteered with younger children in Primary Schools and a Kindergarten. Throughout our me volunteering, we had the special privilege of getting to know both Arab Israelis and Jews and hearing opinions from peripheral areas of Israel on topics such as the conflict, the distribution of resources between central areas of the country and the periphery, as well as what it’s like to live on the border with Lebanon. We were able to gain extra insight into the reality of living on the border every Wednesday, when we would visit a different Moshav, most of which were situated only a matter of metres from Lebanon. Whilst there, we ran activities with the children, learnt about the history of the Moshavim and ate dinner with families who opened up their homes to us Before we knew it, it was once again me to pack up our things and move to another part of Israel. This me we were headed to the heart of the country - Jerusalem. We were greeted in the holy city by twelve Australian Netzerniks and one member of Netzer South Africa, having recently arrived in Israel. 

Whilst this period meant new and exciting opportunities, it also brought with it a big change to group dynamics; six of our original group decided to take part in the Etgar programme, along with ten members of the southern hemisphere kvutzah (group), while the rest enrolled in the alternative option called ‘Machon’. Machon offers a university style educational programme, with members of multiple Youth Movements from around the globe living in halls. During Machon, participants attend lectures on a variety of subjects such as Jewish Studies, Hadracha (leadership) and Gender studies. Mechinat Etgar also provides education to its participants, but uses an informal approach to teaching and heavily focuses on creang an intentional community and living out Netzer ideology (Etgar differs from Machon in the sense that it is an option only for members of Netzer Olami). The first week of Etgar has flown by, and we have just settled into the flat we will be living in for the rest of our me in Israel. We spent the days prior to this sleeping in a large Bedouin tent in the desert, after days of hiking and laying down the foundations for the journey our group is about to embark on. We all arrived back in Jerusalem feeling inspired and motivated about the period of me we are just beginning, excited for the precious memories we’ll all share in this communal living space, full of anticipation for the education we are about to receive, and motivated to help each other grow into beer madrichim (leaders) for the Progressive Jewish movement in our communities back home. 

Becky Penhey

Isreal Group

Members of the Israel Group aended Yom Ha’atzmaut 2017 at Sha’arei Tsedek Reform Synagogue. The evening began with a very moving Yom Hazikaron service in remembrance of those who had died in the wars of Israel. This service was conducted by Rabbi Rebecca Birk from Finchley Progressive Synagogue, Rabbi Judith Levi and Rabbi James Baaden from Sha’arei Tsedek Reform Synagogue and Rabbi Yuval Keren from Southgate Progressive Synagogue. 

We then listened to a very interesng talk from Rabbi Yuval Keren about Naom Shemer’s song ‘Yerushalayim Shel Zahav’. The popular Israeli song ‘Jerusalem of Gold' was wrien in 1967.The original song described the Jewish People’s 2000-year longing to return to Jerusalem; Shemer added a final verse after the Six-Day War to celebrate Jerusalem’s unificaon under Israeli control. At that me, the Old City was under Jordanian rule; Jews had been barred from entering, and many sites had been desecrated. Only three weeks after the song had been published, the Six-Day War broke out. The song was the bale cry and morale booster of the Israeli troops. Shemer even sang it for them before the war, making them among the first in the world to hear it. On 7 June, the Israel Defence Forces captured the eastern part of Jerusalem and the Old City from the Jordanians. When Shemer heard the paratroopers singing ‘Jerusalem of Gold’ at the Western Wall, she wrote a final verse, reversing the phrases of lamentaon found in the second verse. The line about sofas sounding from the Temple Mount is a reference to an event that actually took place on 7 June. 

During the evening we had some excellent Israeli food from a buffet organised by Janet and Jane which brought back happy memories to many at the event who had been to Israel. 

Peter Leslie (Chair of Israel Group)

Religion School News

In May, we celebrated Yom Ha-atsma’ut (Israeli Independence Day), with help from the Liberal Judaism youth movement, LJY Netzer. 
Everyone had a fantastic morning! 

The younger students went to Oakwood Park, where we learnt about Israel through an educational game. When we returned to SPS, we tried our hand at decorating kosher marshmallows with blue edible pen and sparkles (see picture), and ate a yummy cake, decorated in blue and white to look like the 
Israeli flag. 

Later in the morning, we saw a film about LJY Netzer, which got our students interested in joining the LJY Netzer summer scheme this year 
(available for students age 8 upwards, from 14th – 27th August). There is also a full day of activities run by LJY Netzer in June, alongside the Liberal Judaism Day of Celebration. For more information see: www.ljy-netzer.org 

We are now recruiting staff for September, so please get in touch with me, if you know anyone suitable: headteacher@sps.uk.com. 

Finally, our parent and toddler group, Mini-Ruach, is going from strength to strength, with over 20 children coming on a Friday morning. The next Friday session will be on 9th June at 10am, and the next Saturday session will be on 17th June at 10am. 

Gwendolen Burton

Religion School News

During March, Ruach students celebrated both Purim and Pesach (rather early), on each occasion with a whole morning of activities.

On 11th March, students were invited to come to Ruach in costume for our Purim celebrations. 

Congratulations to the winners of the fancy dress parade: Alice and David. 

As well as dressing up, we also baked tradi,onal homentaschen, and tried our hand at palmiers. These pastries, which look a lile like ears, are a delicious idea for Purim, apparently originating in France. At the end of the morning, we made Mishloach Manot (tradi,onal Purim gifts containing food, including homentaschen), which the students then gave to members of the Shabbat morning congregation, somewhat to their surprise! Many thanks to Barbara Ostermeyer, who made a batch of homentaschen to supplement our own baking endeavours. 

Other activities during the morning were a lively Megillah reading, accompanied by lots of noise from our home-made graggers; an illustrated Megillah, which can be seen on the notice board in the Baron Harris Room; and a Purim Photo Booth (see pictures). 

On 25th March, we celebrated the Ruach Pesach Seder. This was a “bring a friend event.” We were able to include our visitors in the reading of the Haggadah, as well as in a number of other activities, including baking our own Matzah, and the now tradi,onal hard-boiled egg championship. 

April is a quiet month for Ruach, as it includes the Pesach break. However, we are already making plans for May, when LJY Netzer will be joining us in Oakwood Park, for a joint celebration of Yom Ha-atsma’ut and Lag Ba’omer. Also in May, we will be welcoming a new member of Ruach staff, George Panayiotou. George will be teaching the GCSE class when Gerry is away.

Supper Quiz - 25th February 2017

A big thank you to everybody who came along to support our Supper Quiz last month. It was very well attended and we were entertained by our Quizmaster whilst enjoying a fish and chip supper. 

There was a great vibe around the hall throughout the evening and it appeared that the evening was enjoyed by all. I would also like to say a big thank you to those who helped out on the day. 

We held a raffle during the evening and I am pleased to report that the net figure raised was just over £800, the proceeds of which will be utilised by SPS. 

Community Seder

You will shortly be getting your Pesach recipe books down from the shelf to start your Pesach baking. As usual I am asking if you could bake a few extra cakes and biscuits to enhance the Kiddushim after services. If you do not have time to bake we will happily accept bought cakes and biscuits (obviously Pesach ones). 

All donations gratefully appreciated and accepted. 

There are a few days left, up to 2nd April, to reserve your place at the Communal Seder. Application forms can be obtained from the office. 

The Communal Seder is always greatly enjoyed by those who aend. As you can appreciate this is something that just doesn’t happen, it is an event that takes careful planning and organising. There are the dedicated few, not all of them aend, who help set up the Hall, organise the sea,ng and make sure there is enough matzah, wine, Seder plates, crockery and cutlery in place for the night. 

Extra help is always required and appreciated. If you have an hour or two during the day when you can help please contact Barbara Martin, she will tell you how you can help and the time to arrive. 
Thanking you in anticipation. 

Barbara Martin

‘Silence’ - Itamar Yaoz-Kesset

The numbers on her arm began to crumble 
Like a taoo on a sailor’s arm 
She imposed silence upon herself for thirty-five years 
Upon the line of numbers on her arm, 
Which began with the letter A 
She wanted to live the HERE and the NOW 
She wanted to live the sea, the house, the children 
And if she occasionally revealed herself 
It was with an accidental life of the sleeve 
And now, five abandoned digits remain in my mind 
Refuse to return to silence 
To the stillness of the Times Table. 

This poem, titled ‘Silence’ and originally wrien in Hebrew, was composed by Itamar Yaoz-Kesset. Itamar was born in 1934 in Hungary as Péter Ervin Keszt to an assimilated Jewish family. His grandparents and parents believed that the answer to an,semi,sm is full integration into the Hungarian society. 
This unfortunately did not spare the family from persecu,on and death when the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944. Aged 10, Itamar was sent to Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Seeing so much death and destruction around him, he regards his survival of the camp as ‘Divine intervention.’ 
Itamar managed to rebuild his life in Israel where he later became an educator and a poet. He was very far from keeping silent about the Holocaust. His first-hand childhood experience of the horrors of the Holocaust features heavily in his poems and essays. 

In his poem ‘Silence’, wrien 35 years a+er libera,on, Itamar describes the passing at the age of 40 of his cousin Elizabeth. She survived Auschwitz death camp as a young child together with her mother. 

After liberation, Elizabeth lived her life, she got married, had children, and had a good job. 
For 35 years Elizabeth never spoke about her experience of the Holocaust and the traumas of Auschwitz Death Camp. Her response was – silence. 
HOW CAN LIFE GO ON? 

The only way for Elizabeth’s life to go on, and the only way for her to live the HERE and NOW, was through silence. This silence did not necessarily come from an awareness or an informed decision. 
This silence, experienced by so many Holocaust survivors, and survivors of other genocides, is like a spiritual disability. Breaking that silence takes the survivor from the HERE and NOW, back into the horrors of the THEN and THERE. Many would not be able to survive that experience – mentally and spiritually. 

The only testimony to Elizabeth’s harrowing experience was the taoo on her arm, only to be revealed accidentally, at the life of a sleeve. She took her taoo, and her story, with her to the grave. 
The Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel left the gates of Auschwitz at the age of 17. For a decade after the liberation, this prolific writer kept complete silence about his experiences. Life for young Wiesel had to go on. It took a great deal of persuasion and encouragement by the French journalist François Mauriac for Wiesel to start writing about his experiences. Wiesel broke his spell of silence, and he never stopped writing, and never stopped telling the world his experience of the holocaust. 

Why do so many survivors of genocide choose to keep silent? 

There are a few reasons for that. 
Like Elizabeth they want for LIFE TO GO ON. They want to a live normal life, get married, establish a house, and go to work. For many this aempt would be futile, as the past comes back to torment them. It could be through: 
• Dreams and nightmares; 
• The habits they adopted during their trauma; 
• Marks and scars on their bodies – and on their souls; 
• TV images of other conflicts; 
• Attempts at reconstructing history and Denial of their suffering 
• Or news about the rise of ideologies and powers similar to those that led to their experiences. 

They keep silent because they want to spare their families and dear ones from the trauma of their experiences. Yet, we know that there is no escape for the second and subsequent genera,on of survivors. It is some,mes even worse when survivors themselves are unable to talk about their experiences. The silence that comes to protect becomes the tormenting shadow for the next generations.

They keep silent because in many societies there is a lack of understanding of the survivor’s experience. They are asked questions such as: 
· Why were you led like sheep to the slaughter? 
· Why didn’t you fight? 
· Why didn’t you hide? 
· Why didn’t you escape? 

Explaining and debating is just too difficult and traumatic, and silence is the easy way out. 
Yet, it is this ‘comfortable’ silence that is often at the centre of the survivors’ inability to leave the past behind. Silence could o+en result in denial of justice to those who are wronged, and it can let their perpetrators get away with murder. 

In his 1986 Nobel Prize speech, Elie Wiesel stated: 
“Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” 

As hard as it is at times, breaking the silence of survivors often helps bring about the process of justice, and the process of healing, for survivors and their family. Most importantly, it helps with the preven,on of future miscarriages of justice. 

Itamar Yaoz-Kesset wrote about the silence of his cousin Elizabeth – a Holocaust survivor. 

Yet he used his words to tell us the story of the tattoo on her arm. 
And by doing so he managed to break her 35 years of silence, and the tormenting secrets she took with her to the grave. 

Life must go on. 

Yet, the story of victims and survivors has to have a voice. 

Rabbi Yuval Keren

Words from our Rabbi

The Book of Genesis tells us that when Jacob was on his deathbed in Egypt, Joseph brought his two sons to him. Jacob did not know who they were. He therefore had to ask Joseph “who are they?” (Genesis 48:8). Why didn't Jacob recognize his own grandchildren? Perhaps because they walked, talked and were dressed like Egyptians rather than Hebrews. Perhaps Jacob could not believe that these assimilated young men were his own grandchildren. When Joseph told him “these are my sons”, Jacob became very worried. 

According to a Midrashic story, at that point, the grandchildren said to Jacob "Shema, Israel. Listen Israel (Jacob's other name, given to him by the angel). Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One." Jacob was so relieved to hear these words coming out of the mouths of the two ‘Egyptian’ boys, that he replied "baruch shem k'vod malchuto l'olam va-ed - praised be God's name for ever!" 

Jacob was a nomad, a shepherd, a man of the desert. He escaped from his father’s house and established his family and fortune in a far away land. He is used to a life of traveller and his roots in the land are very shallow. One day he is in the land of Canaan, the next day he is in Haran, in Canaan again and then he makes his final journey to the land of Goshen - to Egypt. 

Joseph is his favourite son, yet he is a completely different person. Joseph is not a man of travel. He is forced to make one long journey to Egypt as a slave and there he makes his fortune. Joseph plants deep roots in the land of Egypt. Even if we assume that, for understandable reasons, he was not that keen on meeting his elder brothers, he still makes no effort to make contact with his beloved father and his younger brother during the time of his service to Pharaoh. The ex-Canaanite slave becomes the second most powerful man in Egypt and there he absorbs the local culture. He adopts an Egyptian name – ‘ZAPHENATH-PANEAH’ and he marries an Egyptian woman, the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Yet Joseph is careful to give his ‘Egyptian’ children Hebrew rather than Egyptian names - Menasseh and Ephraim. 

His children were born in Egypt. They never had the chance of experiencing the nomad life of their grandfather Jacob or the early life of their father Joseph. For them perhaps these family stories of the promise of the land to their great-great-grandfather Abraham and the story of the binding of their great-grandfather Isaac sounded like fairy tales. I can just imagine that, as the children of the second most powerful person in the most powerful country in the world at the time, they could not comprehend the reality of living in a tent and they could not understand the usefulness of a promise of a small piece of land so far away from the safety of their palace. 

Yet the challenge of passing the Jewish tradition from Jacob to Joseph and from Joseph to Manasseh and Ephraim is a challenge that we face in every generation. I look at my own history and my own experience of learning my tradition in a small religious school in the city of Ashkelon in Southern Israel. There we obviously spoke Hebrew and we therefore could read the Bible and other Jewish texts at source. At that time, we only had the distraction of a single channel on TV and most of our play time was outdoors. My children live a reality that is completely different to the one I had at their age. They probably could not understand that it is possible to have a month, a week or a day without a TV, smartphones phones, Snapchat and Instagram (whatever they are!). 
The challenge that a parent, and indeed a congregation, faces in our world, is one of taking the history and traditions of our grandparents, our parents and ourselves and passing them on to our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. How can we teach them about the Holocaust if they did not חס וחלילה ‘ ,dna – ’ God forbid, will never live to experience it? How can we make Jewish ritual, study and prayer meaningful for them as it is for us? How can we ensure that they continue as a link in the chain of our tradition rather than the last one? 

We can obviously make the effort and send them to Ruach, our religion school, and to Jewish schools. We can make the effort and practice the ritual at home as a family. Yet, this is not enough and, in many cases, our children might resent these experiences and even feel that they are very alienated from it in the same way that Manasseh and Ephraim must have felt when they tried to make sense of the nomad traditions of their grandfather. 

We also need to ask why is it that many synagogues experience a drop in membership and that some do not have that many young adult members, while cultural and educational institutions such as Limmud have experienced an exponential growth over the past years. 

The first Limmud started in 1980 with around 80 delegates. 35 years later – Limmud ended this year with around 3,000 participants. But this is not the end of the story for Limmud. There are now over 80(!) Limmud communities in 44(!) countries around the world. There are day-Limmud conferences all over the UK, and there is a Glastonbury-style Limmud conference in the summer. 
Limmud is perhaps just one example of how grandparents, parents, young adults and children can bridge the gap between the generations and are able to continue passing on the tradition. Limmud is a great opportunity of instilling strong Jewish values – community, caring, volunteering, charity, creativity, worship and the study of Torah. 

Limmud has also become the melting pot of the Anglo-Jewish community. Limmud is a Jewish conference, run by Jews and for Jews. Yet you don’t need to have a Jewish mother, be a member of a synagogue or meet a certain criteria set by the office of the Chief Rabbi in order to aSend. 

Limmud delegates come from all denomina,ons and from no denomination. The spirit of Limmud is one of mutual respect and tolerance for all. Everyone has a chance to express their views, and everyone has the right to listen or walk away. The only potential limit imposed by the conference is the physical size of a room and the time of day when a lecture might take place.

As a congregation we need to ask ourselves – what can we learn from the success of the Limmud conference and how can we make the congregants of SPS benefit from it? 

Perhaps we should make it possible for our younger generation to aSend Limmud. Perhaps we need to enable Limmud-style learning and teaching opportunities for families within our own community. Perhaps we need to build on the spirit of volunteering and care that we already have in our community and instil these in our young. Perhaps we need to encourage in all our members the feeling that we can all have our share of Jewish learning, worship and practice. ‘LO BASHAMAYIM HI’- all these things are not in the heaven that only a God, or at least a Rabbi, can perform them successfully. These values are in our hearts and in our minds and we can therefore pass them to the next generation. In the process, we will no doubt also learn one or two new tricks from our young ones. 

Jacob passed his tradition to Joseph and Joseph passed this very tradition to his two children and they, in return, to their children. Each generation has a different experience of the world, yet the tradition has travelled across 3,500 years to our genera,on. We have the responsibility of passing this tradition to our children, and we must learn to do it in a way that will be meaningful to us, and will be meaningful to them.

Rabbi Yuval Keren